Lane Cove’s Doug Garske is on a CrunchyRoll

Doug Garske has lived in Lane Cove for a long time with his wife Linda and his three kids.  Recently ITC bumped into Doug Garske and he told us he was working with a company called Crunchyroll.  He then rattled off so many other projects it made our head spin.  We thought we better feature Doug as he has some really interesting projects going on at the moment and he is a colourful Lane Cove identity.

What Are You Currently Working On?

I have quite an eclectic career.
I have worked in TV, Film, and Sports Marketing, Promotions and Events for most of my career. I run my own business in Event management, Sport and Entertainment Marketing, Promotion and Sponsorship.

 

I am also the International Lead and Event Manager for Crunchyroll. It is an AVOD and SVOD service… but basically, it is like Netflix with just Japanese Anime cartoons, manga, and drama.

 

I am a Producer  and I am currently producing a Comedy Road-trip film for  the Chinese market.  It’s the story of 3 girls that visit Australia and how they travel to the Gold Coast for an old friend’s wedding.  It’s in partnership with Village Roadshow China and will start filming around March 2020.

 

I also teach at a Torrens University at The Rocks Campus – Event Management and Sport Management.

 

And I have a startup called Urban Rider Society.  We are building a community around motorcycle/scooter riders.

 

 

Talk About Multi Tasking – Tell Us More?

All of these roles, involve talking to many people.  I love the diversity.  I enjoy multiple projects running at once.  I enjoy networking, putting people together… I love the fact I can create a day full of meetings, or work from home in my jimmy-jams.

 

Crunchyroll
I set up the events to create awareness for Crunchyroll.  I set up a booth at Comic Conventions (like Supanova and OzComicCon) and have staff dressed as characters encourage people to get on to the CrunchyRoll service. It’s crazy and fun… all the people in one spot who are Anime and comic fans – dressed up as their favourite cartoon characters of Shield Hero, One Punch Man, Batman, Wonder Woman… it’s insane.
Crunchyroll is one of those companies that if you are a fan of Anime you will know everything about it… and if you are not you will say “ Wow! That exists? “  It has 100,000 paid subscribers in Australia and has grown 20% on last year… It is owned by Warner/AT&T… it is a small player in a very big and dynamic world.

 

Producer
The film started out as an idea I had.  I started talking to people I knew… talking to Screen Australia, Create NSW, producers, directors… anyone I know in the film industry… eventually, my networking resulted in my idea ending up on the desk of the President of Village Roadshow China… and now, 4 years later, we are scouting locations, hiring a well known Aussie director, talking to actors.

 

Teaching
This is a new world to me… all the years of experience I have is now bundled up and used to teach… I am helping to form the minds of our future… lord help us!!!!

 

 

Urban Rider Society

The Urban Rider Society is dedicated to anything with 2 wheels and an engine. To me, it doesn’t matter if you ride a big cruiser, street bike, cafe racer, a crotch rocket, a comfy scooter, or a 50cc moped. What’s important, is that you’re part of a unique and tight knit community.

The Urban Rider Society  isn’t just a club, an online forum, – we are none of those, yet much, much more – it is a community. That’s why I decided to call it a “Society” rather than something like “Club” or “Forum”. The thing that binds us, the community, the passion, the feeling of riding, the benefits – being part of the motorbike / scooter society is very important to a lot of riders, and I wanted that to ensure that brands and services see the benefit of being involved with us and our tight tribe.

And we have developed an app that will monitor your riding and if you have an accident it will send an alert with your location and medical details.

How Long Have You Lived in Lane Cove?

My wife, Linda, and I moved to Lane Cove 17 years ago – we moved in to a great house on Centennial Ave just after our twins boys we’re born.  I have been coming to “The LC” since I was a kid to visit my Mum’s sister and family who lived behind St Ignatius Riverview and above the “Stink Bridge”.  (ITC note:  The Stink Bridge is the Bridge in Burns Bay Reserve – Sydney Water is currently undertaking a massive overhaul of this area – read more here)

 

What Do You Like About Living in Lane Cove?

We were lucky that our kids attended Lane Cove West Public School when there were only 250 students. We knew everyone. We made close friends… OMG! We partied like teenagers!  We organised amazing fundraisers.  We dressed up to meet the themes.  Loved it all.
Lane Cove is such a central place – you can get to the city on the motorbike via bus lanes and transit lanes in 10 minutes.  If you take the bus, the city is 2 stops away. It was easy to visit Grandma and GrandPa at Baulkham Hills or zip up to Gosford to see Nan and Pop. If you hang in the plaza you will meet someone you know and you can stop for a coffee and chat.

What Would Make Lane Cove a Better Place to Live in?

A major issue is going to be infrastructure…I get it… Lane Cove is so close to the city and it needed to accomodate more housing …  but building a bazillion unit blocks and not fixing traffic flow is just insane…

 

Describe Lane Cove in Three Words

Lanah Covey daaaaarling…

What are your Favourite Things To Do in Lane Cove?

Our go-to places at the moment are The Alcott and Shorties for quick dinners and friend meetups… we like the Makers Markets, the Lane Cove Fair, and just wandering up having a coffee and checking out the shops.
But when the kids were little, we hung in the plaza to attend the events – Chinese new Year, Movies in the Plaza, and more.
What is Your Favourite Coffee Hang Out In Lane Cove?

I can’t really say… it depends if you are meeting someone, hanging with family, want to sit in the sun, want to sit and be cozy… there is a place for everyone…

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