China Herald: China in Hollywood: more than money

Jeffrey Towson

It is not only money from China, flooding to Hollywood that makes an impact. Thousands of creative Chinese are getting chances in the international movie world that would have been unthinkable only a few years ago, explains Peking business professor Jeffrey Towson in the Nikkei Asian Review.

Jeffrey Towson:

We are witnessing the rise of a huge new creative class in China: literally millions of artists, designers, animators and other creative professionals. This is increasingly disrupting the world's entertainment market, something that can best be seen at Oriental DreamWorks in Shanghai.

Alongside DreamWorks Animation, Oriental DreamWorks co-produced "Kung Fu Panda 3," which set a new record early this year as the top-grossing animated movie in China. It's a good indication of what is to come: world-class animated movies made mostly by Chinese talent and with Chinese characteristics.

A joint venture between U.S. studio DreamWorks, state-owned Shanghai Media Group and investment group China Media Capital, Oriental DreamWorks was put together by company chiefs Jeffrey Katzenberg and Li Ruigang. Today, it has a creative team of about 150 artists and animators in Shanghai. Some 90% of the artists are native Chinese, most trained in local art and design schools. The staff overseeing project development are roughly an equal mix of native Chinese and Chinese-Americans with Hollywood experience.