Since its inception not long back, Chennai-based Sparky Animation has made a name of its own. We spoke to the CEO KC Wong to take a dekko at their journey so far.
1. The Indian arm of Sparky Animation has just completed a year, how has the journey been?
The Sparky Entertainment journey has been memorable in India. We have expanded from a team of 15 to a team of 110 now. We are looking to expand to a larger team of 3D animators and more in the next six months. The digital gaming division of Sparky has kicked off too and we are looking at creating some interesting work in the coming days.
2. The animation industry has been witnessing a sudden boom at the moment. How is this boom going to benefit Sparky Animation in Chennai?
It is definitely going to be positive. Considering the fact that we have done well even when the prospects in the industry were low, this boom is a great sign to our animation studio in Chennai and also an opportunity to create more animation jobs for candidates.
We will have more people interested in animation jobs, which in turn will give us a surplus set of fresh resources for our animation studio. We are fortunate that we already have an animation team that knows the in and out of the work structure. So, fresh recruits will have a good and realistic learning spell, working alongside an experienced set of people.
3. How has the talent pool from India benefited the organisation?
We have always been careful in selecting our employees. We are particular to only pick the best animators from the lot. It has been the same with the selection of the team in India and we are proud to say that we have some of the best talents.
Our animation team in Chennai has people working from across India, from different cultural backgrounds, which by itself means that we have meticulously been looking through every nook and corner of the country to handpick the best animators.
Sparky Entertainment has always held the reputation of balancing both quality and time. Our animation team in India has been successfully holding up that reputation.
4. How strong is Sparky Entertainment in terms of resource power? Is the recruitment drive still on?
At the moment, our team of 110 includes 3D animators, texture artists, lighting artists, VFX artists, game developers, game designers and game artists.
Yes, the recruitment drive is still on. In fact, we are looking for major expansion across all fields in animation. Sparky has been on a constant hunt for talents from the day we started operations in India. Our plans are huge and we need a big animation team for that.
5. What has changed since the time of inception?
Like any animation company in India, we started off as an ambitious start-up that aspired to make it big. Over the last decade, we have seen major ups and downs, but have always looked at concentrating on quality work, keeping in mind how important timely delivery is.
The results have been tremendous and we are proud to be one of the most sought after animation companies in India as well as Southeast Asia. It is solely because of the sheer hard work, persistence and dedication of the team, backed by a highly supportive and experienced management team and the constant motivation that we have received from each other.
6. The last time we spoke, you had mentioned that you were going to venture into games. How much have you progressed with that?
We have set up a young and vibrant gaming team and have already completed about ten games for mobiles. The digital games are currently available on Android and iOS platforms.
We are looking to explore different genres and are also looking at eventually venturing into massively multiplayer games. We also have plans of converting existing animation IPs of Sparky into interactive digital games.
7. Being one of the leading names in the animation field is a responsibility. How do you look to contribute to the industry?
The animation industry has proven to be healthy and full of scope if you embrace it with passion. As mentioned in the question, we believe it is our responsibility to give budding animators a clear insight on what they can expect from the industry and how it could shape their career. The Sparky team has therefore decided to invite animation institutes to visit our studio in Chennai and catch a glimpse of how the industry works. We have also decided to send experts of various fields of animation from our team to conduct seminars and share their experiences to shape the minds and skills of the artists right at the threshold. This is extremely important because the real industry is completely different from what is taught in institutions. Such industrial visits and seminars will give young artists more confidence about their career.
8. Where is Sparky Entertainment heading? What are we going to see in the near future?
We have big plans. We are currently in the process of building a strong and competitive team. We’ve got many exciting projects in the pipeline. We are also looking to set up a parallel track to produce our own concepts and bring them to life.
Now that our gaming division is also setting a good standard for itself, we are not going to settle for less. With a constantly motivated team and a wonderful work environment, we will be always striving to raise the bars higher and higher.
