Outpost Productions caters to a wide audience of Geek Pop Culture in Malaysia recognising that geeky fans are often passionate on not just one but multiple fandoms. In our ideal world, Star Wars fans and Trekkies peacefully co-exist. Same with comic book geeks who love both Marvel and DC. We publish geeky content here and support local pop culture events with fan engagements and coverage. MTFBWY and Live Long & Prosper!
OUTPOST Productions wishes our valued clients, friends, and fans:
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
As we commence 2018, we like a reflect briefly on our journey in 2017 and how these experiences would shape the new year.
Speaking Geek
In November 2017, Outpost organised our first conference titled "The Growing Influence of Geek Pop Culture and How to Profit from It" as part of the Comic Play festival in Publika Shopping Gallery. Geeks from various fan communities spoke first sharing what they wanted for the local geek pop culture scene, then followed by industry panelists speaking on the opportunities available via partnerships with movies, fan engagements at the cinema, and growing hobby interests.
Industry panelists from United International Pictures, TGV Cinemas and ShiokToys.com.
Geek panelists from Star Wars Malaysia Fan Club, POP Culture Fun and Comic Fiesta.
Our Outpost Commander also facilitated fan panel discussions for Ghost in the Shell collaborating once again with Comic Fiesta, and sharing of Star Wars fandom at The Force is 40 fan event in Sunway Pyramid.
Panelists from BFM, Comic Fiesta and The Hyped Geek discuss Ghost in the Shell.
Star Wars 40th Anniversary fan panel at The Force is 40 event in Sunway Pyramid.
Outpost table at The Force is 40 with charity raffle raising RM422 for the Spastic Children's Association of Selangor & Federal Territory (SCASFT)
Our resident Vulcan Mr. Smock (right) talking about Star Trek at KL Sci-Fi Convention 2017.
Thanks to the nice folks at the movie distributors and cinemas, local cosplayers had occasion to show off their love of geeky fandoms at Movie Premieres for a number of superhero franchises.
Try counting all these Spideys at a special Fan Screening for Spider-man Homecoming hosted at mmCineplex e@Curve.
Star-Lords and friends assembled for Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 at MBO Starling.
The Mighty Thor with half-brother & sister Loki plus Dr. Banner with Mr. Dr. Strange at the Premiere of Thor Ragnarok at GSC Mid Valley Megamall.
This year we will be looking unite the largest gathering of Marvel superhero cosplayers in conjunction with release of Avengers Infinity War in late-April.
Gru together with his Minions delighting the young and young at heart for Despicable Me 3.
The Smurfs returned for their third movie outing.
Gene and Poop from one of the stranger animation flicks, The Emoji Movie.
Experiencing a Slice of the Movies
Last year Outpost were also involved with a number of promotional activities for blockbuster movies. We kicked off an early summer hit with racing simulation tournament for Fast & Furious 8 at TGV Cinemas. Then we shot a thematic video for sci-fi horror flick, Alien Covenant.
Finalists for the Furious Showdown racing simulation tournament by TGV Cinemas.
Warning! Alien xenomorphs are infesting your cinemas! #FacehuggerAttack.
Closing the year at Comic Fiesta, we setup a thematic "jungle" photo booth for Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, and had convention attendees try to Outrun the Maze in challenges inspired from Maze Runner: The Death Cure (in cinemas 25 January 2018).
Bringing a bit of Jumanji's jungle for Comic Fiesta attendees to photo shoot.
Recruiting Gladers to outrun the maze via game App and X-trainer running machine.
Beaming In Mr. Smock, Vulcan Cultural Officer
In the latter half of 2017, Mr. Smock of Vulcan beamed in to observe geeky human pop culture and has since conducted a number of YouTube video reviews about movies and geek collectibles.
Outpost resident Vulcan Mr. Smock talks about geek pop culture with human guests.
Thank you for being part of the journey with us at Outpost Productions. This year we will continue our mission to terraform the Geek Pop Culture landscape in Malaysia through thematic engagements with local fandoms. For corporate clientele, Outpost Productions offers Geek Consulting supported by on-ground events implementation.
In the not so distance past, geeks were marginalised rejects of society for their interests in underground subcultures, aptitude in emerging technologies, or apparent social awkwardness. Now well into the 21st century, former subcultures like comic books and science fiction have since become mainstream pop culture whilst using the latest smart technologies at our literal fingertips is now seen to be cool. Geeks are no longer labels to be ashamed of and many are indeed pinnacles of modern society behind some of today's iconic brands. Many people now outwardly profess themselves a Geek in celebration of their specialised interests or like-minded fandoms with fellow Geeks.
