Dated: 9 October 2006
Singapore-based animation company Scrawl Studios and the Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) today announced that they will be collaborating to produce five original animation projects worth S$34 million over a five-year period, together with other international partners from countries such as Canada, Australia, Hong Kong and the United States.
The first project to be produced as part of the MDA-Scrawl Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is Gizmo, a fast-paced comedy sci-fi animated series about the adventures of a dysfunctional crew of alien robots who crash-land in the backyard of a pair of ordinary twins. The 26 half-hour series will be co-produced with DECODE Entertainment, a leading Canadian distributor of entertainment programming for children, youth and family audiences, and established Hong Kong animation company, Agogo Media Ltd.
Scrawl Studios, DECODE Entertainment and Agogo Media announced the co-production agreement, worth S$7 million, for Gizmo at MIPCOM 2006, one of the world’s largest global audiovisual content markets. The animation series has already secured pre-sales in Canada ahead of its production.
“This MOU reinforces our partnership with Scrawl Studios, which made waves in the international scene with the company’s first 2-D animated series, Nanoboy. We are confident that Scrawl Studios will ride on their success and continue to produce quality Made-by-Singapore content,” said Dr Tan Chin Nam, Chairman, MDA. “The animation industry is an exciting place to be in now, and MDA is committed to helping Singapore companies harness the opportunities presented by this fast-growing market.”
Scrawl Studios’ original animated series about a microscopic superhero, Nanoboy, continues to generate strong interest at this year’s MIPCOM. The 26 half-hour series has been pre-sold to South Korea and Thailand in March this year, and premiered with a new episode at MIPCOM Junior 2006.
In addition, Scrawl Studios also signed an agreement this year with Australian distributor, Beyond International, for the distribution of its soon-to-be-completed animated series, Milly Molly. The 13-episode animation programme is adapted from a popular children’s book series and is launched internationally at MIPCOM 2006. Scrawl Studios will continue to seek collaborations with North American distributors and broadcasters for the series, which will be completed by mid-2007, during the five-day trade event.
“We are excited by the opportunity to showcase our latest and best animation programmes at MIPCOM and are encouraged by the collaborations we have secured with key international partners,” said Seng Choon Meng, CEO of Scrawl Studios. “These deals, along with our strong pipeline of programmes made possible with our partnership with MDA, will help to propel the company towards our vision of becoming a world-class animation company”.
Beth Stevenson, Executive Producer at DECODE Entertainment Inc. said, “We are excited to be working with these renowned companies. We think Gizmo’s comedic sensibilities will be well received across many territories including North American markets.”
Scrawl Studio’s animation projects are being showcased at the Singapore pavilion at MIPCOM 2006, which is located at Stand 05.20 - 07.19. This year, a record 15 Singapore companies are promoting their products and services at the Singapore pavilion.
For more information, please contact:
Chia Pei Siang (Ms)
Manager, Communications
Media Development Authority
Tel: (65) 6837 9010
HP: (65) 9368 9920
Email: chia_pei_siang@imda.gov.sg
Phoebe Seow (Ms)
Assistant Director, Communications
Media Development Authority
Tel: (65) 6837 9369
HP: (65) 9668 2409
Email: phoebe_seow@imda.gov.sg
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