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ASIAN culture has always heavily influenced One Animation’s Executive Producer Phillip Stamp, who travels frequently around this part of the world. Now, the Asian landscape is finding its way into his company’s 3D animation productions.
“A lot of it, such as the unique creatures that we create for our stories, is rooted in Asian mythology. We are inspired by Asia,” said Phillip, referring to a new original production his team is working on.
For One Animation, the reason to be based in Asia grew from the team’s interest in Asian art and culture and the growing popularity of 3D animation and visual effects in the region.
Phillip said: “Based in Asia does not mean only for Asia. It is a global audience that we aim to cater to. Our story structures have to resonate with the widest audience.” |
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Phillip has been in Singapore since 2005. In fact, the founders of One Animation, originally from Canada, the United Kingdom and India, met in Singapore. After working together on numerous projects, they established One Animation in November 2008.
Animation is in the team’s blood. They are focused on 3D animation and visual effects because for them it is simply the best way to attract world-class industry partners and showcase regional talent.
Barely two years old, the startup is already attracting global attention. Their first animated television series, called Rob the Robot, although still in production, has already been snapped up by television stations in Australia, Europe, North America and the Middle East.
Aimed at a preschool audience, Rob the Robot follows a young robot and his three friends as they explore the fantastical planets in Robot Galaxy. The series is comprised of 52 episodes of 11 minutes each, and is slated to be completed by the end of the year. The team is also working with partners to make the show available online.
One Animation started off with four people and has grown to a 25-strong company today. It plans to dramatically increase its staff over the next 12 months to take advantage of the increasing opportunities in the animation and visual effects industry.
For the young start-up, there is a key tenet to abide by: collaboration. Phillip said: “As artists and creators, we always want to do our own thing. But the fact is that making films and television series is a collaborative process. Even if it is an original idea, you have to find partners to make it happen.”
A case in point was Rob the Robot. A Canadian company, Amberwood Entertainment, was in need of a strong partner to make the show happen. One Animation came along and decided to collaborate with the former to bring Rob the Robot to life.
“Amberwood had developed the show to a point, and we were able to pick it up and bring it to fruition. We redeveloped the story, rewrote the scripts and redesigned the characters,” said Phillip.
Now in the works for One Animation: two international feature films, another season of Rob the Robot, and a second preschool series that is a One Animation original.
According to Phillip, the company could not have achieved so much within such a short time without the support of the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) and its investment in Rob the Robot.
He said: “Without MDA, we wouldn’t have been able to exist. It has been enormously supportive with project investment and has given tremendous assistance with going to market, finding potential partners and local industry guidance.”
Although the founders have worked in other countries such as the United States, Canada, England, France, Australia and India, they are certain of their place in Singapore.
Phillip said: “It is a very easy place to live and work in, especially for small and medium enterprises. Professionally, it’s a place of fantastic opportunities. We are happy to call it home.”
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