WITH the wheels still spinning on its animated ad for Suzuki in the US, Brisbane digital media company Liquid Animation continues its expansion into China and Japan.
The company has nine years of animation experience for Disney and projects for advertising agencies representing companies like Suzuki and Canon.
CEO Steve Viner, says 70 per cent of Liquid Animation’s projects are exportbased, with contracts ranging on average
from $80,000 to $150,000 each.
Liquid Animation recently hired a new staff member in its Tokyo office and Viner hints that it could take on another 20 staff this year to work on a long-term project.
“The outlook is very positive. We invested heavily into marketing last year and we have a good international reputation in China, America and Japan – we travel a lot to
those markets and we’re already starting to bear those fruits,” says Viner.
“We work extensively in Asia including Singapore, Vietnam and China with major advertising agencies like Ogilvy and Mather and large clients like Asia Foods and SingTel.
“We’ve added someone new in Japan so we’re ready to support our growth expectations in Japan as we look to new
markets – instead of our traditional areas we’re going to look more into special effects.”
Viner says the company usually works on between six and eight animation projects at a time, as well as more than 10 interactive projects which are mostly local.
Highlights also include a contract with Warner Bros for a Batman video game and a Suzuki Gran Vitara advertisement last year with a petrol consumption narrative on the ‘SUV-asaurus’ and the motto ‘live large, drive small’.
But why do large international corporates like Disney approach Liquid Animation?
Viner says it’s because its projects are completed in a cost-effective and timely way. With Disney, it all comes down to years of experience and a library of material.
“We have artists here who have lived and breathed Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse and the like for many years,” he says.
The company will also look into the opportunities presented by the recent boom in 3D technology and is looking to boost its
staff by 50 per cent this year to more than 60.
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