Julie Thomas-Toda
Creative Producer
Aoi Pro, Tokyo
Born on one island and moved to another, Julie Thomas-Toda left her home of Honolulu, Hawaii in 1991, and joined AOI Pro. Inc. in Tokyo, when very few foreign women were employed in the Japanese advertising industry. Julie’s determined passion for pushing film craft beyond the cultural and language barriers, has led AOI Pro. to become the leader in collaborating with international creative professionals and filmmakers, setting the precedent for cross-cultural advertising in Japan. Seeing beyond the initial concept in a production, Julie thrives on discovering multi-faceted creative possibilities and delivering beyond the clients’ expectations.
Her work as a creative coordinator has led her to the farthest corners of the earth, working with some of the most distinguished professionals in the industry for such clients such as Nissan, Honda, Toyota, Sony, Panasonic, Coca-Cola, Shiseido, Nike, Kirin, Asahi, and Nestle.
Julie delves into the advert and film craft realm daily, easily geeking out several hours at a time to uncover who’s work is excelling in the world of persuasive filmmaking. She has served on the Film Craft juries for ADFEST, Ciclope, SHOTS, APA, YDA (Young Directors Award) and Young Cannes Lions Film Competition Japan.
Japan has been her home for the last 29 years where she resides in Tokyo with her husband and two children.
