Sakai began his career as an assistant to
James L. Brooks in 1977. In 1984, Brooks invited Sakai to become a producer in his new film production company,
Gracie Films. Sakai ultimately produced many of Brooks' films, such as
Jerry Maguire,
As Good as It Gets (1997), and
Spanglish (2004). Sakai also produced
Bottle Rocket (1996) and
Riding in Cars with Boys (2001). Additionally, he was a producer for
The Simpsons Movie (2007). As a television producer and director, Sakai has worked on many different shows. He has directed episodes of
Taxi,
Newhart, and ''
Who's the Boss?. He has also produced episodes of The Tracey Ullman Show, The Critic, Phenom, and What About Joan? in addition to his work on The Simpsons'', for which he has won several
Emmy Awards. On
The Simpsons, Sakai has been animated several times, most notably as: a
karaoke singer in the episode "
One Fish, Two Fish, Blowfish, Blue Fish"; an escaping prisoner in a commercial about "revolving door prisons" in "
Sideshow Bob Roberts"; and a jazz
vibraphone player in "
Jazzy and the Pussycats". Sakai is currently president of
Gracie Films. == References ==