Only a decade ago, animation in Asia was mostly a servicing industry for the big foreign producers and networks. Apart from Japan and its healthy output of anime, the rest of the industry here was at best seen as work-for-hire. Anything original, developed and produced locally, was well off anyone’s drawing board. But in more recent times, Asia has begun to show its might and creative prowess in animation, not only in producing programmes but developing characters and series from the ground-up. “In a nutshell, the focus has shifted from Japan,” Mark Eyers, chief content officer for Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific, Inc., told TVAPlus from Hong Kong. “Japan is still important, but it’s been joined by the ranks of Korea, India, Malaysia and Singapore, as content providers in their own right.” Eyers, who oversees programming and original production on such channels as Cartoon Network (CN), Boomerang and TCM in the Asia-Pacific, says this change has also reinforced the fact that Asia is by no means one big market but multiple distinct markets and content production coming out of this part of the world is reflecting that. “Producers have moved from purely a service provider to I.P (intellectual property) creator, which is a far more valuable position,” he says. One example is CN India’s first original production Roll No. 21, which follows the exploits of the great Lord Krishna, now known as Kris, and his battles with Kansa, the evil king of Mathura, who, in his quest to conquer the world, returns to Earth undercover as the principal of a school for orphans in modernday India. The series that premiered on the network last November is the brainchild of Turner’s original production team with character development and animation by Malaysia’s Animasia. “Animasia was completely involved in the development process. Our in-house animation development team worked very closely with them right from the start. We’re extremely pleased with the look of the series,” says Eyers. He added that working with a local partner means there is instant value-add as they understand the same challenges in targeting the market. Wong Kwan Loong, or “Ah Loong”, Animasia’s chief operating officer says, “It was a very special project to be involved in. Turner had the idea and the script and they left the rest up to us. The pre-production stage took us about two months as we did a lot of research into Indian mythology and did a lot of different style tests while still retaining the ‘Cartoon Network look’. The series was a bold move on Turner’s part and it’s really paid off for all of us.” The show’s popularity is steadily increasing, reaching a high of 1.4TVR in March. Wanting to attract new talent in the Asia-Pacifi c, CN recently launched the SNAPTOONS (Short New Asia Pacific Cartoon) in Malaysia in collaboration with the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC). The funding initiative gives animation professionals and studios a platform to pitch new animated series, which could end up playing on the network. From the 10 shortlisted, up to five will be made into broadcast quality shorts. “Here at CN we believe we are the most active in the development stage of animated series in the Asia-Pacific,” says Eyers. We’ve also partnered with SPAA (Screen Producers Association of Australia) on a SNAPTOONS initiative there.” Eyers shared with TVAPlus that the network has already given the green light to one Aussie pitch; a TV-movie for the Australia/New Zealand market titled Exchange Student Zero produced by Bogan Entertainment Solutions. Asia’s animation industry has come a long way in the last few years, but it is no means powerhouse yet. Key to its continued growth are the collaborations with the different channels. “Local producers and studios still need to work with broadcasters to make sure they’re creating I.P and content that has a home,” says Eyers. “You don’t want creators going off developing esoteric programmes that don’t have a ‘slot’. The reason why CN is so active in the development phase is that if we work with local content creators early, it makes for a more relevant and successful programme. Asia is not just an outsourcing hub, we’re working together to create original shows that connect with our viewers. It’s proven to be a great formula for success.” Catch an exclusive clip of CN’s Roll No. 21 at onscreenasia.com’s new video channel.