Since early 2024, I’ve been immersed in the vibrant world of pop culture as the Technical Operations Manager at Beast Kingdom, based in their Milpitas, California office. While headquartered in Taiwan (established 2010) with extensive R&D and manufacturing across Asia, Beast Kingdom is a truly global force in bringing high-quality U.S. and European pop-culture collectibles, experiences, and distributions to fans worldwide across more than 20 countries.

My role sits at the intersection of technology, operations, and international collaboration. Beast Kingdom’s business spans distribution, product development, large-scale events and exhibitions (like our exciting annual presence at San Diego Comic-Con, which I help support!), and licensing. I work closely with teams both locally and internationally, particularly coordinating with our colleagues in Asia, to streamline processes and implement technology solutions that drive efficiency.

Key Responsibilities & Initiatives:

• Cross-Functional Leadership & Technology Implementation: I partner with diverse international teams, defining project objectives and delivering solutions using technologies like React and Node.js. Leveraging my Mandarin language skills is key to enhancing communication and cultural understanding, which has contributed to a 30% increase in stakeholder engagement.
• Streamlining Retail Operations: A major focus has been deploying technology solutions to improve our distribution capabilities. Implementing SPS Commerce for seamless product integrations with major retailers such as Target and Walmart has significantly boosted operational efficiency by 20% and improved inventory management and order processing speed by 30%.
• Project Roadmap & Delivery: I guide project roadmaps, balancing technical requirements with effective team leadership across multiple Beast Kingdom projects. This focus has resulted in achieving 100% stakeholder satisfaction and maintaining a 98% on-time delivery record for the projects under my purview.
• Continuous Improvement & Collaboration: I launched a feedback-driven program that identified key areas for team and project enhancement, leading to a measurable 15% increase in overall team satisfaction and project outcomes. Additionally, moderating bi-weekly team meetings fosters open communication, contributing to a 40% increase in efficiency during project iterations.

Driving AI Innovation:

A significant and exciting part of my current work involves spearheading AI initiatives within the US operations:

• Internal AI Platform: I’ve built and deployed a dedicated AI server on Hostinger. This platform provides a secure environment where employees can utilize company-managed API keys via a user-friendly interface to interact with a range of Large Language Models (LLMs) and Small Language Models (SLMs). This gives us controlled access to cutting-edge AI capabilities.
• Cost Control & Strategic AI Use: Crucially, I’ve implemented robust cost controls for LLM API usage. We strategically blend the power of advanced LLMs for complex tasks with the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of SLMs for more routine operations, optimizing both performance and budget.
• Automation through Integration: The next phase involves integrating these AI services with our internal systems, like Model Context Protocol (MCP) to automate various office tasks, further enhancing productivity and freeing up valuable team resources.

Working at Beast Kingdom is a unique opportunity to apply technical and operational expertise within a dynamic, creative, and global industry. Engaging directly with fans at events like Comic-Con and collaborating with teams across the Pacific, all while building cutting-edge AI solutions, makes this role incredibly rewarding.