It's cool to be Geek!
Marvel's Avengers. Star Wars. Star Trek. Game of Thrones. Beginning as geeky subcultures, within a generation these franchises have since been elevated to mainstream pop culture with millions of fans worldwide. Therefore the industry of modern Geek Pop Culture is now worth billions and continues to grow.
Comic Fiesta, Malaysia's largest fan convention, is attended by upto 50,000 geeks & otakus annually.
In this conference, hear from the Geeks themselves what motivates their fandoms and what they want to spend their hard earned cash on. Then listen to industry panelists sharing ideas on how local businesses may leverage on their franchises to potentially profit from the fans of Geek Pop Culture. Corporate management & executives, SME owners, event organisers and entrepreneurs are invited to attend.
VENUE
Black Box theatre, MAPKL @ Publika
Shopping Gallery
Level G2-01, Block A5, Solaris Dutamas,
No 1, Jalan Dutamas 1,
50480 Kuala Lumpur
MALAYSIA
DATE
Tuesday 14 November 2017
AGENDA
1.45pm Doors open to Black Box & Registration
2.15pm Welcome & opening remarks
2.30pm PANEL: What Geeks Want
3.30pm Coffee break
4.00pm PANEL: Leveraging from Geek Franchises
5.00pm Questions & Answers session
5.30pm End conference
7.30pm Geek Night Out Movie Screening: Man of Steel* (see below)
Outpost Commander Richard Chua (right) speaks to Jeff Sandhu of BFM Enterprise about Geek Pop Culture
This conference and movie screening are organised by Outpost Productions as part of Publika'sComic Play, a week-long carnival from 14-19 November 2017 of hobby-centric activities by local special-interest communities. This shared platform brings together artists, performers, art galleries, and NGOs to update on the latest trends, exchange ideas, connect with each other. Comic Play will be staged at four locations within Publika: Boulevard (red & blue zones), The Square, Black Box and White Box. Each location will have its own designated activities that include Art Exhibitions, Mini Collectors Library, Movie Screening, Panel Talks, Bazaar, Stage performances, Retro Gaming Experience, Artists Alley, Cosplay Costume Contest, and Tabletop Games. Get the updates on these activities direct from the official Comic Play Facebook Event.
What Geeks Want
Now that geeks no
longer feel the need to figuratively "hide in the closet",
many geeks are indeed proud to express their fandoms as well as share
their enthusiasm with the public. Whilst geeky merchandise often
satisfies the immediate want to own a piece of their fandom,
geeking-out also involves sharing such passions with fellow fans at
events such as conventions like Comic Fiesta, Comiket and San Diego
Comic-Con. Hear from these representatives of local fan communities
on what motivates their love of geek pop culture and how they seek to
engage with their fandoms.
Panelists:
Sanjiv Indran, Star Wars Malaysia Fan Club (SWMFC)
An avid traveler, naturalist and Star Wars Geek, Sanjiv Indran channels his passion for Science Fiction into engineering simple, sustainable solutions at Engineers without Borders Malaysia, to help empower Humanity one underprivileged community at a time. Sanjiv holds position of Honarary Secretary for Star Wars Malaysia Fan Club (SWMFC), a nonprofit organization registered with the Malaysian Registrar of Societies run by fans for fellow fans.
Allen Yap, Pop Culture Fun - Malaysia
Growing up in the 80s, Allen Yap was drawn to geeky pop culture through video games and comic books, closely following Transformers, G.I.Joe, The Punisher, Ghost Rider and Captain America from Marvel Comics. These fueled his interest in toy collecting which remains till this day. He started cosplaying in 2006 and founded the Heroes (TV series) Fan Community Malaysia with support from Star World. This series together with launch of the Marvel Cinematic Universe marked the rebirth of the Superhero narrative in mainstream entertainment media and reignited Allen's inner geek. He blogs & vlogs about toys, comic books, and video games on his Facebook channel Pop Culture Fun - Malaysia.
Hew Shin Chien, Comic Fiesta
Comic Fiesta has been the heart of Malaysia's Animation, Comics and Games (ACG) community since 2002, most well-known for its trademark event every December in Klang Valley. Beyond being a convention for fans of the ACG culture, Comic Fiesta through its various activities spearheads the development of various creative-based areas, such as creative entrepreneurship, illustration, comic industry and cosplay in Malaysia. The most recent Comic Fiesta in 2016 gathered over 45,000+ youths and ACG enthusiasts together in one of the most happening festivals in Malaysia.
