Name: Trevor Lai
Hometown:
Vancouver, BC
Now living in: Shanghai
Tell us about BOOMi and Up Studios
I founded Up Studios to be an original family entertainment company that creates stories, characters and animated films. Because of my 20 years of experience of being a children’s book author and illustrator, and my lifelong love of animation, some people have said we have the potential to become the Disney of China. Obviously, this sounds like a grand vision, but we have a very defined plan to achieve the goal; in essence, our stories and characters are created here, but are beloved around the world.
My first TV series Super BOOMi has already amassed over 4.5 billion views in China on Tencent Video, topped ratings on CCTV, and been sold to major broadcasters from France (Canal+) to Canada, so we have taken a big first step already. We have an exciting journey ahead, as I’m currently directing Super BOOMi season 7 and 8, along with our new animated series Piggy, and I’m developing my first feature film franchise. Tencent is a major partner of ours and we are also working on licensing deals for toys, fashion, books and other categories.
What inspired you to start doing this?
I’ve always loved creating art and writing stories, so combining these passions and founding Up Studios was a natural way for me to bring these dreams to life.
Who do you create your work for?
First and foremost, I create to inspire kids, as they are literally our world’s future. At the same time, I know our TV series and accomplishments also motivate young artists and creators to keep working on their craft, and our own Up Studios team consists of many such young talents. Finally, I believe that no matter our age, there is a child inside all of us still, so I create my stories with the hopes that parents will enjoy them just as much as their children, although they may appreciate them from a different perspective like they do when watching Pixar films.
What are some of the projects you are most proud of?
Although I never went to animation school, I really studied the craft on my own, and therefore am proud that I’ve been able to write, direct and produce over 150 episodes of a top-rated TV show in the past three years (SUPER BOOMi). Having a major platform like Tencent Video believe in my work and invest in both SUPER BOOMi as well as my upcoming PIGGY series launching this summer is a partnership we are proud of as well. In a few short years, we have already designed kids’ rooms in over 100 hotels and resorts across the country, and have also won an award at the China Licensing Expo for best new IP. As a lifelong hockey fan, I’m also very excited that BOOMi was selected as the official family ambassador for the National Hockey League in China, and our Super BOOMi Hockey Hero series has already introduced millions of kids here to the sport I love.
How has Chinese culture shaped your work?
Chinese culture and family values have been a core part of my upbringing, thanks to my parents and family. I have made a conscious effort to infuse my stories with these positive values, including the importance of family and compassion for others, and also founded Up Studios in China because I believe that by creating inspiring works here that are loved around the world, we can actually unite audiences who may not realize that we share more in common than we have differences.
What is your dream for your brand?
I hope that the characters I’ve created like BOOMi and Piggy will become friends to children across the globe, much like the characters I loved growing up. Up Studios’ continued success will hopefully make our brand a beacon of high quality, creative excellence in storytelling that will inspire audiences for generations to come.
What should we be looking forward to seeing from you next?
I’m currently creating two exciting new seasons of Super BOOMi’s cartoon series, and we have a major toy line I’m very excited about launching this summer. With the 2022 Winter Olympics coming next year, it would also be really cool to see BOOMi playing hockey there, and I’m excited about our new line of hockey merchandise for kids.
I have started development of my first feature film franchise as well with a UK studio, and that will be an exciting project to announce later this year.
As a collector of many things from art to timepieces, I also hope to work with more local and international brands in industries like fashion and technology for cool collaborations with our characters and animation, and linking up with musicians and artists I admire to create more original projects.
Discover Up Studios:
Website: http://upstudios.cn/
@UpStudiosWorld on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
