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Editor'sNote The Magazine for Digital Content Professionals E D ITO R IA L Karen moltenbrey Chief editor karen@cgw.com • (603) 432-7568 36 east nashua road Windham, nH 03087 Contributing Editors Courtney Howard, Jenny Donelan, audrey Doyle, George maestri, Kathleen maher, martin mceachern, barbara robertson WIllIam r. rIttWaGe Publisher, President and Ceo, CoP Communications SA LE S lIsa blaCK associate Publisher national sales • education • recruitment lisab@cgw.com • (903) 295-3699 fax: (214) 260-1127 Kelly ryan Classifieds and reprints • marketing kryan@copcomm.com (818) 291-1155 editorial office / la sales office: 620 West elk avenue, Glendale, Ca 91204 (800) 280-6446 P R O D u c TI O n KeItH KnoPF Production Director Knopf bay Productions keith@copcomm.com • (818) 291-1158 mICHael VIGGIano art Director mviggiano@copcomm.com CHrIs salCIDo account representative csalcido@copprints.com • (818) 291-1144 Computer graphics World Magazine is published by Computer graphics World, a CoP Communications company. 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Address all subscription correspondence to: Computer graphics World, 620 West Elk Ave, glendale, CA 91204. subscriptions are available free to qualified individuals within the united states. non-qualified subscription rates: usA—$72 for 1 year, $98 for 2 years; Canadian subscriptions —$98 for 1 year and $136 for 2 years; all other countries—$150 for 1 year and $208 for 2 years. digital subscriptions are available for $27 per year. subscribers can also contact customer service by calling (800) 280 6446, opt 2 (publishing), opt 1 (subscriptions) or sending an email to csr@cgw.com. Change of address can be made online at http://www.omeda.com/cgw/ and click on customer service assistance. Postmaster: send Address Changes to Computer graphics World, P.o. box 3551, northbrook, iL 60065-3551 Please send customer service inquiries to 620 W. Elk Ave., glendale, CA 91204 2 February 2010 Animation in Asia A few months ago, Contact Singapore made me an offer that was hard to refuse. An agency of the Singapore government (whose primary function is to draw people from around the world to work, invest, and live in that country, with the ultimate aim of boosting economic development) extended an invitation to me and a few other writers in the digital media space to visit and learn about how the Asian country is focusing its efforts to build up its digital media sector. So, on New Year's Day I left cold and snowy New England and traveled halfway around the world to the equatorial destination with three other writers. We were there to observe how Singapore was cultivating the interactive digital media seg- ment within its borders, and see what the country was doing to attract professionals in that market—in essence, to see how its citizens and ex- patriots work and play. To fully understand the government's strategy requires a brief history lesson. Singapore became a British trading colony in the early 1800s, and quickly became a vital port city. It joined the Malaysian Federation in the 1960s, but became independent two years later. Facing high unem- ployment and a housing crisis, Singapore started to control its future and embarked on a modernization program. It was a country with a strategy. (Even today, not much is left to happenstance in Singapore; everything is meticulously planned.) It established a manufacturing industry. It built desirable public housing. It revamped its education system. It installed state-of-the-art infra- structure. And, the results were amazing. The country thrived, and today it is one of the most prosperous nations in the world. It is a world shipping hub. A manufactur- ing hub. A banking/financial hub. A biomedical hub. Now, Singapore is starting to apply this same "build it and they will come" approach to making the country a digital media hub. "Singapore hopes to become an interactive and digital media (IDM) capital, where Singapore creations are made for global consumption," points out Ng Siew Kiang, executive director of Contact Singapore. On a large scope, the same underlying elements that are attracting other business- es to Singapore pertain to this new market. For those wishing to do business in Asia (a must for today's global movers and shakers), the country offers the infrastructure, political stability, open business policies, skilled workers, and respect for intellectual property necessary for achieving this success. And there's another plus: English is the dominant business language, making communication much easier. In terms of the digital media market, Singapore plans to create 10,000 new jobs and generate $10 million (Singapore dollars) by 2018. It is well on its way. We also met with the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) revealed that the country has hosted broadcast operations since the 1990s; currently a num- ber of big names are doing production work in Singapore, including Sony Pictures, Disney, HBO, Nickelodeon, and the BBC. On the animation front, Lucasfilm's Clone Wars is done here, while in gaming, EA, Ubisoft, LucasArts, and others have set up shop. On the postproduction end, ILM and Double Negative are two strong names that are drawing talent from inside and outside Singapore's borders. In addi- tion to these facilities, a number of local studios are establishing themselves in this growing segment. To achieve its vision, Contact Singapore is focused on reaching out to IDM talent. "We want both fresh and experienced talent within the realms of animation, visual effects, and game development from all over the world to come to Singapore, where they can be at the center of a vibrant and budding IDM industry," says Kiang. Approximately 30 percent of Singapore's workforce hails from outside the coun- try's borders. And that's just fine, according to the country's Media Development continued on page 48