Entertainment production studio Globe Studios now known as ANIMA
By Patricia Mirasol
Globe Studios, an entertainment production studio backed by the Globe Group of Companies, announced its new name in Jan. 5. ANIMA is now a brand of its own, and the new name signifies the changes the production studio will offer, said head of ANIMA Quark B. Henares in a press statement.
“We wanted something that feels more apt to the industry and medium we deeply care for,” he said. “It was so hard for us to let go of the name Globe Studios because we’ve done and achieved so much in our five years of existence, but I believe we can only go onward and upward with ANIMA.”
The telecommunications company has always given ANIMA creative leeway, even back when it was Globe Studios, Mr. Henares told BusinessWorld in a Facebook message.
“Who would have thought a major telco would greenlight a four-hour black and white musical by Lav Diaz?” he asked, referring to the film Ang Panahon ng Halimaw (The Season of the Devil). “Or an experimental horror like Midnight in a Perfect World?”
ANIMA’s current projects include Ang Pagbabalik ng Kuwago, the first Filipino feature film to premiere at the independent Sundance Film Festival in over 15 years, and Simula Sa Gitna, a Hintayan ng Langit spinoff series. It is also strengthening collaborations with sports media property One Championship, as well as entertainment programming channels WeTV, Netflix, and HBO Go.
The production studio works in long- and short-form formats, and in different genres. It has the podcasts Nandito Sila and Come Home (which both narrate supernatural and clairvoyant encounters), even as it also creates brand content, live-streaming executions, and music videos. It did Globe Telecom’s #SafeAtHome commercial, Kiana P. Valenciano’s Pasko na Sinta ko music video, and the homeschool vlog series featuring Globe ambassadors like Judy Ann S. Agoncillo.
“[Our] audience is composed of mainly millennials and Gen Zers who want to see something different in the entertainment they’re consuming,” Mr. Henares said. “The themes vary through everything from adulting to relationships to gender issues to politics. They constantly challenge us and we kind of love it.”
Like everything else, navigating the pandemic also posed a challenge to the entertainment sector.
Mr. Henares told BusinessWorld that the Metro Manila Film Festival taught them people are afraid of going back to the theaters anytime soon.
“We’ve really been taking a step back to see how our audiences consume content, and shaping our stories to better fit that paradigm,” he said.
Mr. Henares added it’s the stories – and how they are delivered – that matter.
“We’re doubling down on that with ANIMA, so you can expect more stuff on YouTube, on Spotify, on TikTok,” he said. “Wherever!”
Among ANIMA’s past projects are the films Fangirl and Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral, and the series Gaya sa Pelikula and OTJ: The Missing 8.
