108 Media invests in Robot Playground
July 6, 2022
UK-based 108 Media has acquired a majority stake in Singapore-based animation studio Robot Playground Media (RPM).
Co-founded and run by Ervin Han and Bernard Toh, RPM is one of is a creative studio specialising in developing and producing premium multicultural animation IP for clients such as Warner Bros, Disney Southeast Asia, Discovery, MediaCorp, StarHub and Viacom, as well as produced for government agencies and corporate clients.
This is the first of 108 Media’s planned acquisitions in Singapore this year with RPM’s acquisition marking another notch in 108 Media’s march towards building a modern global studio system for top-tier international content utilising its various sales, production, and financing ecosystems.
“We’ve always held a strong belief in being able to share exciting and diverse stories from the Asia Pacific, in particular Southeast Asia, with the world, while showcasing the unique talents in the regional animation landscape. Aside from the injection of new growth capital towards accelerating our scale-up plans in order to drive and co-produce larger and more strategic international projects, we also welcome a new global partner in 108 Media, who shares our passion and ambition in realising the importance for Asian animated stories in all genres to be produced for global audiences”, said Toh and Han in a joint statement.
“We’ve been so impressed with the world-class quality and creativity on display from Robot Playground delivering to international and regional clients since their inception in 2013. They fit the DNA and culture we’re building at 108 Media so well with the artistic teams they’ve assembled, mentored, and led. We’re laying the groundwork of something truly special with the teams we are carefully building in our corporate and creative expansion across markets as we move into production,” added London-based Abhi Rastogi.
“Having been big fans of their work and experiencing first-hand their integrity and business acumen over the years I’ve known them, Ervin and Bernard are definitively some of the most respected creative producers in their field, and keenly synced with our ambition to scale internationally with the IPs we’ve acquired and cultivated. Animation is an important element of our production and financing playbook moving forward, and we couldn’t have found better captains with their own distinct verve to lead the fleet we’re backing them to build,” commented Justin Deimen, who is based in Singapore.
RPM will work in direct coordination with 108 Media’s distribution and production teams around the globe led by its CEO Abhi Rastogi and its President Justin Deimen, with Rod Smith, 108 Media’s Head of Acquisitions (UK) as well as Ryo Ebe, Managing Director of 108 Media (Japan), based in Tokyo.