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COPYRIGHTS

We would like to know your feedback and for further inquiries about this issue and previous issues of Top Drawer, please contact:

Ms. Joselyn Teruel at (632) 687 - 7220

November 2007Vol. VI

Class of the Titans II © Studio B (Titans) Productions. All rights reserved.

GEORGE OF THE JUNGLE © Ward Productions, Inc. Under license to Bullwinkle, Studios LLC. All rights reserved.

Ricky Sprocket © Studio B Productions Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Eliot Kid © SAMKA Productions 2006

TOM © Cromosoma Norma Animation

LOS CAMPEONES DE LA LUCHA LIBRE © Bouncy Net Inc.

A Kind of Magic © Xilam Animation

SKUNK FU! © Cartoon Saloon 2006

WE’RE 8!

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endend

Of our 8 years since starting Top Draw, 2007 has been our most successful year. One measure of that success for any studio would of course be production throughput and in 2007 we managed to accomplish a whopping 93 half hours; two thirds of it Flash and the other third 2D.

Another more important measure is the caliber of the projects themselves, and in this regard, Top Draw is truly blessed. It is for this reason that we have decided to dedicate this our 8th Birthday Edition of our Newsletter to our 2007 Clients.

Common to all our clients is their ability to create highly recognizable and innovative animation for television that consistently excites their target audiences. They are a delight to work with and we thank them all for allowing Top Draw to be their studio of choice.

Have you ever wanted to go on a roller coaster ride? All you would have to do is spend the last eight years with Wayne and Top Draw. Each time I have visited the Philippines I have found changes, new offices, new building, new systems and through it all there is Wayne’s need for perfection. It all started when Stella and I went with Wayne to choose the first premises that Top Draw occupied and when we went with him to see about creating the Top Draw Logo.

Little did I imagine that from that small start the company would be the success it is today. Watching it grow has been a great excitement and pleasure to me. When I am in the Philippines I go to work with Wayne each day. I sit at the conference table in his office, one eye on my crossword and the other on his handling of the day’s activities. A mother’s quiet bit of advice can make all the difference, don’t you think?

I have gotten to know many of the staff over the years. Of course, I am extremely proud of what Wayne has achieved but I also know that without his staff it would not be possible. So I have a soft spot for them and thank them for all their hard work.

Everyone laughs at me because I get excited when I see one of the cartoons that Top Draw has created, screened on the ABC TV in Australia and do you know…… Wayne and Top Draw are always in the credits.

Congratulations to you all on Top Draw’s eighth anniversary. I hope you all have a happy day on the 10th but be sure not to eat too much lechon and pancit.

Mum‛s the Word

WHAT’S INSIDE

Mum’s the Word 3

Studio B 4

SAMKA 6

CROMOSOMA 5

FWAK! Animation 5

WILDBRAIN 4

A Message from the Big Kahuna 2

Cartoon Saloon 7

MIP Junior Screenings Favour Top Draw Clients 3 2007 Production Deliveries 7

Stella Gets Her Way …. well sort of 8

Stella’s Angels 8

Oh, What a Team! 9

Training and Development – The Priority Continues 10

Our Facilities Expand 11

Copyrights 12

MIP JUNIOR SCREENINGS FAVOUR TOP DRAW CLIENTS

A message from the Big Kahuna

Congratuations to Xilam, SAMKA and Cartoon Saloon for such terrific success at the MIP Jr. screenings. Out of more than 200 entries, A Kind of Magic, Eliot Kid and Skunk Fu rated 1st, 6th

and 7th respectively. (Eliot Kid and Skunk Fu are both represented by Cake Entertainment)

Xilam 6

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STUDIO B PRODUCTIONS

Chris Bartleman and Blair Peters affectionately refer to Top Draw as Studio B’s 7th floor and we consider that to be one huge compliment. STUDIO B is one of today’s leading Animation Houses and over the past 10 years have enriched the airways with such hits as D’ Myna Leagues, Yvon of the Yukon, Yakkity Yak, Being Ian, Class of The Titans, Ricky Sprocket, George of the Jungle….and the list goes on.

