ABOUT US

FOUNDER & PRODUCER

Rika Iino (she/her) embodies two decades of purpose-driven work at the intersection of social impact, innovation, and the arts. As a creative producer and manager, her dedication to artists as change agents has shaped global projects. Deeply engaged in independent artist advocacy and leadership development, Rika serves as a coach, mentor, and speaker at institutions like Stanford, Yale, and UC Berkeley. Co-creator of the systemic allyship program HEALING FORWARD in collaboration with Marc Bamuthi Joseph, and co-chair of Building Ethical and Equitable Partnership, APAP's national initiative on equitable contracting, Rika made history in 2021 as the first woman of color to receive the Patrick Hayes Award for transformative leadership from the International Society for the Performing Arts. In 2023, she earned the Mentoring Award from Western Arts Alliance and the CALI Catalyst Award from the Center for Cultural Innovation, acknowledging her extraordinary efforts in realizing greater inclusion and equity in the cultural sector.

VICE PRESIDENT & DIRECTOR OF SALES

Ichun’s work as a creative producer & manager spans more than a decade, leading and overseeing numerous live and digital projects with artists and organizations in various sectors globally. A producer with the business acumen for creative environments, Ichun secures resources and talent to take ambitious projects from conception to fruition. She specializes in discovering and cultivating innovative contemporary works that fuse art, social impact, and technology, often as a translator between artistic expression and technological implementation. Skilled in relationship building between humans, art, technology, and experiences, Ichun’s understanding of cultural nuance makes her effective in producing performances, exhibitions, and installations globally. Recent work includes facilitating large-scale international collaborations between artistic entities across several countries, and touring dance productions with industrial robots in more than 20 countries. She is highly regarded in the industry for her exceptional leadership, as well as her uncanny prowess in finding delicious cocktails wherever in the world work takes her.

SENIOR MANAGER & PRODUCER

Born into a multicultural family, Chisa simultaneously celebrates her passion for tradition and innovation. Her desire to discover, collaborate, and deepen her connection with people, place and planet has taken her to 6 continents whether embarking on community service projects, undertaking family pilgrimages, or gracing historic stages and theaters as a professional dancer for over a decade. Driven by intuitive nurturing and a zealous need to contribute joy to the world, she avidly advocates for interdisciplinary art and collaborative practices as means to dissolve perceived barriers to open emotional and physical pathways to truth, justice and love. Fervently on a mission to align her personal power with her professional values, Chisa brings her caring presence, grounded discipline and deep listening to everything she undertakes and creates; she most recently celebrated her stage directorial debut with Lincoln Center’s 2021 Restart Stages Series and continues her role as Creative Producer on several location-aware app experiences across the US in partnership with Sozo artist The Holladay Brothers. Mindful to balance her psyche with fire and nectar, she nourishes herself with yoga, sending hand-written letters, burpees and never turns down a glass of bubbles.

MANAGER / PRODUCER

Dana’s passion for the performing arts began at a young age, ultimately distilling her obsession for a variety of mediums along with activism into her work as a theater + film director. Dana brings her theatrical experience and knack for collaboration to Sozo Artists in many capacities as a producer, nourishing the organic growth of artistic and creative projects across the company. Her work as a director has been seen throughout New York City as well as internationally, extending east to Romania and south to Buenos Aires. She spent years working under avant-garde titan Lee Breuer, and was invited to continue direction on his production A Coffin in Egypt after his passing. She brings her directorial prowess to Sozo, most recently directing DBR’s The Telling at FirstWorks, Providence. Between artistic and producing adventures, Dana tends to her garden in Brooklyn, NY.

BUSINESS MANAGER & PRODUCER

Annie is happily the longest-running member of the Sozo family, working alongside Rika since 2003. She has a contagious passion for live production and loves supporting game-changing artists who elevate our everyday experiences through their works. Her dedication, flexibility, and proclivity for mastering new skills have made her a Jill-of-all-trades, Annie can type 70 WPM, write tour riders, negotiate booking contracts, reroute audio signal, edit your website, and parallel park a 15-passenger van. As business manager and producer Annie’s current role with Sozo ranges from contract management and bookkeeping to producing international tours including The Just and the Blind with Marc Bamuthi Joseph and Daniel Bernard Roumain. Annie now lives in San Jose, CA with the love of her life and their two young children.

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Kaitlyn’s artistic expression began when she was 5 and eagerly climbing onto the piano bench. Now a multifaceted artist with a boundless curiosity for life’s nuances, Kaitlyn harnesses her black girl magic in pursuit of comprehensive and compassionate communion. Kaitlyn is empowered to join Sozo, bringing to the team her organizational prowess, collaborative nature, and drive for equity. For enjoyment, Kaitlyn can be found creating delicious dishes in the kitchen. She practices mindfulness, always stopping to smell the roses.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, FILM/DIGITAL

Joanna Bowzer is a content entrepreneur with creative projects in film, theater and immersive storytelling. She has over 15 years of experience working in start-ups focused on digital media and premium online content and education. She continues to work with new companies, content entrepreneurs, and performing artists, helping them build branding, business development, career and marketing strategies. As writer and director, Joanna’s films have won awards at over a dozen festivals, and have been shown at over forty. She is a member of Film Fatales and the Alliance of Women Directors.

DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL PROJECTS

Connecting communities to enable flow of ideas, support, joy, and success is Mel’s driving force. Since childhood as a first generation American, her desire to build bridges has taken her around the world, living abroad to catalyze understanding and empowerment in realms including grassroots economic development, teaching, media, and foreign relations. A classically trained cellist and ardent arts aficionado, she has been building and executing marketing and branding strategies for Sozo since 2012, pursuing her desire to urge society beyond tolerance, toward appreciation. A surf and adventure enthusiast, Mel enjoys equilibrium between the NYC jungle and tropical jungles to meditate on being present while dodging cell reception and poisonous fauna. She has a high success rate with the former.