KOTA KINABALU: Qhazanah Sabah Bhd, the state government's strategic investment arm, has inked a deal with renowned animation production company Giggle Garage Sdn Bhd to kickstart an industry bridging programme that will transform the creative industry in Sabah.
The programme aims to develop local talent and create more jobs in the state's creative sector, said Qhazanah Sabah group chief executive officer Ahmad Rizal Dahli.
He said this after the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Qhazanah Sabah and Giggle Garage, which was represented by managing director Juhaidah Joeman.
The signing was witnessed by Qhazanah Sabah deputy director Rudy Jaglul and Giggle Garage executive director Zeno Gabing.
Rizal said the growth of the creative industry had become a crucial driver in stimulating post-pandemic economic recovery in Malaysia and Southeast Asia, amid the rise of the gig economy.
Giggle Garage is a locally based company that has produced animations that have been featured on streaming services such as Netflix, which can reach audiences in more than 100 countries.
"Cam & Leon" is the company's most popular animation, reaching 250 million views on YouTube.
As one of the pioneers in Malaysia's creative industry, Giggle Garage was a suitable partner to work with Qhazanah Sabah to establish the industry bridging programme, Rizal said.
"We are hoping to tap the existing Sabahan talent pool for expansion and upskilling by providing access to the market in the digital creative industry through regional and international collaborations."
Rizal said as Giggle Garage was co-founded by Sabahans, he was confident the collaboration could elevate local creative industry players to international quality.
"We hope to see young digital animation creators in the state become on a par with renowned digital animation companies in the world.
"Qhazanah Sabah believes that by providing them with the right support system, locally made content will captivate a worldwide audience in the near future."
Rizal said Qhazanah Sabah hoped the collaboration with Giggle Garage could attract foreign digital content creators to set up base in Sabah.
"At Qhazanah Sabah, this is what we strive for — to be objective in our role as an enabler of growth and in doing so, align our company with the core values of the slogan 'Sabah Maju Jaya'."
Present at the signing were Qhazanah Sabah chairman Datuk Seri Salleh Said Keruak and executive director Mohd Shukor Abdul Mumin.