Trevor Tugade - Launching A Career In Animation

A year ago, Trevor Tugade, 27, was spending his days in Manila helping in his family business and freelancing as a web designer. All the while, he was dreaming of ways to break into digital animation.

Today, he is living his dream in Singapore. Tugade is part of the multinational animation team at Southern Star Singapore, the Asian base of an international production studio.

Since establishing an animation studio in Singapore in 2003, the company he works for has grown to become a leading producer of children's programming and factual programming in the Asian region.

Tugade’s credits include The Adventures Of Bottle Top Bill, a popular and award-winning children’s animated series that has aired in Singapore, Australia, the U.K., Canada and several other countries. He finds his dream job as an animator very satisfying.

“I get to do something that I love, which is to tell stories through animation,” he enthuses.

It started with a simple email from his elder brother, a banker, who had just moved to Singapore with his family in July. Knowing that Tugade was keen to break into animation, he suggested that his younger sibling come to Singapore because the government was very active in developing the creative industry.

At first, Tugade had his doubts about moving to Singapore. Being able to get along and to communicate with his colleagues was a big concern. “I knew that Singapore is mainly Chinese. I thought that not being able to speak or understand Chinese would be a huge barrier for me,” he explains. He laughs at the thought of it now, adding, “Every Singaporean I have met can speak English.”

Attracting the top guns in digital media

For Tugade, Singapore is the place to build his career. “I see the Singapore government’s efforts (to promote the digital media industry) as a great opportunity to be a part of a growing industry,” he says.

Recent developments have injected very positive vibes in the digital media and gaming industry. Internationally renowned names in animation and gaming such as Lucasfilm Animation, Koei Entertainment and Electronics Arts have chosen to set up operations in Singapore. Adding to its street cred, Singapore successfully hosted the 2005 World Cyber Games (WCG) grand finals and the 2006 WCG Asian Championship. These triumphs have attracted a wealth of diverse talents to its shores.

Tugade works in an office of 45 people. His colleagues include a New Zealander, an Indonesian, a Londoner and a few Malaysians. Many of his Singaporean colleagues have also lived and worked abroad.

“My contacts have increased and I get to meet people in the industry. I learn a lot from my colleagues, which allows me to improve my technical skills,” he says.

He also enjoys the multicultural aspect and the exposure to different creative ideas.

“Singapore is a good hub for the eastern and western styles to meet,” Tugade says. With the technology and budget it already has, and continued investment in manpower, he is confident that “Singapore has a good chance of being internationally known in this field.”

Singapore’s top draws

Tugade believes that Singapore is a good place for young Asian professionals looking for career growth.

“I think it would be the efficiency, the structure of the system, that would be the most attractive. I believe if you put any person who wants to succeed in a good system, they will succeed,” he says.

Besides efficiency, Singapore’s safety and cleanliness are also top draws.

“The system is very well set up and there is a good infrastructure. The small hassles of life – like just being able to get to work, finding public transport, is out of the equation. You can truly do what you want.”

For Tugade, the best part of living in Singapore is the balance he finds between work and personal life. After work, he practices kickboxing regularly at one of the many gyms across Singapore. His social life is a busy whirl of pool or poker sessions, discovering Singapore with fellow colleagues and meeting up with friends from the large Filipino expatriate community.

Of course, there are days when he misses his family, his friends and his favorite Filipino dish, Tapsilog. If he needs a quick fix, he heads over to Lucky Plaza, a large mall on Orchard Road, Singapore’s main shopping strip, where there are Filipino restaurants and shops.

Personal Growth

Tugade says moving away from home has made him stronger, wiser and more focused.

“Back home, in your comfort zone, you take things for granted,” he explains, “Right here, there is a lot of alone time, and you get to think about where you are in life, your successes and your shortcomings.”

The time for reflection has driven him to set clear goals for his career over the next two to five years. “You can be focused, with nothing else to distract you from your goals.”

Some of his friends think he is crazy to have given up his comfortable life in Manila to start a new career in Singapore, but Tugade is very happy with the choice he has made

“I just want to do something that I love,” he says emphatically. “Do what you want to do and everything will fall into place.”