OWN INTERVIEW CONTENTS Vol.9 Junpei Ichikawa (CEO/Editor of or private pond inc.)
OWN (hereinafter, O ): First, please introduce yourself, Ichikawa-san!
Ichikawa Junpei (hereinafter, I ): When I interview people, I have asked them many times to introduce themselves, but when I am the one being interviewed, it's really difficult! It's confusing.
They talk about their title and the work they do.
I know! My name is Junpei Ichikawa. I run a company called Private Pond , which does a lot of media production, brand advertising, campaign planning and management, event production, and more. It sounds like a wide range of work, but actually, most of it is just an extension of the work I did when I was in the editorial department.
So , please tell us how you started your private pond .
I 've been going to a publishing company called Transworld Japan since I was a student around 20 years old . It was simply because I wanted to work in the editorial department of Warp magazine JAPAN (hereafter referred to as Warp), which I had been reading since then. From there, I edited Warp for about 13-14 years, and Ochiai joined the editorial department during that time. For the last two and a half years, I was also the editor-in-chief of the print and web versions . Then, when the magazine was discontinued in 2018 , I left the company and went independent.
Why did you decide to start your own business?
I I simply wanted to try something new. I was there for nearly 15 years, and eventually I was given the role of editor-in-chief, so I felt like I'd accomplished everything, or that I'd reached a turning point. To be honest, I felt a sense of responsibility as a party involved in putting an end to something that had continued for so long, and also a simple, objective sense of loneliness that the magazine Warp was going to disappear. I had a lot of different emotions at the time that can't be expressed in a single word.
OMe too, but Ichikawa-san was also originally a reader of Warp .
I That's right. So it's not like I quit my job thinking, "I want to do this next!", but rather I was in a state where I couldn't start anything new unless I got out of the company for a while.
It's not common for people to go independent and start their own business just because they no longer have anything they want to do at their company, right ?
I guess that may be true. After I became editor-in-chief, the editorial team at the time, including Zawachin, Fukano, Nagashima, Kanno, and Nishikata from the advertising department, all worked really hard for two and a half years, so I think we all felt burned out.
But you didn't take any time off and started your business right away, right?
No , it was because so many people contacted me without any delay. Even the current location in Nakameguro started when 460 ( Warp 's art director ) contacted me and asked, "What are you going to do about your workplace?", so I can only say that I was blessed with good connections. After that, Nishikata joined us and we started doing web production full-time , so the scope of my work expanded even further. I was also able to create the OWN website. Warp was a magazine that existed on the basis of deep relationships with so many different people, so even after I left , I was only able to continue thanks to the connections I made there.
O: So making use of your own career led to your current job.
I Even back then , the people who appeared in Warp were basically " only " people who were doing what they wanted to do . Especially when you interview them, you're confronted with that head-on, so I naturally admired those people and vaguely thought it would be nice if I could become like them someday. But even though I had that admiration, life on the editorial side was extremely hard (laughs).
O I was sleeping on the floor every month as if it was the norm.
I: Thinking about it now, it seems really strange that I would say, "I'm going to take a quick nap," and then just collapse onto the floor and go to sleep. There were many times when I was so overwhelmed with deadlines that I went crazy. Even though I was supposed to be super busy, I would wander aimlessly around Center Street in the middle of the night (laughs). I think my brain must have frozen. Looking back, I devoted almost my entire twenties to " Warp . " A lot of things are coming back to me...
There are tons of stories about the dark side of the O editorial department, so let's stop!
I Yeah, let's stop now (laughs).
So , what have you gained from working at Warp , going from being a student intern to editor-in-chief ?
I It's hard to put into words, but the biggest thing was being able to experience, even as a student, that there are jobs that you can have fun at. Of course , editing work has deadlines and of course there are difficult times, but it was huge to experience firsthand that the job can be fun, and I think it has definitely influenced the way I think about my work today . When you're a normal student, your image of typical jobs is full of stereotypes. But it was because I discovered Warp that I was able to learn about a different world at a young age . And that applies not only to the editors, but also to the people I worked with, including photographers, designers, and stylists.
Oh , I see. Surely no one was doing their job unwillingly.
I It may seem like a given, but when you look around you, it's actually quite rare, and it's a happy thing.
So , what kind of developments do you plan to make as a private pond ?
