Oct 28 2009
The SPJA (who run Anime Expo) Have Board of Directors Woes
Some members of the Society for the Promotion of Japanese Animation (SPJA), the organization behind Anime Expo, have requested a vote of no confidence against the board of directors, according to animenews.biz. Below is a quick list of some of the major grievances, quoted from the letter of intent (brackets are mine for clarification):
Mr. [Michael] Lattanzio [President and CEO of the SPJA] has placed us into a precarious legal situation by breaking the contract that the SPJA held with BAM! Marketing Publicity and Promotions.
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Mr. Lattanzio has opened us to not only potential legal action but highly unnecessary legal fees that can potentially destroy Anime Expo® financially.
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[W]e are aware of the slander and libel that Mr. Lattanzio has conducted towards Mr. Chase Wang and BAM! Marketing, Publicity & Promotions. Mr. Marc Perez has been witnessed verbally supporting Mr. Lattanzio’s actions even though Mr. Perez has been fully aware of the existence of an “Addendum” to BAM!’s contract that dictates the terms in which we may break our ties with BAM.
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It has come to our attention that promises of bonuses were provided by the Chairman of the Board and supported by the [Board of Directors] in amounts of up to $50,000.00.
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Mr. Lattanzio has further proven no regard for the financial welfare of the SPJA or Anime Expo® by flying to Japan on Business Class with his newly appointed Marketing and Administration Director, Ms. Kimberly Groomes. This trip cost the SPJA and Anime Expo $8,400.00 in airlines tickets alone.
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Another issue we wish to bring up is that, under Mr. Lattanzio’s guidance, The Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) has yet to obtain a check with the amount raised at our Charity Auction from Anime Expo® 2009.
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There is also question as to whether the SPJA bylaws as they currently stand are legal. In July of 2008, this Board ratified the Bylaws of the SPJA. These bylaws are possibly in violation of the current IRS tax code.
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Yikes! Not that any of this behavior (if proven true) is acceptable, but not sending a charity the money you raised for them is pretty damn shady. Bad form! Ironically, some of the SPJA’s core values are Transparency and Integrity. Stay tuned for developments on this issue as they become available.
