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GEOFFREY Sinn, Studio Ace Productions founder, said the forum’s warm and relaxed atmosphere was precisely what Sabah’s creative community needed.

“This really brings a lot of value to the creative community.

“Not only is it a great networking session, but it also helps to connect creative and non-creative people and can actually trigger more interesting topics,” he said.

He added that the informal setting made a real difference to how openly people engaged.

“Creative people are more encouraged to share when it is in a very cosy environment and it can actually trigger more interesting topics,” he said, thanking Daily Express for pulling the evening together.

“I have met some old friends and made some new friends tonight. I hope there will be more coming,” he said.

Geoffrey, who has been in the animation and creative industry for more than 20 years, founded his Sabah-born animation studio in 2018.

Studio Ace Productions handles animation projects outsourced from the United States, Singapore and other countries, while also producing local content for clients including the Environment Protection Department under the Ministry of Tourism.

“Hopefully we will be able to do more local content catered for local and international audiences,” he said.

Additionally, he pointed out the need for an industry directory of creative companies and practitioners in Sabah, saying it is a foundational tool for the sector’s development.

“I believe it is essential to have an industry directory containing information on creative companies and practitioners in Sabah. Like a yellow book for the creative industry,” he said, adding that Daily Express would be a natural portal for such a resource, giving everyone access to local creative businesses across the State.

He said the directory would also serve as a baseline database for the industry, addressing a long-standing gap in measurable data.

“We cannot measure the industry growth and metrics without a baseline data. The directory will serve as the initial database of the industry in Sabah. From there, it is easier to keep track of industry players and more efficient to connect and communicate,” he said.

Geoffrey said the invisibility of creative talent within the community itself was one of the industry’s most pressing challenges.

“There are many creative talents here in Sabah, but not many people know about it. Even those in the creative industry don’t really know each other well,” he said.

He also pointed to the policy dimension of such data, arguing that government intervention required evidence to be meaningful.

“Even if we want the government to make new policies or initiatives to bring positive impact to the industry, they will also need statistics and projections. With the directory, the government can at least measure and make policies based on the database,” he said.

Geoffrey noted that the Institute for Development Studies (IDS) is currently working on a new industry report on the local creative sector and encouraged those interested to engage with the initiative.

On that note, he hopes Daily Express can consider hosting upcoming creative forums, saying the platform is beneficial for sustaining the momentum the evening had generated.