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I wanna be an anime director... but I'm American.

The new Batam animation license are holded by American and not by Japanese. The Japanese just make it into Anime version just like Power Puff Girls Z that are made by Japanese hired by American.

I have some ideas for stories that I'd like to create and I think anime would be the best medium to tell them.

How so?

Anime isn't a medium unto itself. Animation is a medium; anime is just animation in Japan.

And while the Japanese animation industry is certainly telling different sorts of stories than other countries' animation industries, that's not a fait accompli that would prevent your stories from being told anywhere else.

Michael Arias moved to Japan, learned Japanese and became fully a part of the anime industry, but when it came time to direct his movie, he adapted 'Tekkonkinkreet,' rather than telling his own original story. And indeed, most anime productions are based on source material such as existing manga, rather than on wholly new story ideas.

So there are a few reasons that your premise sounds a bit odd; it's both too limiting and not limiting enough, in terms of the reality of your future options.

Why don't you try the classic way? try getting along with some Japanese Animation company staff.

Well it seems the obvious solution here is to get plastic surgery to make you look Japanese, then move to Japan, kill a random Japanese man and steal his identity. That will leave you ideally placed to kill a famous anime director, get further plastic surgery to make you look like him, and then steal his identity. Murder and plastic surgery are the quickest way to realize your dreams.

No seriously though, Consider a career in North American animation or maybe as a Manga artist. There is a lot of willingness to publish OEL Manga these days so it is at least possible without moving to Japan or any such thing.

Big problem isn't it? I have some ideas for stories that I'd like to create and I think anime would be the best medium to tell them. But since I don't live in Japan and I don't speak Japanese it'll probably be hard to become an anime director. I was wondering if you guys could think of anything that could help me... this is the most popular anime forum in English right?
I think my best bet would be to make it into the gaming industry and eventually ask a Japan based gaming company (I was leaning toward Square Enix) to hire me and later hook me up with an anime studio. Or as someone suggested to me I could try to open up an anime studio in America? I also can't understand Japanese yet. Thoughts?

if you ask me its all about frame of mind, the reason you have to live in japan a number of years is not only because of the language issues, its because of the way they think, its very different from the ´western´way of thinking. I noticed this the first time i watched anime.
I plan on studying in japan in the near future, if i make some contacts i´ll pm you