Panel moderator: Umapagan Ampikaipakan, BFM89.9
Listeners of BFM89.9 would be well acquianted with Umapagan Ampikaipakan. Uma (as he is fondly known) is a journalist and cultural commentator. From newsprint to the world wide web as well as radio & television, he contemplates everything from the idiosyncrasies of Malaysian politics to his unnatural obsession with the written word. His long running radio show, Bookmark on BFM89.9, is Malaysia's pre-eminent broadcast on all things book related. He is also a film critic with At the Movies and the co-host of BFM89.9's drive time radio show, The Evening Edition.
Leveraging from Geek Franchises
The boom in Geek Pop Culture over the last decade has offered numerous opportunities for corporates and entrepreneurs to cash-in on the billions of dollars spent by geeks on their fandoms. These include many local businesses that have leveraged off popular geek franchises like Transformers, Star Trek, Marvel's Avengers, etc. Representatives from the film entertainment industry will share ideas on creating new business opportunities associated to geek pop culture in Malaysia.
Panelists:
Kara Lee, United International Pictures
For over 15 years, Kara Lee has been responsible for marketing film products from Paramount Pictures and Universal Pictures. Mega-blockbusters under her helm include Malaysia's highest grossing titles from the Transformers and Fast & Furious franchises. She is directly involved in identifying, pitching and managing third-party brand and media partnerships, in addition to managing promotions and publicity for films released under both Studios.
Kara is Marketing Director at United International Pictures, Malaysia.
James Andrew Chong, TGV Cinemas
James Andrew Chong has been a fanboy for all things pop-culture, cult, sci-fi & everything “nerdy” for as long as he can remember. Citing Star Trek & sci-fi as his source of inspiration, he is basically a fan of everything “imaginative” from growing up with music, movies, comics and classic 80's TV shows. He has been in the cinema industry for the past 13 years working with both GSC & TGV and still never gets bored of sitting in the cinema auditorium watching & re-watching movies again & again on the BIG screen.
James holds position of Manager - Content Strategy at TGV Cinemas.
Kelvin Loke, ShiokToys Collectibles
A fanboy at heart, Kelvin Loke's indulges in his geek passion as an avid collector of premium pop culture collectibles. His hobby evolved into business when he took over the reins of Shioktoys Collectibles 7 years ago. Since then Shioktoys Collectibles has grown to be a leading distributior and retailer for premium pop culture memorabilia such as licensed statues and busts from renown brands like Sideshow Collectibles, Hot Toys, and XM Studio. Kelvin's business philosophy of "by collectors, for collectors" means clearly understanding what geeks want and how to cater to those needs in his niche market.
Panel moderator: Richard Chua, Outpost Productions
For the last 30 years, Richard Chua has been a sci-fi geek with interests in Star Trek, Star Wars, Battlestar Galactica, etc. He also enjoys delving into superhero and fantasy genres from Marvel and Lord of the Rings respectively. His passion into geek pop culture is often reflected in his compulsion to collect memorabilia and interest in cosplay. Since 2015, he has been an avid explorer of major pop culture conventions like San Diego Comic-Con to meet his sci-fi idols. Richard's day-job involves geek consulting, entertainment marketing and event services.
REGISTRATION
Ticketed event by online registration only via our listing on Eventbrite:
Admission Fee, RM50 per pax
Who should attend?
Corporate management & executives, SME key decision-makers, event organisers & agencies, entrepreneurs, business media. (Qualified Attendees)
OUTPOST GIVEAWAY
For Qualified Attendees, we giving out five (5) pairs of General Admission tickets worth RM100/- via our Facebook Page contest. Follow these few steps to participate:
1. Like this announcement post and our Facebook Page Outpost Productions.
2. Share this post and write " I want to make more $$$ from Geek Pop Culture. Join me to learn how! #GeekConferenceMY #OutpostGiveaway "
3. On the event listing choose either Going or Interested to stay informed on updates.
Contest closes Friday, 10 November 2017, 11.59pm. Winners will notified by our Facebook Page with further instructions for registration; credentials may be requested as qualified attendees.
Terms and Conditions for Registration:
Admission to event is subject to completed registration and payment as registered attendees. Walk-in admission is subject to availability of seating.
No refund will be given for no-show by registered attendees. However, registered attendees who are unable to attend may nominate a substitute by contacting organiser at crew@outpost.com.my before 12 November 2017.
