近日，Laura Geagea晋升为Sweetshop中国、亚洲及中东和北非地区区域董事总经理，作为一家国际影视制作公司，Sweetshop亚洲区与中国区在过去两年间业务持续攀升，取得了有目共睹的成绩。值此契机，我们与Sweetshop全球首席执行官Wilf Sweetland和Laura Geagea聊了聊。
十一年前，也就是2011年，你曾经说“我相信Sweetshop会在未来市场中担负重要角色。”那么，这些年来你带领团队为公司注入了哪些，又获得了什么？
自2001年作为一家全球制作公司成立以来，Sweetshop一直致力于为国际广告、创意代理商和品牌主提供来自世界各地的影视作品以及制作解决方案。自从我于2011年加入该集团以来，这一重点得到了加强。通过持续不断地提供超出预期的创造性执行和服务，我们与代理商建立了更深层次的关系。随着Sweetshop在全球的扩张，我们也投入了更多资源，通过增加制作服务（种类）来赋能代理商和品牌客户。例如，我们可能会与代理商和客户一起制作一部将在国际电影节上放映的专题纪录片，也会制作一部用于广播的动画短片。无论客户在何处提出诉求和下单，我们都能无障碍地为客户提供以扎实功力为基础的多种影视制作服务。
OnePlus 9RT - Launch Film Teaser
在澳大利亚、美国和欧洲工作的履历，是非常难能可贵的，也是你对广告制作形成全球视角的重要基础。关于这个部分，能分享一下吗？随着市场的变化，传统影视制作方法也在迎来更新和挑战，你如何带领团队保持先锋、进化和一种持续提供顶级影视技术的能力？
制作水准是我们所有工作的核心。要始终确保合作的导演是专业而高水平的，这也是促成代理商和品牌寻求与Sweetshop合作的原因。通过在扩张期间保持这种专注，我们渐渐确立起在这一领域的优势和领先地位。在世界各地，我们已经看到代理商内部制作部门的兴起，以及提供大众市场形形色色的TVC制作平台。当客户与我们合作时，他们一定会得到我们所能提供的最佳服务。
Sweetshop导演Damien Shatford于Sprite广告拍摄片场
的确，影视制作行业的竞争空前激烈。每年都有更多的颁奖典礼出现，更多的导演进入市场，更多的小制作公司出现，以及前面提到的大众市场对高频低创意内容的“干扰”。随着技术的不断发展和内容制作的不断普及，很容易将这些视为解决方案。然而，我坚持认为，电视或网络广告传播要想有效，必须以故事为导向：一个好故事总能吸引观众，并从不绝于耳的“噪音”中脱颖而出。要做到这一点，伟大的创意只是一个起点，影视制作领域的故事讲述和执行则更加重要。
Sweetshop导演Damien Shatford于Sprite广告拍摄片场
你对东亚市场特别是影视制片市场怎么看？有什么关键词可以用来描述它吗？
东亚市场是一个活跃的市场，熙熙攘攘，竞争激烈，令人兴奋，仍保持着发展势头。自2017年在上海成立办公室以来，我们一直追求更加精湛的制作水准，业务得到拓展。最优秀的总经理，最优秀的制作助理，不仅是在这一领域竞争的关键，也是获得成功和扩大制作市场份额的关键。近几年，Sweetshop不仅与代理商密切合作，也与品牌直接合作，甚至得到客户进行更深层次合作的需求。这一点很令人兴奋，因为我们能够利用影视领域的资源和智慧来帮助客户实现更高效和有效的广告传播。
2022年，你所肩负的最重要的任务是什么？现在，进展如何？
在上海设立办事处后，Laura Geagea已晋升为中国和亚洲地区的董事总经理。与此同时，Laura已任命Catherine Law为中国区新任董事总经理。在我们为未来五年乃至十年制定计划时，Laura也会助力业务发展和战略。深化在中国市场的服务，同时为中国和国际的代理商和品牌提供更丰富的选择，是我们今年的另一个重点。
作为一家定位于全球影视制作的公司，Sweetshop在亚洲的定位是广告制作。能分享一下主要的原因吗？
很简单，亚洲是一个如此令人振奋的市场。作为全球关注的焦点，它是众多文化、商业和品牌的交汇点。我们的许多客户都是跨国公司。因此，在亚洲携手同行是非常有意义的。我们拥有一个低成本的制作中心基地，但制作团队训练有素，使我们能够进行任何类型的工作。
Sweetshop未来是否有可能在亚洲扩展其业务线/模式，如电影制作，为什么？
现在，我们正在制作大量的长视频作品，从故事片到纪录片，再到儿童动画和文化宣传片，主要服务于好莱坞工作室。这种情况同步发生在Sweetshop的多个办公室。而抓住亚洲的机会只是时间问题。不过，真正让我兴奋的是可以在这个领域为客户提供长期服务。
你认为元宇宙的潜力如何？如果把制作和元宇宙结合起来会是什么样子？
