Interview | Federico Badía, AstroLab Motion
Even though Argentine presence in international markets is very important, SMEs are sometimes in a vulnerable situation. Without the support of institutions such as Fundación ExportAr, they could easily lose contracts or miss out on potential agreements. At the same time, foreign capitals want to invest and co-produce a film or series with those companies that are backed by government institutions. An international media channel would not risk signing a contract with a company that lacks institutional support. This type of co-production, like the project we are developing with EBS from South Korea, enables the creation of original contents from Argentina to the world, which means that we offer great exportable contents done by highly-skilled professionals, and partially funded by international investors. The National State (e.g. through the Agency Educ.ar from the Ministry of Education) covers 36 percent of the costs, which grants it the right to exploit the film contents forever in Argentina and in all Latin American countries. This enables our companies to co-produce with an important media channel, and to participate in international festivals. As such, our products obtain great visibility and we have the chance to offer contents “made in Argentina” to the whole world.
How was your experience with Fundación ExportAr? In which activities have you participated? What results have you obtained? We have participated in several activities organized by Fundación ExportAr. In 2010, we attended Kidscreen Summit in New York City (USA) and the Annecy Animation Festival in Annecy (France). In 2011, we participated in those venues again and also in the Business Rounds organized within Expotoons Fair. Fundación ExportAr’s support allows us to meet new professionals from our industry and contact potential co-producers from other countries. We have been able to meet people during cocktail parties and exhibition stands, and by meeting with commercial representatives hosted by the fair organizers. The support is very important since each entrepreneur is responsible for making the most of his/her meetings during the 4 or 5 days of the event. It is a very competitive market and everything depends on each person’s position and their ability to contact potential foreign buyers or competitors. In 2010 we were the only Latin American country with a series nominated at the Annecy Animation Festival. This is the most prestigious event in the world of audiovisual productions. It is the place where the ‘creative elite’ showcase new international trends. In 2010, Argentina was the “guest country” during the festival. Even though we did not receive the prize, being nominated was a high honor. During the festival, representatives from EBS (South Korea) wanted to meet me in person because they were very satisfied with the success of our series in their country. Thus, we ended up talking about the possibility of doing something together in the future.
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