Succeeding in the the world of animation requires both artistry and business acumen, and our guest today is a master of both realms. Join us as we delve into Nhu Quynh’s vision and strategy for building DeeDee, the challenges she's overcome to achieve success, and her insights into the animation industry's ever-changing landscape.
Nhu Quynh Le
Job Title
Co-Founder
Studio Manager
Producer at DeeDee Animation Studio
Based
Ha Noi, Vietnam
Education
Bachelor of Economics National Economics University, Hanoi, Vietnam
Vision
What inspired you to co-found DeeDee Animation and embark on the journey of creating your own animation studio?
DeeDee Animation Studio actually has 4 co-founders, myself, Quang Hai Dang (CEO), Hoang Huy Ha (Art Director, Animation Supervisor) and Kiet Anh Doan (Head of Animation).
Firstly, all 4 of us have been passionate about animation since childhood. We believe animation is the perfect storytelling medium, as it has the power to tell both stories from daily life and extraordinary adventures limited only by imagination, or even a combination of both!
Secondly, we realized that establishing our own animation studio would allow us to express our creativity and freedom of thought. We want to create unique and meaningful stories that reflect our own personalities and our nation's identity. And we aim to have a positive impact on our audience.
Thirdly, at the time of DeeDee's establishment, Vietnam had many talented artists, but there was almost no animation studio or animated products that met international standards. DeeDee was created to fill that void. Now we’re strive to “put Vietnamese animation on the world map”.
Could you take us through the early days of DeeDee and share some of the challenges and successes you experienced in building and establishing the company?
We entered the industry with a burning passion for the medium and a rock solid determination to confront any challenges that might come our way. It was a huge gamble for us and our parents did not really approve of our choice but we kept going. At that time, the Vietnamese animation market was almost non-existent, and we were paving the way as we walked.
We started out with 6 people in a small office, pushing the envelope of our craft, absorbing as much as we could from all the world’s animation, films and series that we love both as children and now as adults. Determined to learn the most advanced animation techniques and use cutting-edge animation software, we decided to take small but certain steps, always persistent in our goal of creating high-quality animation. Most of us didn’t have any artistic education, save for Hoang, who only recently came home after years of studying animation in the U.S.
As we continued to persevere our first successes came. We secured out first service contracts, won international awards for our short film “Broken Being: Prequel”, received our first media coverage, and gained our first set of "fans." From then on, DeeDee became more widely known locally and internationally, and began to grow steadily.
Journey
As a Studio Manager and Producer how are you involved in the in the studio? What are some notable successes you have achieved in this role?
My main role is to manage all production activities of the studio from start to finish. I oversee all internal resources (personnel, budgets, schedules, procedures,...) and external resources of the studio (independent producers, suppliers, financiers,...), and connect them so that we can develop and produce high quality animated projects for our clients as well as our own.
Over the past 6 years we have become a body of work that rivals any competition in the Southeast Asia region both in numbers and levels of standard, and high-profile international clients. We have been involved and credited in a wide range of different types of projects: from TV commercials, TV series to feature films, from original content to collaborations with international partners, with clients from the U.S. (6 Point Harness), Ireland (JAM Media), Thailand (M2 Animation), and even Japan (Shin-Ei Doga),
One of the accomplishments I am most proud of is the outstanding loyalty of our clients. Most of them have been working with us for several years already and even refer new clients to us, which demonstrates the high level of credibility and quality we provide.
DeeDee positions as a “creative studio”, how do you nurture a high level of creativity and creative skills among your team members?
Fostering creativity and encouraging our artists to fully unleash their talent is an integral part of DeeDee’s culture. We achieve this by:
Encouraging creativity by creating a diverse and open teamwork environment that promotes communication and idea exchange among team members;
Providing opportunities for artists to participate in training courses and workshops to enhance their skills and knowledge. This not only boosts the team's creative abilities but also helps them stay updated with new trends and most advanced technologies in the industry.
Striving to approach projects in the most diverse styles and formats possible: cartoony, anime, realistic, artistic, TVCs, promotional videos, series, feature films and so on, in order to build multidimensional perspectives within the artist team. Diversity will bring forth new ideas and different viewpoints, creating favorable conditions for the development of creativity.
Always listen to what the artists have to say and help them improve their workflow and work quality, ensuring that they receive answers to their questions and encouraging them in their work. This not only helps improve production efficiency and quality but also increases confidence and enthusiasm within the team.
I understand the animation industry in Vietnam is a young industry, how do you ensure DeeDee always has access to a consistent pool of trained talents that can take part to the studio’s projects?
We have developed an exclusive in-house training program designed specifically for artists who are willing to join DeeDee. The program lasts between 2-8 months depending on the artists’ experience and abilities. It ensures that they are fully up to speed and familiarized with our studio’s specific pipeline before getting into production.
To help talents across the country better navigate the industry we are also collaborating with a famous local publisher, Kim Dong Publishing House to release a book about the world of animation in Vietnamese, which will be published soon.
Finally we work with training centers and universities in Vietnam to raise awareness about careers in Animation and support the opening of more animation-related programs. For instance, Hoang was recently invited as a judge to “The Pitch Room” of the British University Vietnam, a Shark Tank-like program for Art & Design student projects.
How does DeeDee adapt to market changes and technological advancements which are common in the animation industry?
We always try to stay ahead of the curve and when we are not (that happens!) we simply embrace change and find solutions to implement it and improve our processes.
Market-wise we stay on the pulse by joining leading industry events annually such as MIPCOM, Kidscreen, the Annecy International Animation Festival (MIFA), or the Asia TV & Forum Market (ATF). We also have access to direct insights from our partners and networks globally as well as relevant industry associations.
Technology-wise we are constantly in R&D by monitoring emerging technologies, conducting experiments and finding ways to integrate these technologies into our production processes. At the moment our R&D is focused on incorporating 3D into 2D and blending both medium to achieve completely new looks and extra efficiency.
Future
What is your view on the development prospects for the animation industry worldwide and in Vietnam?
The animation market, like any other industry evolves rapidly and has unpredictable dynamics. In 2023 we are feeling a general slowdown in the content industry due to economic downturn, as well as the writers and actors strike in the US. But I am confident that things will pick up again in 2024.
In Vietnam, the animation industry has been heating up in the past 5 years or so, especially thanks for the private sector. There has been a noticeable growth both in quantity and quality of the content produced. Training centers and universities are also now stepping up to the plate and placing greater emphasis on animation-related programs.
We can also count on great creative talents who are rapidly coming up to international standards. Actually we are proud to say that all of DeeDee’s artist team members are Vietnamese and we will continue to give priority to Vietnamese talents in order to propel them into the spotlight.
In conclusion, we are confident that Vietnamese animation and animators can position themselves at the forefront of the international animation industry whether it is for services or through the creation of original intellectual properties.
What are the challenges faced by animation companies in Vietnam? What do you do to overcome them?
The challenges for Vietnamese animation companies remain numerous, as it is often the case in emerging markets. We lack dedicated venture investment as well as support from the government with schemes such as tax credits or cash rebates as well as development and production funds which are now common across more advanced animation markets such as Europe or Canada. As mentioned earlier being a pioneering company we also lacked established precedents to learn from and encountered all sorts of barriers and obstacles paving the way. But this never stops us! To overcome these challenges we continuously innovate, learn, and never give up. In fact, ”DeeDee” can be read as “Đi đi” in Vietnamese, which means “Just keep moving forward”. So we “DeeDee”!