Sustainable Change through Animation

Dec 24

2018 ACCJ Volunteer of the Year eyes education through entertainment

By C Bryan Jones

ACCJ 2018 Volunteer of the Year Royi Akavia is well known in the chamber and local community for his unwavering support of Food Bank Kansai. Helping children is one of the most important missions for the renowned visual artist whose work has been displayed around the world, including in the permanent collection of the Guggenheim Museum in New York. It was in that city that his own struggles, as he started his career on the SoHo art scene in the East Village during the early 1980s, helped him understand what it is like to go without and the importance of giving to those in need.

It was in that city that his own struggles, as he started his career on the SoHo art scene in the East Village during the early 1980s, helped him understand what it is like to go without and the importance of giving to those in need.

Digital Difference

Beyond his work on canvas, Akavia has spent the past 20 years working in animation, which he says is “magic for a painter like me.”

But it’s not just for fun. Through his business Double Bounce Productions, Inc., (DBP)—a diamond prize sponsor of this year’s ACCJ Charity Ball—he is putting those skills to work to educate children on sustainability and diversity issues to build a better future for the world.

One of the most noticeable aspects of digitalization has been the shift from traditional broadcast and cable television to on-demand streaming video. Services such as Netflix and Amazon Prime have seen a surge in consumption during the pandemic. But even before the coronavirus boosted demand and created production delays, these companies were experiencing a shortage of high-quality animated content.

According to The Los Angeles Times, Netflix’s budget for the development of animated content was estimated to be $1.1 billion in 2018—11 percent of its total budget for original content—and is predicted to reach $5 billion in 2022. Analysts believe that Amazon could spend as much as $1.86 billion on animation next year.

This presents a great opportunity to create content that is both engaging and educational.

Heroes of Change

Today’s entertainment landscape is awash with superheroes, as adaptations of comic book characters regularly top the box office and streaming. Akavia sees this as foundation for telling stories that make a difference and bring about change in the long term, using original characters to which children can relate.

His desire to take DBP in this socially conscious direction comes from years of contributing to organizations, such as the ACCJ and the United Nations Development Programme, which is tasked with helping countries eliminate poverty and achieve sustainable economic growth and human development.

To do this, he has assembled what he calls “a world-class dream team” which includes animator Emiliano Topete, concept artist Ricardo Caria, artist Clifford Land, and Wendee Lee, one of the most accomplished voice actresses in the animation industry. Also joining the team is Hayato Ogawa, an associate professor of engineering at the International College of Technology in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, who coordinates students and staff to undertake projects designed to help rural communities adopt sustainable and efficient lifestyles.

Co-founder Topete’s career has taken him to several studios and TV network since 2005. He served as animation director on the award-winning Televisa series Imaginantes and, in 2013, founded Polygoon Studio in Mexico. Has been a professor of animation at the esteemed SAE Institute and Escena animation and digital arts school since 2016.

Caria studied illustration at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco and served as art director for the Anamon Studios short Let’s Eat, the first animation project ever developed in a cloud-based environment.

Land crafts realistic paintings by mastering light and shadow. One of his most famous works is the mural painted for New York City-based fashion house DKNY. The work became a landmark on Houston Street, where it stood for 17 years.

Akavia told The ACCJ Journal that DBP will provide new kinds of heroes and tell cutting-edge stories that he hopes will inspire and motivate viewers.

“We’re not trying to create a superhero,” he said. “Marvel is doing just fine with that. We’re trying to create a superhuman, one powered by the strength of kindness, patience, intelligence, and creativity.”