IPOS Event

 

Our CEO, David Kwok was invited to be one of the speaker for IPOS event. The event was held yesterday and it was great. 

"Thank you for coming to support our talk last night at IPOS. The turn out was great. More than 100 people turn up. Its my honour that you are here with me. Hope it inspired you. IPOS has recorded the talk. We will share with you who has missed it. Hope you can continue to support us." - David Kwok

For more pictures please visit here

Our Korean Partner - Electric Circus at the Hong Kong licensing show.

Our Korean Partner - Electric Circus at the Hong Kong licensing show.

Fast Forward’s series producer Melanie Oliveiro is shown how augmented reality works. Here, the CEO of Tiny Island Productions David Kwok shows Melanie how students of the future will be taught, with teachers using augmented reality technology in the classroom. Biology lessons – for example - will become much more interactive and cooler in the future because you can see human organs popping out of the book! Then students can examine these organs closer and even zoom in on them or twirl them around to get a closer look. Watch Fast Forward to find out more! Catch it this Thursday at 10pm on Channel 5.

G-Fighter at Seoul Cartoon Museum

G Fighter poster hanging outside Seoul Cartoon Museum. This is the series we co produced with our Korean partner - Electric Circus.

Tiny Island at PiPP Talk!

DID YOU KNOW……? 

Award-winning animation series, Dream Defenders, is a product of Singapore. The company behind it also produced the Ben 10 CGI Telemovie for Cartoon Network. 

Meet David Kwok, CEO of Tiny Island Productions and the man behind its success, at the upcoming Project IP Partners. We will also talk about protecting your creation as we discuss copyright in animation. 

Pre-registration is required, so secure your seats now at http://goo.gl/eW1Twa!

PiPP (Project IP Partners)

PIPP is back and we’re kicking off the new year with Tiny Island Productions! If you loved watching animated cartoons while growing (or still watch them), this is just the session for you! Tiny Island Productions, the S’pore company behind Dream Defenders, will be sharing how it brought the series beyond borders and gained its award-winning global status. 

Registration is required, so secure your front row seats at http://goo.gl/eW1Twa now!

On the Red Dot: Fast Forward on Channel NewsAsia

Just been informed by Melanie Oliveiro Senior Producer / Presenter Channel NewsAsia that an excerpt of our interview will be aired on the show “On the Red Dot: Fast Forward” on these dates & times: 

EPISODE 1

Thurs 8 Jan 2015 @ 10 pm, Channel 5 

Wed 14 Jan 2015 @ 3 pm, Channel 5 (repeat) 

EPISODE 2 (WITH DANTE TECHNOLOGIES)

Thurs 15 Jan 2015 @ 10 pm, Channel 5 

Wed 21 Jan 2015 @ 3 pm, Channel 5 (repeat) 

EPISODE 4 

Thurs 29 Jan 2015 @ 10 pm, Channel 5 

Wed 4 Feb 2015 @ 3 pm, Channel 5 (repeat)

Dream Defenders at IP Talk

Together with IPOS (http://www.ipos.gov.sg/) and IP Academy, we are sharing our experience in our journey with Dream Defenders. How did we bring a locally made Animation to 60 countries around the world. 

Dream Defenders is distributed by Dreamworks Animation. It is currently showing on 2 channels in the US (Hulu and 3net) and soon to be launched onto the 3rd Channel in the US soon. It is also showing on Super RTL and Planeta Junior in Europe. In 2013, it has won the Apollo awards for Best Animation. 

Trina Ha - Legal Counsel from IP Academy will also share with you how you can protect and safeguard your creations. 

Entrance is FREE. 

Click here to register for the talk

Date: 29th Jan 2015. 

Time: 6:30pm to 8pm 

The address is here

Dream Defenders New 2015

Superheroes for Kids

 
Hulu is currently promoting Dream Defenders in their “Superheroes for Kids” tray in the kids section. http://www.hulu.com/browse/picks/superheroes-for-kids

G-Fighter goes Musical

This is the new series we have co produced with our Korean partner Electric Circus. "G-Fighters" It has now become a Musical Performance in Seoul, Korea since Dec 12. Many kids have visited at the theater and enjoyed the musical. Hope to be successful!