You only have to walk into the 6th floor reception area of their impressive Vancouver headquarters to get a sense of their commitment to excellence. To talk to their staff, you understand the extent to which they care and I can tell you first hand that there’s no nicer bunch of talented, committed folk working anywhere in the world today.

In 2007 Top Draw worked with Studio B on Class of the Titans, Being Ian, Ricky Sprocket, George of the Jungle and Martha Speaks…..most of it done in Flash. We consider ourselves to be world leaders in Flash and the ‘B’s played a large part in getting us there by taking us under their wing in 2002 and by unselfishly sharing their knowledge and experience with us.

It’s always fun working with Chris and Blair as many of you “Croissette” stayers can attest to and it’s that blend of fun and professionalism that make them somewhat unique.

Cromosoma is one of Barcelona’s leading animation company; best known for its enormous success with “Triplets”.

We first started working with Cromosoma in 2002 on their series Miniman and in the ensuing 5 years have worked with them on Triplets and two seasons of The Adventures of Tom, the second of which we completed in 2007.

Dani Martinez is their head of production, and it is through his sense of commitment and professionalism that we have been able to create seamless processes between Cromosoma and Top Draw. It is always a pleasure working with Dani and his crew and we thank him for his support.

WILDBRAIN

We have worked with the great folk at Wildbrain for many years now. Actually, we first met Phil Robinson (Founding partner of Wildbrain) in Manila back in the early 90’s, when Bill Hanna sent him to help out at Fil-Cartoons.

San Francisco based Wildbrain is long respected in the animation industry. Amy Capen is a talented producer at Wildbrain and the various TVC’s that she brings our way are great fun. They are in contrast to our usual long form productions and our artists really enjoy the chance to boutique smaller projects with such characters as Captain Crunch and My Little Pony.

www.wildbrain.com

www.studiobproductions.comCROMOSOMAwww.cromosoma.com

www.fwakanimation.com.auFWAK! ANIMATION

I first met fellow Aussies Eddie Mort and Lili Chin in Sydney more than 10 years ago. It may have taken a while, but the great news is that we’ve now had the chance to work with this dynamic duo.

Eddie is the creator of Mucha Lucha that extended to four successful seasons on WB.

Los Campeones de la Lucha Libre is the original concept behind Mucha Lucha. Its older demographic provides a terrific platform for this Mexican wrestling mayhem and Eddie’s distinctive design style coupled with his sensibilities

for action comedy has made it a real winner with our artists.

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2007 PRODUCTION DELIVERIES2007 has been a rewarding year and we have been fortunate to build such an impressive slate of productions for the year.

Eliot Kid 49 x 12 minute episodes SAMKA FlashClass of the Titans 26 x 22 minute episodes Studio B 2DAdventures of Tom 5 x 18 minute episodes CROMOSOMA 2DSkunk Fu 15 x 12 minute episodes Cartoon Saloon FlashGeorge of the Jungle 19 x 11 minute episodes Studio B FlashRicky Sprocket 34 x 11 minute episodes Studio B FlashLos Campeones de la Lucha Libre 1 x 65 minute special FWAK! Animation FlashMartha Speaks 3 x 24 minutes Studio B FlashBeing Ian 10 x 22 minutes (BG) Studio B FlashA Kind of Magic 3 x 23 minutes Xilam Flash/2DTVC’s Various WILDBRAIN 2D

When Samuel Kaminka started his own company, SAMKA, in 2005, he was already one of France’s most recognized and trusted Animation Producers. His designs are distinctive for their clean, fresh lines that so naturally invoke “character likeability” and his sensibilities for story telling guarantee the ultimate audience experience.

Samuel is one of the industry’s true gentlemen and his sense of ethic coupled with his commitment to excellence describes the very ethos that drives his industry success and makes him the perfect production partner.

In 2007 we had the great pleasure to work with Samuel on Eliot Kid; something that was made more significant to us by it being his first series under the SAMKA banner.

