Risa Nikaido is a freelance animation producer/illustrator. She was attracted to the animation industry because of its power as an influential storytelling medium based on tradition and craftsmanship. She is currently working on an upcoming feature film. Previously she was a producer at Toei Animation where she worked as a producer of TV and feature film projects such as Young Kindaichi Case Files R (2014-16), and Go! Princess Pretty Cure the Movie (2015). She has lived in Australia, Bulgaria, Iran, and the US. This experience made her interested in seeking potentials of cultural diversity among different communities. After Toei she started to work as a freelancer producing joint-projects between Japan and other countries. She studied fine arts and filmmaking at The Cooper Union School of Art in New York.