Issue 68

Horizon talks to Kris Nalamlieng, managing director of 2Spot Communications, on how he created cartoon character, Bloody Bunny, from scratch to appeal to fans around the world.

Can you tell us a little bit about 2Spot Communications?
Originally, we were a telecom company established in 2010. We had a system for delivering graphic information to our customers, and saw higher interest for the digital content market. So we recruited character designers to create our own cartoon characters. Today, we do digital media branding with cartoon characters for digital, traditional and retail business.

What is Bloody Bunny?
Bloody Bunny is based on the concept of a conflict character – the idea of ​​turning our perception of a lovely rabbit into a warrior or hero. Bloody Bunny’s character combines Japanese and American arts to match Thai lifestyles. He is a white rabbit doll that looks clean but can be brutal if the situation necessitates. Our cartoon character is in the action genre, targeting people from 10 to 30 who like obvious expressions, emotions, thoughts and feelings. We now develop Bloody Bunny games and animation in Japan.

What are Thai strengths in the field of digital content?
Thais are very creative – ranked in the top three in Asia only behind Japan and South Korea. We have thousands of creative people and thousands of production houses and agencies in this industry. Unfortunately, we rarely create products with our own IP (Intellectual Property) for sale abroad.

In your view, what is the current leading trend in digital content?
Digital content is a generic term. It includes applications, games, social media and animations. For character business, it still has a bright future as it is suitable for viable channels. For example, in Japan, there is a Kumamon character that is a billion-dollar business. There are various items sold under the Kumamon character both from selling copyright and goods.

What is the challenge of creating a character these days?
The challenge is to create a character to be more animated, emotional and interactive. People have to create characters, not just static ones only for a certain media, like before.

What do Thai entrepreneurs need to learn to make it globally in the digital content industry?
First, is to study and adapt to new technologies changing almost every day. Then you need to study foreign markets in detail. Each one has a different identity.

 

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