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This was published 5 years ago
The bogan cartoon business taking on Dreamworks and Disney
By Cara Waters
A warehouse in the industrial back blocks of Coburg isn't the most likely setting for a global animation business.
But that hasn't stopped Bruce Kane and Maurice Argiro who founded Bogan Entertainment Solutions in 2007 to create strong Australian made animation for a world wide audience.
Bruce Kane, founder and director of BES Animation Studios. Credit: Simon Schluter
"In polite circles we call ourselves BES," Kane says. "International people don't know what a bogan is."
The veteran television executives started the business after winning a competition to produce two pilots for the Cartoon Network.
"We are far better known overseas than we are here," Kane says.
Since that first win which funded the start up of the business BES Animation Studios has made a range of kids cartoons the most successful of which is Kitty is Not a Cat, voiced by Rove McManus, which has been sold into 65 territories and translated into more than 25 languages.
We are far better known overseas than we are here.
Bruce Kane
The success of Kitty is Not a Cat has boosted BES to a yearly turnover of $4 million and the small Australian studio is being courted by Disney and Turner who want a first look at what's coming off the BES production slate.
Kane says what distinguishes BES is its original productions.
"Lots of animation is based on a well known book or film which is much easier to take into the market," he says.
"The hardest thing you can possibly do is come up with a completely original production particularly when it is something like Kitty is Not A Cat.
"What we are doing costs between $6 and $8 million to make 52 episodes.
"It's not an insignificant amount of money to come up with and people like any business are looking for surety when they are investing in something like that."
Kane and Argio say government assistance in the form of grants from Film Victoria and the PDV (Post digital and visual effects) tax offset of 30 per cent have been key to building the business.
"At the moment there has never been more work in animation it is really pumping," says Kane.
"A lot has to do with the tertiary courses being offered with RMIT, VCA and UTS they are really good courses now. They are embracing the industry."
Many of these emerging animators are finding their way to BES which now employs a team of 40 staff.
"We were nominated for best new series worldwide at the Kidscreen awards and it is us and the only other two in that category are Dreamworks," says Kane.
"So out of Coburg, across from Barakat Motors, it’s not a bad effort to be up against Dreamworks."