The Mumbai based digital 2D animation studio, HopMotion, has garnered tremendous recognition by using YouTube as a medium to broadcast quality animation content in its over two year existence. Focusing on streaming 2D animation content revolving around the comedy genre, HopMotion has been functioning with a team of just handful members yet has rooted a deep image in the animation industry.
Speaking to AnimationXpress.com HopMotion CEO Anish Patel said: “YouTube is a big store where you have the freedom to display your content without much of censorship. You can explore your creativity without any restrictions. Though YouTube has a lot of risks as large amount of content is being uploaded every second, it still has a lot of traffic and content can gain popularity and go viral every minute.”
Catering to a target audience of teens and young adults, HopMotion functions with the strategy of creating humurous original content and IP. Anish added: “You tend to share anything that makes you laugh! So, we use social media to spread our content to a wider audience. Nowadays, social media and digital media is where the world belongs, in fact the future lies there as well.” Moreover, HopMotion has used YouTube to drive popularity and traffic to their own channel called Hoppo.TV. “It is difficult for a new venture like Hoppo.TV to gain popularity in the digital market. So, we use YouTube to gain recognition and drive traffic to our own channel. And it has worked well for us,” he informed. Hoppo.TV will broadcast all the content created by HopMotion and will also be available as a mobile app. In addition, Hoppo.TV will create an interactive platform by allowing viewers to comment about various shows and choose the kind of content they would like to see in the future.
The animation studio also aims to change the whole concept of animated feature films in India as it is a general perception that producing it is a time consuming process with lot of investments involved. Investors and distributors hesitate to invest in the Indian animation market. According to Anish, television has mainstream content where half the content is lost due to censorship but online digital media has various privileges in terms of content. Therefore, HopMotion tends to create a firm image first by focusing on quality content.
In this era of digital media conquering the young minds, HopMotion is attempting to pave a new way in the entire ecosystem of animation by using digital media as a powerful tool to leave a lasting impression. And you never know this technique might create a legacy for HopMotion way down in the future! Anish encourages by saying, “Make stuff, put it on YouTube, experiment your creativity and drive popularity.”
