Ho Lee Chong shares Fatcheez Malaysia's L&M plans

Tell us about Fatcheez’ latest focus on animation intellectual properties?
As a licensing house with its’ owned IP’s and exclusively representing 3rd party IP from overseas, Fatcheez business focus since its’ inception in Feb 2005 is always to add value over on top of the IP itself. We always believe by providing a wholesome platform covering both animation, merchandise, ground event, strategic co-brand partnership with consumer product’s key player and online media, the life-spent of the IP will last long in the consumer’s mind.

For the past 2 years and forthcoming years, Fatcheez will focus onto IP with universal values, where it covers the areas of love, compassion, tolerance, good spirit and most of all, peace. We strongly believe there are already way too many IP’s that carry extreme characteristics and indirectly create a lot of social ill, which we as adult may not even be aware of. So the intention is to even off the imbalance.

Could you tell us about the properties that you are taking care of? From which regions?
Fatcheez has no specific territory when it is on its’ acquiring mode. We believe creative design should not confine to certain location, but the environment does help to support the creator get a great deal.

We have characters originated from France, namely Pisi The Cat, characters from Thailand but making its’ route to South East Asia, characters from United States and being marketed in Asia Pacific as its’ first wave, and characters from Latin America. Of course, not denying the fact we have our own characters, which originated from Malaysia to be marketed worldwide, together with Mdec’s support and guidance.

You are expanding to Australia?
Expansion to Australia and its’ idea was mooted some time ago. Fatcheez Australia will be Asia’s regional hub, where as Australia government has been very supportive in protecting intellectual properties. Moreover effort from local TV station, ABC (Australia Broadcasting Channel) and our character’s genre is also pretty matching. Fatcheez Australia will take the lead to cultivate true IP appreciation and characters creation and acquisition; while Fatcheez Malaysia will undertake the territory’s sales, marketing and media distribution works.

What is the right time for a company to take its property to the L&M platform?
Business revenue derived from licensing royalty collection from US and EU infact exceeds USD 3 Billon, while Asia carries licensing revenue of USD 2.5 Billion. From the evolution of Internet and 3G/4G mobile network, the demand of contents with values transcended across multiple platforms will stand. This is also why Fatcheez’s characters will be cross expanded and promoted via conventional merchandise (i.e. apparel, publications, toys, gifts and novelties etc), online media (i.e. social media sites Facebook,Twitter, Digg) and online video sharing site (i.e. Egg Up,You Tube, Vimeo and Metacafe).

Companies or enterprises currently producing its’ own animation and who see the potential of riding onto licensing & merchandising as another channel of revenue stream are welcome to talk to us, as we will provide our fair comments, local and regional market insights covering branding, marketing, IP, legal and local country’s insight (mainly in Asia) over their IP together.

What is the team size of Fatcheez?
Fatcheez has a team of 8 people, covering the business units of Licensing & Merchandising, IP Acquisitions, Royalty Calculation, Strategic Branding and Marketing and most importantly, Finance & Legal division. Currently we are in the midst to have our JV’s production arm in Thailand and India.

What are your future plans?
Fatcheez has no plan, we don’t preset a plan. We would allow our mind to run wild, together with the IP owners. Our core team members operate on our instinct as we believe in adding true values to the IP. After all, in creative industry, one just can’t think too straight; learn to think really flat and almost everything which seems to be impossible will turn possible!
Any interested party, company or individual who felt Fatcheez can be of help, feel free to drop us a mail at [email protected] or [email protected]