元宇宙有很多潜在的机会，我们可能会看到直播和VFX/动画/社交媒体的融合。不过就目前而言，我认为需要更多的时间来观察这一特殊事物会如何发展。
2013年，Sweetshop在曼谷开设办公室。2017年，上海办公室开启。在两个完全不同的城市创业对你具有不同意义吗？可否分享一下印象最深的部分？
当我在2015年加入Sweetshop时，曼谷办公室已经有了非常不错的发展动能。当时，Sweetshop只有泰国一个办公室，想要为十多个国家及地区提供影视制作服务、导演和制作解决方案，并非易事。
当我在2017年接手并建立上海办公室时，我们在亚洲的业务已经在不断增长。
我发现，这些办公室几乎是相辅相成的。我们很快意识到，它们将携手合作，以应对不断变化和发展的现状和未来。
对东亚市场尤其是影视制作市场，你看法如何？能用一些关键词描述它的具体特征吗？
在亚洲，影视制作就像每天都在进行一次新的冒险——这就是它的全部吸引力之所在。在这种环境中，有许多机会可以去创造和实现一些真正独特的东西。这就是为什么许多电影人和创意公司在亚洲蓬勃发展。如果你选择每天创造性地解决问题，并且愿意接受挑战，那么这里就是你的理想之地。
Sprite - Queuing Up
2022年，你要完成的最重要的任务是什么？现在，事情进展如何呢？
2022年只剩下两个月了，我面临着一个非常令人兴奋的挑战：刚刚被提升为中国、亚洲和中东及北非地区的区域董事总经理。很明显，这是一个让我着手多个项目的绝佳机会。
从更多的战略角度来看，我们在中国和亚洲的业务是一项非常艰巨的任务，我很乐意承担。我的工作重点将是发展这两个办公室，发展品牌和代理商等合作伙伴关系，并一如既往地寻找具有相当水平和技能的负责人，努力保障高品质的影视作品产出。
作为一家定位于全球影视制作的公司，Sweetshop定位于亚洲广告制作，你如何看待这一点？
在我看来，有两件事值得关注。
首先也是最重要的一点，是我们在亚洲及中国的业务性质。这里的市场快速、敏锐、高效。事情变化很快，趋势变化的速度比过去任何时候都要快。广告的影响力依然强大无比，它在多种媒介、长度、主题和故事间探索。这也是我们仍在深入研究的问题，在想清楚下一步之前，我们还有一段路要走。
Sweetshop导演Simon Cracknell于DBS广告拍摄片场
第二点，我们在亚洲和中国的办公室是七个全球分支中最年轻的。Sweetshop在新西兰、澳大利亚和世界其他地区的办公室由来已久，是基于对影视制作和故事的热爱的自然发展。也就是说，我们的时代将在亚洲到来，也许比我们想象得还要快。
Sweetshop导演组合Christian&Patrick于Toyota广告拍摄片场
Sweetshop未来是否有可能在亚洲扩展其业务线/模式，如电影制作，为什么？
绝对的。基于我提到的上述想法，Sweetshop已经在我们其他办公室的业务线和模式中证明了自己。这只是时间问题，在我们为我们的帽子添上羽毛之前，要做好充分的计划和准备！
在曼谷和上海，或者是中国香港、新加坡和印度，长篇小说、讲故事、短片和故事制作都有巨大的潜力……舞台很大，充满了鼓舞和机遇。
所以，答案是肯定的，但不是现在。
你认为元宇宙的潜力如何？如果把制作和元宇宙结合起来会是什么样子？
我认为元宇宙现在是事情发展中合理的一部分。就像互联网、智能手机和3D成像一样。
显然，它的潜力巨大，伴随着广告的潜力。在这个时代，所有广告商都希望让观众沉浸在他们的信息中。元宇宙将允许这一点，甚至更多。想象一下，一个无缝的体验环境，没有广告商会对此说不。
当然，它需要更多的时间来沉淀、成熟，并探索如何与我们的业务携手合作。所以，这里一切皆有可能。让我们拭目以待！
你赢得业务和客户的秘诀是什么？是否有一些我们可以习得的准则？
对我来说，答案是看似简单实则非常困难的:信任。
在制作世界中，截止日期会变，产品不能及时准备好，明星错过航班，在雨天拍摄……偏离我们项目计划的变量是无穷无尽的。这些任何制片人都会告诉你。然而，根据我的经验，在项目的任何阶段，确保客户和你的团队之间始终保持开放、畅通，就已经成功了一半。
让每个人都参与到创作中来，是Sweetshop流程的重要组成部分。建立信任和尊重是我们培养与客户和代理商关系的方式。对我来说，这与我们在Sweetshop提供的制作水平一样，是我们商业模式的重要组成部分，也是我们处理任何工作的方式。
作为制作人，今年你最常想到的问题是什么？现在有答案了吗？
在疫情期间，我们中的许多人一直在问自己:“一旦这一切结束，广告业会回到之前的状态吗？”
疫情改变了我们的制作方式。