For more picture please check here

Dream Defenders Christmas

Before all the lines get jammed up, we better send our greetings out. This year has been an eventful year. Thanks for all the support and encouragements you have given us. Without you, we wouldn't has gone this far. Thank you so much everyone. Hope you can continue to support us. From the bottom of our heart. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. https://www.facebook.com/DreamDefendersAdventure

Hurrah!

We have finally completed the negotiation. Dream Defenders is going to be launched on another major US cable next year. This is the 3rd platform Dream Defenders has gotten to in the US. It marks another major milestone for us. We are so moved by the news. 

Now the network is locking down the transmission date which should be before mid June 2015. The announcement should be made before mid June 2015. Thank you so much. Your support means a lot to us. Thank you.

Zane Mercer Fan Art

Zoey when she grew up. Dream Defenders Fan Art by Karen Kong

Happy Halloween

Is that Zane?! And nurse Tucker is sleeping behind. Hmm....

Entrepreneurship in Animation Facebook Group

We have started a group to share animation business news and knowledge in animation entrepreneurship in hope to help more independent producers to setup their own company. If you would like to join this close group, please drop a mail to cgprotege@gmail.com to introduce yourself. We are avoiding non related posting. Link here

This is our first 2000 sq ft office when we first started in Jan 2007. It is at Beach Road. Our office is above the Saudi Arabian Airlines.

Wise words from "Ma Yun - Chairman and CEO, Alibaba Group." Something I will always remember. And this is what our talk is all about. Its all about the journey." Experience is one's greatest asset. And it is what one should be hungry for. So sometimes you might fail. But sometimes you might succeed. But one should be willing to try. 

If one succeed. It is an experience. If one fails. It is also an experience. Entrepreneurship is all about experience. 

In our life, one shouldn't regret for what you have done. But rather regret what you have not done when you are old. 

From the day you become an entrepreneur, you must realise the road ahead is rough. And the experience through this rough journey will be your greatest asset in your life." Ma Yun - Chairman and CEO, Alibaba Group

Dream Defenders made its debut in America where it premiered in stereoscopic 3D format on 3net, the 3D channel formed by Sony, Discovery and IMAX, becoming one of its top kids program. Since then, it has gone on to win the Asia Image Apollo Awards 2013 for Best 3D Animation. With Dreamworks Classics as its main distributor, it has reached out to more than 60 countries across the globe including Germany (Super RTL), Planeta Junior as well as on OTT platforms such as Hulu.

The dreams started out as little things - to see the stories in their heads come alive, to live each day doing the things they love. These little things grew to become a quest to create something the production studio could be proud to call its own, and a quest to build an international reputation for the work that our artists could produce. The successful launch of the 'Dream Defenders' series is a result of that quest, and is a showcase of the Tiny Island production capabilities, from conceptualization to production

Thank You Note from CEO

For those who has registered for my coming public lecture "How to Monetize your IP?", I want to say a big thank you to you. I am most honoured and touched to know that besides Singaporeans, we have Australian, Indonesian, Canadian, French, Malaysian, Bulgarian, China attending the event. Among them, we have entrepreneurs, animated film directors, producers, international distributor, concept artists, illustrators and other creative people. This is a good start. And I hope everyone will grab hold of this opportunity to network and get to know each other. 

Thank you for your support and helping me to make this event a successful one. I hope you can help to spread the words to your friends and those with the same vision to come together.

I will do my best to share with you more insights of the industry. Hope it helps you too. 

By the way, our show Dream Defenders might have a chance to be aired on a new US Channel Cable Channel. This is our 3rd US exposure. Hope we gets through and share with you our good news soon.

Keeping our finger cross!!

There might be a chance for Dream Defenders to be on another major US cable network. Hopefully all goes well. We will then release the news globally next month. This could be our next breakthrough. Keeping our finger cross. Yeah...

Dream Defenders in New Zealand!

 For our friends in NZ. Dream Defenders is now showing on Channel 4 at 3:30pm Check out this link for more information

Note from our CEO

There are reasons why 2 particular VFX companies are doing better than the rest. Its all about the business model. Competing based on the lowest price will not bring you anywhere. For long term survival, IP creation might just give you that chance to outlast the rest. 

