South African animation powerhouse, Triggerfish Animation Studios, was named the Western Cape Business of the Year at the Premier’s Entrepreneurship Recognition Awards (PERA). It also won the Business With Global Reach award.
Criteria for the awards included turnover and job creation. The Cape Town-based company has generated over R1-billion at the box offices, and employs around 85 people.
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“Triggerfish is a world-class enterprise, making a major impact on economic growth in our province. They develop films which are translated into over 27 languages and licensed in over 150 countries,” said Western Cape premier Helen Zille.
Most notably, Triggerfish is behind feature films like Adventures in Zambezia and Khumba.
In a grand search for storytellers on the African continent, Triggerfish earlier this year launched the inaugural Story Lab in partnership with The Walt Disney Company and The Department of Trade and Industry. It’s seen a whopping 1 378 entries from 30 countries.
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The animation company has also won the Partners Innovator of the Year Award in 2012, was finalists in the export category at the SA Premier Business Awards, and placed third at the PricewaterhouseCooper (PwC) Vision-To-Reality Awards last year.
Triggerfish CEO Stuart Forrest (pictured above) said in a press release that awards like these are important in highlighting the impact that the film industry can have in the local economy:
You can make a strong case that film has cultural benefits — like the role it plays in social cohesion. But we’re proof that there is also an economic case to be made, that South African films and TV series can travel globally and deliver a significant return on investment.
The 13 PERA winners shared R1.8-million in prize money, with Triggerfish also receiving an overseas trip as the overall winner. Last year, Okuhle Media walked away as the most established business in the Western Cape.
