Jamaica opened its doors to the global animation industry this month through KingstOON, a two-day animation conference and festival (June 20-21) to promote job opportunities among talented young people and to position the island as the next animation hub.
KingstOON brings together international and Jamaican industry leaders, universities, businesses, government officials, animation professionals and amateurs, students, and young dreamers with the aim of showcasing Jamaica’s growing crop of local animators and visual artists.
“Jamaica is perfectly positioned to reap the benefits of the expanding animation industry, which generated more than US$100 billion in revenue globally last year,” said Anthony Hylton, Jamaica’s Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce. “We share a common language with the major content producers, the US, Canada, and the UK; proximity and time zone which allow for real time collaboration; and rich cultural legacy built on the technical and creative outputs of our young people, who have a natural inclination for the animation industry.”
As animation skills are transportable, any individual with animation skills can service clients globally from anywhere. Entertainment companies such as Disney Animation, Nickelodeon, and Sony Imageworks outsource the production phase of animation to countries such as India, Korea and the Philippines.
According to industry data, to generate a 10-minute clip requires, on average, 120 people. Animation is not just about drawing, it includes a sound-track, voices, script, editing, storyboard development and production management.
Held at the University of the West Indies Mona, the event featured presentations, panel discussions and workshops on available opportunities in the industry. Some of the global leading companies in animation, including Toon Boom, Bento Box, the Shadow Gang, and A&S Animation, participated as panelists, competition judges and trainers.
“We are honored to be part of KingstOOn first edition and have the opportunity to reach out to the whole Jamaican creative community. Toon Boom has been closely involved in the emergence of the animation industry in Jamaica, having led delegations to prestigious animation studios in Canada and Hollywood as well as recommended its key players such as GSW Reel Rock for outsource work. We are confident Jamaica holds all the necessary ingredients to become a popular animation destination not only for subcontracting opportunities but also for intellectual property development,” stated Joan Vogelesang, President and Chief Executive Officer at Toon Boom Animation Inc.
A series of sponsors provided prizes for the competitions such as international scholarships, internships, licenses to specialised software, and hardware.
Joel Kuwahara, co-founder and principal of Bento Box and a former producer on “The Simpsons,” said the global industry is enthusiastic to bring talented artists from Jamaica and other regional spots into the fold.
“Jamaica has a huge asset in its talented youth. Through partnerships with educational institutions and the private sector, Jamaica can create the right conditions to tap into the global animation industry and become a new hub, creating thousands of jobs,” said Ede Ijjasz-Vasquez, World Bank Director for Sustainable Development in the Latin America and the Caribbean region.
KingstOON is an initiative of the Government of Jamaica, in partnership with the World Bank, the Government of Canada, JAMPRO, and Toon Boom Inc.
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