在片场拥有一个QTake程序或实时远程取景系统，已经变得几乎和拥有一台摄像机一样重要。旅行的人少了。更多的事情发生在Zoom和微信视频通话上。在某些情况下，甚至导演在片场也不是100%必要的。几年前，谁又会想到这些呢？
我们都希望，一旦疫情结束，一切会回到原来的样子，让“每个人都是一个房间”再次成为常态，但谁知道呢？也许我们再次拥有一切时，其实他们已并不像我们认为的那样重要？姑且等等看……
英文版
Recently, Laura Geagea was promoted to the Regional Managing Director of Sweetshop China, Asia and MENA. As a global film production company, Sweetshop’s business in Asia and China has continued to grow in the past two years, and has achieved remarkable results. On this occasion, we had a talk with Sweetshop Global CEO Wilf Sweetland and Laura Geagea.
Wilf Sweetland, Sweetshop Global CEO
◆ In 2011(11 years ago), you said “ I believe Sweetshop is a big part of what’s coming next.” so what did you devote and obtain with the company?
Since its early establishment as a global production company in 2001, Sweetshop has sought to provide agencies and clients internationally with access to the best Directors from all parts of the world combined with the best production solutions. Since I joined the group in 2011, this focus has intensified as we have forged deeper relationships with agencies by consistently delivering creative executions above and beyond their expectations. With the expansion of Sweetshop, we have devoted more resources to partner with agencies and current clients by increasing our offering. For example, we may be working on a feature documentary with agencies and clients that will screen at film festivals around the world, or create an animation series for broadcast. We have evolved to provide our agencies and clients with multiple offerings underpinned by exemplary craft, no matter where in the world the project takes place.
◆ Having spent time working in Australia, US and European markets, you have been able to develop a global perspective on advertising production. Could you describe it briefly? As the market continues to question traditional production methodology, how do you lead the company to keep pioneer and advanced and continuing ability to deliver world class craft ?
