Animahenasyon 2011: Schedule of Speakers

Conference Venue:

International Centre Information Technology Education (ICITE) Auditorium

Day 1: November 22 (Tuesday)

1:30 – 4:30 p.m.

Speaker courtesy of the Japan Foundation

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Day 2: November 23 (Wednesday)

9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

“Supa Strikas: Turning a comic book into an international animation series”

by Richard Morgan-Grenville

Strika Entertainment

This session will delve into the challenges that Strika Entertainment faced in making the series from production to costs and distribution, cultural sensitivities, how much the group customized the series for each market, how Strika Entertainment got broadcasters to buy its series, and where the company is headed to in the future.

Richard Morgan-Grenville is the chief executive officer of Strika Entertainment.

Richard has a Bachelor of Journalism degree (Rhodes), a Post Graduate Diploma in Advertising (Association of Advertising Agencies) and a Masters of Business Administration for the Graduate School of Business at University of Cape Town.  With a wide range of experience in media, technology and financial services he took over the reigns in 2009 at Strika Entertainment and has seen this company grow into Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent and Latin America.

At present, Richard is the chief executive officer of Strika Entertainment. Under his watch, the Supa Strikas television property has been purchased and aired in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia and Asia on channels as prestigious as Disney, Nickelodeon, ESPN Star Sports and many others.

Like Strika Entertainment as a whole, Richard is passionate about creating some of the world’s best youth-oriented content from the heart of Africa and exporting it to the world.

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Day 2: November 23 (Wednesday)

1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Speaker courtesy of the British Council

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Day 3: November 24 (Thursday)

9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

“Entertainment Design: Traditional or Digital?”

by Chris Lie and Luis Lasahido

Entertainment Design as a new field in the design industry is on the rise due to the popularity of video games, animation, and blockbuster Hollywood movies. The high requirement in the industry had forced concept designers to experiment and discover new, better and faster working methods to produce designs with constant creativity and productivity. The transition from traditional to digital production methods is faster and unavoidable. The seminar will discuss, compare, and demonstrate both methods in various production stages.

Chris Lie has been working on various comic books, cover art, toys design and concept art since finishing up his master’s degree in Sequential Art from Savannah College of Art and Design in 2005. Some highlights of his works are GI Joe Sigma6 comic and toys, character design for Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 video game, Magic the Gathering Tactics CCG, and the inside cover of Street Fighter IV XBOX360 game. Recently, his graphic novel, Return to Labyrinth volume 3 is at # 4 at the New York Times manga bestseller list.

Luis Lasahido started his art journey while he was in college, studying water color. His training in traditional painting had made his transition to digital media effortless. Since then, his sleek and detailed painting style has appeared on various comic pages, covers, TCGs and CCGs. Some of his favorite projects are Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2 design, Magic The Gathering Tactics, Spartacus cover, and Don Lawerence’ Storm album. His artworks are also featured in Exotique and Expose series.

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Day 3: November 24 (Thursday)

1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

“Opportunities and Pitfalls Pitching to Cartoon Network”

by Silas Hickey

Cartoon Network is home to everyone’s favourite cartoon, videos and free online games. This presentation will cover what Cartoon Network is all about, what are some of the opportunities and pitfalls when creating content and what Cartoon Network is looking for.

Silas Hickey is the creative director of Asia Pacific Animation Development at Turner Broadcasting System Asia Pacific, Inc. (TBSAP).

Based in Hong Kong, Silas is responsible for the creative direction of Cartoon Network’s pioneering original content development initiative, SNAPTOONS, including the production of high-quality original shorts from script to screen in Asia-Pacific. He also works closely with the Acquisitions team in the region and plays a pivotal role in ensuring what goes on air, what reflects the Cartoon Network brand and its promise to kids—to deliver fun, engaging and relevant content. This is also in keeping with his vision that kids everywhere can grow up watching a combination of locally produced premium content and great shows from around the world.

A professional surfer and a versatile creative genius, Silas grew up in Australia on a heavy diet of classic American Hanna Barbera toons, which sparked the beginning of his long and diverse relationship with the medium. Prior to joining TBSAP, Silas worked with an exhaustive list of media firms such as Virgin, MTV, Nickelodeon, Disney, to name a few.

Silas is a graduate of the Otis Parsons School of Art & Design in Los Angeles. He is also an industrial designer and a documentary filmmaker with multiple awards in broadcast packaging and promos under his belt