# Aaron John Gregory > Lead Godzilla Product Development Manager at TOHO International Location: Pacifica, California, United States Profile: https://flows.cv/aaronjohngregory I'm the Godzilla Product Development Manager at TOHO International, responsible for product development, reviews, and approvals of all licensed Godzilla-branded products produced outside of Asia, including all publishing, soft goods, hard goods, home goods, props, video games, arcade games, table-top gaming, confectionary, food and beverage, marketing, promotions, public activations, and restaurant take-overs. In this role, I oversee product development for all the various Godzilla properties, including Classic TOHO Godzilla, the Legendary Monsterverse, Godzilla Minus One, Chibi Godzilla, Netflix Animated Series, Hanna-Barbera Animated Series, Marvel Comics Godzilla, and others. I also manage all counterfeit product identification for TOHO International, helping protect our IP and enabling TOHO to enforce copyrights for all of our many kaiju characters. Long before my time at TOHO, in 2012 my wife, Jackie Perez Gratz, and I started a boutique science themed t-shirt company called Cotton Crustacean (cottoncrustacean.com). We sell high-end graphic tees featuring my biological illustrations of marine life and prehistoric species. After ten years of exhibiting with a beautiful pop-up shop at countless California art fairs, comic conventions, museum events, and even reptile shows, Cotton Crustacean opened a stunning brick-and-mortar flagship store in Downtown Pacifica, one block from the Sharp Park Pier. I'm an accomplished, internationally published freelance commercial illustrator specializing in scientific illustration. Please visit aaronjohngregory.com to view my illustration and design work. Prior to my work at TOHO International, I was an illustration instructor and History of American Comics professor at the Academy of Art, University and Artist in Residence / Instructor of Design at the Ruth Asawa San Francisco School of the Arts high school. Prior to my teaching profession, for nearly twenty years I worked in the aquarium industry as a professional aquarist, as well as a professional SCUBA diver at the Aquarium of the Bay and the California Academy of Sciences. I’m also a recording artist and founding member of the renown avant-garde metal band, Giant Squid (SONY BMG, Translation Loss Records). ## Work Experience ### Lead Godzilla Product Development Manager @ Toho International, Inc. Jan 2019 – Present | Los Angeles, CA ### Lead Product Development and Design Agent @ Toho International, Inc. Jan 2019 – Jan 2023 | Los Angeles, CA Product Development Manager for TOHO International, overseeing development, design, and approvals of licensed merchandise featuring Godzilla and other TOHO monster characters, making sure all products adhere to TOHO's strict quality requirements and design guidelines, and will maintain the integrity of the historic GODZILLA franchise. ### Senior Creative Director / Founder @ Cotton Crustacean LLC. Jan 2012 – Present | Pacifica, CA Cottoncrustacean.com - A biology boutique, brimming with wearable wildlife from hundreds of millions of years ago to today, all illustrated by artist, Aaron John Gregory. All tees are the highest quality garments available and screen printed in California. After ten years of operating as a pop-up shop boutique, exhibiting at California arts and craft fairs, seasonal street fairs, comic cons, museum events–even reptile hobby conventions–we have recently opened our first brick and mortar store, located in Historic Downtown Pacifica, CA., one block from the Pacifica Municipal Pier. We also provide and design custom wholesale products for various museum gift shops, schools, animal enthusiast societies, and even famous Youtubers, all across the nation and in international markets. ### Freelance Biological Illustrator and Graphic Designer @ aaronjohngregory.com Jan 2009 – Present | San Francisco Bay Area Taking a variety of freelance illustration jobs, from full-color wraparound illustrated book jackets to black and white interior illustrations for natural history publications. I utilize both traditional and digital media, usually combining both, to make striking imagery that conveys clearly what my clients wish to communicate visually. ### Senior Art Director @ Pacific Coast Fog Festival Jan 2024 – Jan 2026 | Pacifica, CA When I'm not volunteering as official illustrator/designer for the event, I'm responsible for sourcing artists for each year's annual poster, and then designing, developing, and sourcing all merchandise created from that imagery. Also responsible for designing and sourcing all drink, food, merchandise, stage, and sponsor booth banners, as well as creating all SNS assets, marketing, and website graphics. ### Instructor @ Academy of Art University Jan 2016 – Jan 2020 | San Francisco Bay Area Undergrad Illustration Instructor and History of American Comics professor. ### Artist In Residence / Instructor @ Ruth Asawa SF School of the Arts A Public School Jan 2018 – Jan 2020 | San Francisco Bay Area I am an artist in residence in the Architecture and Design department at SOTA (San Francisco School of the Arts) teaching graphic design to high school students; grades 9-12. This includes exploring basic methods and professional techniques in programs like the Adobe Creative Suite and Sketch-Up, as well as using traditional media like pencil, inks, clay, foam models and watercolor. ### Art Director @ RUBBER DIAMOND Gallery Jan 2013 – Jan 2016 | San Francisco Working closely with the gallery owner, Cedric Wentworth, I am responsible for all design and brand output, such as web design and appearance, promotional email design, magazine advertisements for publications like Juxtapose, and production of signage and brochures for gallery shows. Also responsible for writing copy in promotional material and in collection descriptions. ## Education ### Post-baccalaureate Certificate Program in Biology/Biological Sciences, General California State University, Monterey Bay ### Bachelor’s Degree in BFA Illustration Academy of Art University ### Certificate of Completion of First Year Program in Illustration Joe Kubert Art School ## Contact & Social - LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/aaronjohngregory - Website: http://aaronjohngregory.com - Website: http://cottoncrustacean.com --- Source: https://flows.cv/aaronjohngregory JSON Resume: https://flows.cv/aaronjohngregory/resume.json Last updated: 2026-04-05