Craft has always been at the core of every thing we do. Our Directors are of the highest level. This is what drives agencies and clients to work with us. By maintaining this focus during expansion, we have been able to establish the lead in this space. Around the world, we have seen the rise of in-house production at agencies, as well as platforms offering mass market tvc productions amongst other things. I believe that when a client works with us, they are getting the best that an independent offering can deliver.
There has never been more competition in the production industry. Each year, there are more award shows popping up, more directors entering the market, more small production companies popping up, and the aforementioned ‘disruption’ of mass market pitching options for high-frequency low creative content. With the continual evolution of technology and the access to content creation, it can be easy to see this these offerings as solutions. However, for television/online advertising communication to be effective, it must be story-led. A narrative engages an audience and stands out from the over supply of ‘noise’ that fills our feeds. For that to occur, not only is a great creative idea the starting point, but great execution from craft-led storytellers will always be paramount.
◆ What’s your opinion on East Asia market especially producing market? Could you describe its specific characteristic with some keywords?
The East Asia market is a hive of activity, which is bustling, competitive, exciting and evolving. Since launching in Shanghai in 2017, we have been able to grow our business by becoming known for exceptional production. Having the best Managing Director all the way down to the best Production Assistants is crucial to being able to not only compete in this landscape, but also to succeed and grow production market share. Since 2017, we have evolved to work closely not only with Agencies, but also with Clients. Over this time, Clients have asked us to partner with them at a deeper level. This is an exciting opportunity for us, as we are able to utilise production intellectual property to assist clients to achieve more efficient and effective advertising communication.
◆ In 2022, what’s your most important task to complete? And now, how does it go on?
After establishing our office in Shanghai, Laura Geagea has now moved into a Regional Managing Director role across China and Asia. At the same time, Laura has appointed Catherine Law as the new Managing Director of China. This allows Laura to now work on business development and strategy as we plan for the next five and ten years. Deepening our local Chinese offering and meanwhile expanding the options for our China agencies and clients globally is another big focus for us this year.
◆ As a company positioning on film and television production globally, Sweetshop positioning on advertising production in Asia, however. Could you share the reason?
It’s simple! Asia is such an exciting market. As a global hub, it is at the cross section of so many cultures, businesses and brands. Many of our clients are multinational. Thus, it makes sense for us to be in Asia with them. We have a low-cost production centre base to enable us to facilitate work of any kind, yet with highly trained production crews.
◆ Is it possible for Sweetshop to extend its business line/model in Asia such as film production in future, and why?
We are producing a lot of long form production across our group now - from feature films to documentaries to children’s animation to culturally relevant short films and producing for major Hollywood studios. This happens in multiple Sweetshop offices. It is only a matter of time before we capitalise on these opportunities in Asia. What really excites me though is the long form work we can do for Clients in this space.
◆ How do you think of the potential of Metaverse? What’ it would be like if combine production with Metaverse?
There are a lot of potential opportunities with the Metaverse, and we may see cross over between liveaction and VFX / animation / social media. For now though, I think more time is needed to see how that particular landscape develops.
Laura Geagea, Regional Managing Director of Sweetshop China, Asia and MENA
◆ In 2013, Sweetshop opened office in Bangkok. In 2017, Shanghai office opened. Could you share the different meanings for you to start business in the totally different two cities? Can you share the most impressive part about it?
When I joined Sweetshop in 2015, the Bangkok office already had an impressive drive to it. With a single office in Thailand, Sweetshop was seeking to serve more than ten countries and offer director and production solutions for the whole territory, which is not an easy endeavour.
Our presence in Asia kept growing when I took over in 2017 whilst also establishing the Shanghai office.
I found that the offices were almost complementing each other. Quickly we realised that they would work hand in hand to cater to the ever changing and evolving landscape of the region.
◆ What’s your opinion on East Asia market especially producing market? Could you describe its specific characteristic with some keywords?
Producing in Asia is like embarking on a new adventure every single day. That’s the whole attraction of it. There are so many opportunities to be creative and to achieve really unique things in these settings. That’s how a lot of directors and creative companies thrive in Asia. If you opt for daily creative problem-solving and are up for a challenge, then it’s the place to be.