The organiser will take every reasonable effort to deliver the event agenda. However to to circumstances that may be beyond reasonable control, the organiser reserves the right to revise event agenda and/or panelists without penalty or refund to registered attendees.
In the unlikely event of cancellation on the scheduled date by unforeseen circumstances, registered attendees will be first offerred the option to attend rescheduled event, or receive refund of admission fee.
* Note: Geek Night Out Movie Screening for Man of Steel is FREE for all convention attendees and public but a separately ticketed event. Register in advance via Eventbrite as seating priority will be given to registered attendees.
Outpost Productions caters to a wide audience of Geek Pop Culture in Malaysia recognising that geeky fans are often passionate on not just one but multiple fandoms. In our ideal world, Star Wars fans and Trekkies peacefully co-exist. Same with comic book geeks who love both Marvel and DC. Our social media channels publish and share geeky content plus support local pop culture events with fan engagements and coverage.
For corporate clientele, Outpost Productions offers Geek Consulting supported by on-ground events implementation. For over a decade we have provided solutions for thematic marketing and promotions aimed at retail customers. Our clients include leading brands in film distribution, cinemas, toys and entertainment services.
May The Force Be With You and Live Long & Prosper!
The moment I stepped into the Sunway Pyramid Convention Center, I did not know what I was going to expect at Animangaki 2016, an established Anime, Comics and Games (ACG) convention in Malaysia. I have never been to this type of conventions before. Even more so, I was recommended to cosplay as a character to find out how it is like from a cosplayers perspective. So if you saw me during the convention try and guess who am I going as. Heres a hint; it’s from a Korean manhwa.
During the first day, trying to obtain a ticket early in the morning was a test of patience. The queue stretched out as far as the eye can see and it took me at least an hour to get the tickets in. Lucky for me, I played a little game of Guess the Cosplay with all the visitors passing by and time passed by in a blink of an eye.
Entering the main hall, all I could see was a sea of people and islands of booths scattered about. There was over a 100 booths and each selling something unique. These sellers are referred to as doujin; self-published works of fans alike. Hence you can search for a bus load of handmade and fan made things.
My ears picked up a melodious tune and a whole lot of people cheering so I decided to check out what’s with the hullabaloo towards the end of the hall. It seems that throughout the day there are stage performances. Some of the more notable performers are Harmonia ACG,The Crestfall and TAMusic.
The ladies of Harmonia
There are also anime screenings for the anime enthusiasts. Great titles such as Ace Attorney, Bungou Stray Dogs and Kivnaiver were shown throughout the afternoon with limited seats of course. The first two episodes were only shown to the viewers as it would be impossible to plow through all episodes in one sitting. It for the viewers to dip their toes in the water to test it and if they enjoyed it, they can watch it in their leisure once they return.
The Collector’s Dungeon was also an interesting place to be in. The hobbies and collectibles community is a group of like-minded individuals who enjoy building things. If you enjoy figurines, then this is the place for you. Scattered about are Japanese figurines from anime and manga’s and also Western figurines.
There is something for the gamers too. Numerous console tournaments with titles like Ultimate Marvel VS Capcom 3, Street Fighter 5, Guilty Gear X Revelator and iNaruto Shippuden Ultimate Ninja Storm 4. A fee will be charged to enter the tournament and there are goodies up for grabs if you win. The Touhou franchise comes back stronger than before with a multitude of Touhou game tournaments from fighting to the bullet hell shooter games. Not forgetting the board game community, there were numerous tables laid out for people to come and play collectible card games too. Hearthstone a digital collectible card game also had a booth where you could challenge other hearthstoners to a game.
Speaking to Cheng Yuen Yong a first time cosplayer and an avid lover of the Japanese culture, I got an insight to why people dress up as the characters they liked. Well…in his case, it was due to the fact that his girlfriend wanted to do a couple cosplay together with him. I also talked with one of the exhibitors, Don Harris from Revotech and Vulcanlog; one of the guys showcasing their awesome figurines at the Hobbies and Collectibles Community area. Don has been working closely with AniManGaki for many years from its early beginnings in Sunway University to bring forth the Hobbies and Collectibles Community. The Hobbies and Collectibles Community has grown leaps and bounds from a group of 5 people till today with over 15 communities and over 100 people in them.
All in all, it was a pretty eventful weekend. I made new friends and rekindled old friendships. Animangaki is definitely must see for any fan who enjoys being with like-minded individuals who enjoy anime or manga. I would definitely go there the following year so I guess I’ll see you guys there! Till next time.
