THIS WEEK ON CREATORS VOICE
SPORES NETWORK
Hey guys!
Look who we have here on this week’s CREATORS VOICE
The one and only Trevor Lai, the creative mind behind Tencent-backed animation brand super BOOMi. 🥳🥳🥳
WHAT IS SUPER BOOMI?
Super BOOMi is an action-adventure series set in a fantastic virtual reality game universe that has become Asia’s most popular award-winning animated show with fundamental themes of coding, technology, and friendship.
WHO IS TREVOR LAI?
Trevor Lai is a multi-award-winning author, illustrator, and entrepreneur who has written and illustrated over 15 books for children and adults. He’s also the founder and CEO of UP Studios, a company dedicated to generating, developing, and manufacturing entertainment and goods for children and families based on original properties.
He was born and raised in Vancouver by parents of Hangzhou, Hong Kong and Taiwanese descent. He spent the first decade of his career with a branding and design company, a role that led him to Shanghai in 2006 and exposed him to China’s exploding commercial and entertainment markets. New businesses were emerging at a furious rate, bringing unprecedented opportunities for creators of character IP that could be licensed to brands and products.
WHAT YOU DIDN’T KNOW ABOUT TREVOR LAI
In 2010, at the height of the vinyl toy craze, Lai decided to test the market with a limited edition figurine of his new character BOOMi, positioned as a fashion accessory. Though there were already innumerable 2D icons adorning packaging, products and shop fronts across China, he saw a gap for characters with a cute Asian aesthetic, but fleshed out with a backstory.
With our author in residence, Trevor Lai, an author, illustrator, and entrepreneur who has written more than 25 books for readers of all ages, we are seizing the chance to encourage storytelling via art. He is also the founder and CEO/creative director of UP Studios, which was voted one of the Top 25 Animation Companies in the World by Animation magazine. He’s also created over 80 hotels featuring his most popular cartoon character, Super BOOMi, as well as dozens of statues that stand up to ten meters tall for expositions all around China. Mr. Lai’s debut book, Ralphy the Rhino, was published when he was 17 years old, and his characters Piggy, Tomo, and others have since taken the world by storm.
Mr. Lai delivers visual stories about adventure, friendship, perseverance, problem solving, innovation, and encouragement through his characters. He’s been taking our Preschool, Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, and Grade 1 children on adventures with all of his characters this week, with a focus on the animation process! He helped our students grasp the process of turning an idea into anything 2 or 3 dimensional by educating them about the power of creativity through storyboarding, 3D modeling, and animation.
IN CONCLUSION,
Trevor is living his dream of “inspiring multiple generations of families in China and around the world” as the CEO/Founder of UP Studios.
From 5 billion views, international fame, and a real toy line, to a collaboration and ambassadorship with the Intercontinental Hotel Group and the China National Hockey League, there’s a lot to be excited about.
Students have been encouraged to create and tell visual stories through Mr. Lai’s workshops, peer investigations, hands-on storytelling in creative labs, and “Meet Concordia’s Artists,” among other activities.
Books written by Trevor Lai include:
- Piggy
• Tomo explores the world
• Tomo takes flight
• Let’s be friends
• Tomo: Adventures in Counting
• Meet Tomo’s Animal Friends
• Ralphy in space
• Ralphy the Rhino
• Monkeys love to eat
There many other amazing books by Trevor Lai.
This holiday season, the Super BOOMii collection will be accessible on the spores network.