Philippines has potential to be Asia's center for animation production

Devan Nair chief executive officer of KIDZ-TV.COM noted that the Philippines could compete globally in the production content of animation.

The lack of professional training that would meet international standards has hindered the growth of the animation industry in the country.

To meet the growing demand for animation production, KIDZ-TV.COM, a Singapore-based global content distributor and producer has forged a partnership with Asia Pacific College (APC) to set up the first animation arts school in the Philippines.

The 60-40 joint venture Institute of Animation Arts is aimed at preparing the local animation industry in the next millennium and gain the recognition as the training center for animation in the region.

The school answers the need to boost the skills of local animators to become more competitive in the global market. "In this way, we can build professional discipline which can help elevate the industry to the next level of recognition," said Nair.

The Philippines which has a high labour cost cannot compete with other Asian neighbors. And the only way to compete is to upgrade its skills. Nair said Lion King, the famous cartoon, could have been produced in the Philippines as the labor cost was competitive with other countries.

Nair expects foreign companies to come to the Philippines for their job requirements with the professional training that local animators will receive from the animation institute.

"We believe that with such formal training and discipline, we can give foreign animation clients more justification to come to the Philippines rather than to other countries."

KIDZ-TV has also set up a subsidiary, Southern Lights, a modern animation studio that would produce family-oriented entertainment programs.

Nair said the Philippines should build its own entertainment industry with a large pool of talents. Content production is a fast growing area that could be tapped in the Internet and broadcasting. "I saw the need to build the animation industry here with the core of talents," said Nair.

Leo Querubin, corporate training director of Asia Pacific College said the content production could be done locally which could generate opportunities and increase the labor market.

At present, the Philippines has a 30 percent share of animation work in the Asia Pacific region. With a professionally trained and talented pool of animators, this share can grow to 70 percent or more, Nair said.

KIDZ-TV.COM will combine its expertise in high-quality digital creation and production of children's animation and educational entertainment with APC's experience in professional training geared towards providing Filipinos the necessary skills for the global market. (Edu H. Lopez)