◆ In 2022, what’s your most important task to complete? And now, how does it go on?
With only 3 months left in the year, I have a very exciting challenge ahead of me. Sweetshop has just elevated me to the strategic role of Regional Managing Directorfor the China, Asia & MENA region. That will obviously be a great opportunity to get me going on a multitude of projects.
Looking at both our China & our Asia businesses from a more strategic perspective is a big endeavour and one I am very excited to undertake. I will be focusing on growing both offices, cultivating our client and agency partner relationships, and as always at the core of our business looking for directors with the right level and versatility in craft that we strive to offer.
◆ As a company positioning on film and television production globally, Sweetshop positioning on advertising production in Asia, however. How do you perceive this?
In my mind, there are two things to look at here.
First and foremost is the nature of our business in Asia & China. The market up here is fast, sharp, and efficient. Things turn around very promptly, and trends move in and out faster than weeks go by. The advertising voice is extremely strong in this region, and it explores a multitude of mediums, lengths, subjects, stories all at the same time. This is something we are still working on getting deeper into. We still have a way to go before we can move on to the next step.
On top of that, our Asia and China offices are the youngest of our 7 global offices. Our presence in New Zealand, Australia and elsewhere globally has been rooted for a longer period of time and going into long form is the natural evolution of loving craft and stories. This is the basis of our work at Sweetshop.
That being said, our time will come in Asia! Maybe even faster than what we think.
◆ Is it possible for Sweetshop to extend its business line/model in Asia such as film production in future, and why?
Absolutely. As per my thoughts above, Sweetshop has already proven itself in this business line and model in our other offices. It is just a matter of time and planning things adequately before we are ready and equipped to add that feather to our hat!
There is a huge potential for long form, storytelling, short films, crafting stories in both Bangkok and Shanghai specifically, not to mention Hong Kong, Singapore, India… The stage is huge and it comes with a lot of excitement and opportunities.
So, the answer is yes, definitely, but not just yet!
◆ How do you think of the potential of Metaverse? What’ it would be like if combine production with Metaverse?
I think Metaverse is a part of the normal evolution of things right now. It will happen just like the internet happened, like smart phones and 3D imaging did.
Obviously, the potential is immense, and it is accompanied by the potential of advertising alongside it. What all advertisers want in this day and age is to immerse the viewer in their message. Metaverse will allow that and even more. Imagine that, in a seamless experience and environment, why would any advertiser say no to that?
It does feel like the medium needs a bit more time to mature and with it some crafting of how it will work hand in hand with our business. So, anything is possible here. Let’s wait and see!
◆ What’s your secrets on winning business and clients ? Maybe some principles we can observe?
For me, this is not only a simple one but also a very difficult one to uphold: trust.
In the production world where deadlines change, products aren’t ready in time, celebrities miss flights, rain joins us on a shoot day…the variables of things that stray from our plan on a project are endless. Any producer would tell you that. However, in my experience, if you can maintain an open channel between your clients and your team, at any stage of a project, you’re already halfway there.
Getting everyone involved in creating something together is a big part of the process for us at Sweetshop. Building trust and respect is how we nurture our relationships with our clients & agencies. For me this, with the level of craft that we offer at Sweetshop, is a big part of our business model and the way we approach any work.
◆ As a producer, what’s the question you think of most frequently this year? Any answer now?
Throughout the Covid period, a lot of us have been asking ourselves the following question: “Will advertising go back to how it was pre-Covid once this is all over”?
Covid has changed the way a lot of us approach production.
Having a good QTake or live remote viewing system on set has become almost as important as having a camera there. Less people travel. More things happen on Zoom and WeChat video calls. Even directors aren’t a 100% necessity on set in some cases. Who would’ve imagined that a few years ago!
We all hope that once the Covid pandemic is officially over, things will go back to how they were and having “everyone is one room” becomes the norm again but who knows? Maybe we’ll realise when it’s all available to us again that it’s not as crucial as we believed it to be? We’ll have to wait and see…