I I've been talking to Nishikata a lot lately, and we're thinking about gradually increasing the weight of our own business. Since going independent, we've mainly been doing client work, but while our own business gives us the freedom to do whatever we want, it also creates a different kind of responsibility and tension. I feel like that's something we really need right now, and my goal for the future is to strike the right balance between the two.
It's okay if you can only tell me what you plan to do .
I've always loved fishing, so I'm preparing to start a media outlet that mixes that with the street culture I've cultivated over the years, including music, fashion, and art. I think fishing will be the main focus, but I'd like to be able to mix in some interesting things like what I did back when I was working on Warp . The subject matter may change, but ultimately I love people, and that's what I've always been interested in. So I'll go and meet people I'm interested in, interview them, eat meals with them, hang out, and record that time together with some great photos and videos. It would be great if someone could see it and enjoy it. I plan to do it both online and in print, and I'll be teaming up with a long-established publishing company that specializes in fishing.
Oh , I'm looking forward to it! So, this may be a bit self-promotional, but what did you think of the start of OWN ?
Can I be honest?
OThat 's good (laughs).
I thought, "This guy's done it!" (laughs). I mean, there are already a ton of famous eyewear brands out there. Didn't Ochiai say that when he came to consult with us?
O: That's right. I remember you saying that.
I Starting a brand, not just one related to glasses, is incredibly difficult. Especially in today's world. There are other jobs out there that don't require choosing such a thorny path. Ato and I have been talking about how "I heard Ochiai is going to start a brand with Masaki...I wonder if it's going to be okay..." (laughs).
I'm sorry for worrying you and your wife (laughs) .
But once OWN got started, it really took shape, and I thought, "Wow, they're doing this! That's amazing!" Ultimately, this applies to both my media work and brands. When you decide to start something, I think it's important to have people around you who are genuinely willing to support you. I think a lot of people are supporting you not just because it's a sunglasses brand, but because it's Ochiai and Masaki. I think these relationships with the people around them that go beyond superficiality are OWN 's unique strength, and I'm sure they contribute to its original branding. I think that's what makes it so appealing and will continue to grow. In this day and age, mainstream trends are n't everything, and I think it's great that there are brands like OWN that started with an analog, peddling style. Becoming a big company isn't necessarily the right thing to do, and it's fine if you can continue running a brand that suits your means over the long term and live a happy life. OWN 's style, even just the way they use Instagram, is interesting. I think this might be a good fit for brand management in the future.
Thank you very much! Ichikawa-san also contributed a column to OWN 's LOOK BOOK .
I 've known him for a long time, so of course I was willing to do everything he asked me to. But I put a lot of thought into writing that column. I mean, the people who wrote the column were all incredible people! I'm sure you think it was a grand prank on Ochiai's part to throw me in the middle of all that. And this interview too...
O No, no, that's not true (laughs).
But I was invited to write a column alongside such a distinguished group of people, so I took it seriously. I honestly wrote about my experiences as a glasses user. I never thought you'd use a photo like that for your profile picture, though! ( See the LOOK BOOK .) So, OWN is wholeheartedly supporting you.
Thank you very much (laughs)! Also, Ichikawa-san, you actually use OWN eyewear, what do you think?
I I'm not an expert on glasses, but after trying out OWN's #03 , I thought the finish was really good. The classic design is nice, and I don't feel any stress on my ears or nose even when wearing them all day. I also thought the blue frame matched the brand image. There are many models with beautiful frame and lens colors. They look ordinary, but when you actually wear them, they feel a bit new, and I like how they hit that perfect spot.
I'm very happy to hear you say that ! Finally, is there any information you would like to share about Mr. Ichikawa?
I think it's about launching a lifestyle media outlet centered around the fishing I mentioned earlier. It hasn't been decided yet, but I 'm thinking of calling it "Before You Wake Up . " It has the meaning of " We're having so much fun before everyone else wakes up, " and since all of our favorite hobbies, whether it's fishing, surfing, or camping, involve setting out early in the morning, I thought it would be good to have a word that can express more than just one thing. Also, there's a late-night radio show I love called " While You Are Sleeping " hosted by some cool seniors, and I actually thought of the title as a kind of homage to that. I'm planning to launch a new fishing media outlet this year, and I'm still feeling my way around, so please look forward to it! That's all I'm saying.
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