As Singapore becomes more and more expensive, we will slowly lose more and more of our competitive advantage. At the same time, the rest of Asia is catching up. Hence it is important that we become more and more independent and learn to survive on our own. What do you do when you hit over 40 and the MNC you worked for leaves Singapore because another country provides better incentives? This is all very real. 

In the past, it is basically impossible for an independent producer to break through the barriers of the gatekeepers. With new emerging trends, it has allowed independent producers to distribute their content without any fear of territory blockage. 

 The above are just some topics I am going to touch on. I started stepping into the industry around 1999. Since then I have been a VFX artist, a TD, A Line Producer, a CG Lecturer and many other positions. And eventually becoming a CEO of an animation studio and an animation school. I have been through almost every cycle. From my bank hitting zero to growing a company from 4 to 120 artists without external investment. Going through various ups and downs, learning from different lessons after lessons. 

I just hope my experience will inspire and motivate you to start thinking for the future of our animation industry and also your own future. Start to think beyond just the craft you are learning. All the above will affect you. 

 

Note from our CEO

We might be far from being successful base on commercial standard. But I am proud that we have built a culture of Selflessness and Compassion. When there is a crisis, you will see leaders putting their men before themselves. Volunteering to sacrifice half of what they get with their peers so that their buddy lives on. This spirit brings tears deep in me. This is the only reason why I fight on no matter how exhausted I am. This is the reason why this journey is meaningful. This is the reason why we build this company. And this is the reason how we have come this far.

Channel NewsAsia

A picture with Melanie Oliveiro, Senior Producer / Presenter from Channel NewsAsia after the interview

AR Experience

Augmented Reality Experience - (Special thanks to DANTE TECHNOLOGIES PTE LTD)

Stay tuned!

Stay tuned to Channel News Asia Interview with Our CEO, David Kwok

Ed Hooks visit Tiny Island Productions

Ed Hooks (ACTING FOR ANIMATORS) A good friend that I have not seen almost 10 years. He was so kind to drop my our office. Ed Hooks has a thirty year acting career and has taught for most major animation companies including Walt Disney Animation Studio, Valve software, EA and Ubisoft. He is also the author of the popular animation textbook - Acting for Animators

BBC Business News

When I first pitched to an investor, I thought all my problems will be solved once I got the investment. I was very inexperienced and naive back then. 

At the meeting, I managed to impress the investor. Since we were new and had hardly any track record, the investor squeezed our equity share in the company to rock bottom. 

My business mentor said this to me: " David. Don't take the investor's money. These guys know that you are good and have potential. Its business. On the negotiation table, they want to make you feel less worthy so that they can take control of the company. In Asia, investors have no patience. In 6 months, if they do not see any money coming in, they will shut you down. Singapore does not celebrate failure. It will be hard to get a second chance later. Why don't you try to get business on your own without an investor first and start by building a track record before you approach them in the future." 

At that time, I asked myself if that was even possible. I had no workers, no office. How can I even be able to bring in any business? My business mentor continued: "How can you be so sure that if I give you workers and an office, you can bring in the business? Why don't you just giving a try." 

That is what I did. I turned down the investor offer and gave it a try. It was hard at first. It really challenges your skills in sales, marketing, branding and packaging. I tried making many overseas cold calls. (Don't forget, at that time, we have no Linkedin, Facebook, Skyped etc) In 6 months, I manage to bring in the first US contract. Though it was a small contract worth only about $10000, but it was a start. A blessing. We worked from home via FTP. This was our beginning. 

Looking back and seeing how others have failed not because they were not good enough, but their fate was ruined by the wrong investors, I am thankful to my business mentor who advise me back then. Finding the right investor is like finding the right life partner. It has to be someone who believes in your vision and is prepared to go through the challenges with you. In my humble opinion, Pixar turning point is Steve Jobs. Having the right investor can make that big difference. 

 I will share with you more about our journey. Hope you can join us. (Details of the lecture can be found here.)

G-Fighter

This is the series we have been working with Korea and China. Check out their youtube channel here

G-Fighter Celebration

We had a small G-Fighter Celebration the other day.