XILAM

A Kind of Magic is our first project with Xilam and so we are still at the stage of getting to know each other. When new companies first start working together, there is always an amount of adjustment and tweaking required so that processes on both sides fit hand in glove. Xilam’s penchant for creating only the best is a good fit and we look forward to forging ahead with them.

www.xilam.com

SAMKA PRODUCTIONS

How lucky is it that our first production with Cartoon Saloon has turned out to be such a great hit. Skunk Fu is nothing short of stunning and we take our hat off to Aidan Hart the creator and to the talented Cartoon Saloon crew for pulling this one off.

We also want to thank Tom Van Waveren of Cake Entertainment for bringing us all together on this one. Tom made working on Skunk Fu more the pleasure and we look forward to our paths crossing many more times in the future.

CARTOON SALOONwww.cromosoma.com

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From left: Ping Capati (Posing Supv.-Eliot Kid, AKOM), Rhedore Gaurano (Asst. Flash Director – Eliot Kid), Kiko Lerma (Flash Director-Eliot Kid), Lean Langonera (2D & Flash Director-AKOM), Pamboy Meneses (Layout Supv.), Dennis Fuentes (2D Animation Director), Bobby Reyes (I.T. Manager), Isko Cadalin (Flash Director-Los Campeones), Edna Vitug (Asst. BG Checker), Hubert Vitug (BG Supv.), Troy Santos (AFX Supv.), Arnold Capili (Flash Director), Ricky Yoingco (Layout Supv.), Jun Lampano (Flash Director-Eliot Kid)

OH, WHAT A TEAM!It’s no accident that Top Draw boasts one of the most capable and versatile creative teams working anywhere in the world today. Of course, we’re lucky to have a great depth of raw creative talent in the Philippines to work from but we’ve worked long and hard to develop such a team.

Now, the funny thing about this group photo is that Bobby, our I.T. Head is also included. Creative team, you ask? ….. yep, these days, the I.T. part of the business is one of our most creative areas!

From Left: Joanne Gavino (Finance Manager)Vivian Martinez (Operations Manager)

& Elvira Garcia (HR Manager)

STELLA GETS HER WAY….well sort ofStella has always loved VW Beetles. For years she’s drooled over them, old or new, and toyed

with the idea of buying one. Well, Stella has to wait no more! I bought one just for her…..only problem is that it’s on the 6th floor in our second reception area.

Ah, I’m sure that Stella understands….!

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OUR FACILITIES EXPANDOUR FACILITIES EXPAND

ANIMATION CAFE’s NEW DIGS

We often joke that we seem to be always building … and it’s true. 2007 was no exception. This year we completed the fit out for an additional 350 sq. mtrs that enabled us to add another 55 Flash workstations, new Accounts Department, an additional conference room and, yes, new digs for Animation Café!.

ACCOUNTING OFFICE

SOME OF THE FLASH WORKSTATIONS

By far the biggest growth sector in the Philippines is IT based outsourcing. This includes Call Centres, Business Process Outsourcing and Animation. It is estimated that more than 200,000 people are currently working in this sector and the major industry initiative called Roadmap 2010 estimates that by 2010 this will increase to 1,000,000 jobs.

With this level of growth, the labour market is highly competitive. The IT Outsourcing sector is very much aware of this and the industry association (Business Processing Outsourcing Association of the Philippines [BPAP]) is spearheading a number of initiatives that will hopefully address current and future needs.

In terms of the number of people employed, the Animation industry pales into insignificance when compared to, say, call centres that employ hundreds of thousands of people. Having said that, Top Draw itself currently employs between 450 and 550 people and we’re forecasting that number to increase by 100 within the next 12 months. And so there is a continued need for us to replace attrition rates as well as to bring new people into the industry. We’re no stranger to training and have always led the market in this aspect.

There are a number of initiatives that we have undertaken ourselves as well as in concert with industry initiatives. We have developed over time an extensive curriculum for the training of all aspects of 2D and Flash. These programs are officially registered with the government’s education department and we conduct official classroom training internally. To date, we have trained around 250 artists in this way, more than 60 of them in 2007.

Other initiatives include the participation in industry job fairs as well as local sponsorships, making sure that Top Draw continues to be branded as a market leader.

Top Draw Booth attracting a crowd at the Foreign Chambers’ Global Employment Expo, June 2007

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