Asian animation house Robot Playground Media (RPM) has joined the 108 Media (U.K.) stable, adding a Singapore angle to efforts to build a “fully stocked super indie” focusing on content and IP in emerging markets.

The deal, announced out of the U.K. this afternoon, gives 108 Media a majority stake in RPM for an undisclosed amount.

The size of the stake has also not been disclosed.

Today’s announcement is the first of what 108 Media says is a series of investments planned in Singapore, and follows the acquisition of a majority stake in Zainir Aminullah’s Revolution Media in Malaysia in May this year and the U.K.’s DCD Rights in December last year.

108 Media says it aims to build “a modern global studio system for top-tier international content utilising its various sales, production, and financing ecosystems”.

RPM titles that will be part of the 108 Media slate include "The Violinist", currently in pre-production and expected to be ready for delivery within 2023/2024.

Based on an RPM short film, "The Violinist" is a US$3-million animated feature set in Southeast Asia during World War 2.

Co-founded by Ervin Han and Bernard Toh, RPM was nominated in last year’s ContentAsia Awards for Best Asian Comedy Programme category for “Downstairs”, an adult animated series that follows a cast of colourful Kopitiam stalls owners on the ground floor of an unnumbered HDB flat.

RPM has also produced for, among others, Warner Bros., Disney Southeast Asia, Discovery, MediaCorp, StarHub and Viacom.

Toh and Han said today that joining 108 accelerated their growth plans and international expansion.

The two join a team led by 108 Media CEO Abhi Rastogi, president Justin Deimen, head of acquisitions Rod Smith, and Japan MD Ryo Ebe, based in Tokyo.

Asia titles in development include 108 Media's LA-Taiwan-Singapore co-production, "A Banquet for Hungry Ghosts", an 8x30 min adult horror animation series based on Ying Compestine’s novel and co-produced with Taiwan’s Studio76; and 6x30 min series adapted from Sonny Liew’s graphic novel, "The Art of Charlie Chan Hock Chye", co-produced with Finding Pictures in Singapore.

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▶ 10 May 2022: 108 Media U.K. acquires majority stake in Zainir Aminullah’s Revolution Media
▶ 13 December 2021: 108 Media, DCD Rights closes; 108 flags more acquisitions in the next 18 months