Singapore Media Festival 2019 will take Comic Con under its wing

7-8 December 2019. Mark it down.

Why?

Because that’s when this year’s Singapore Media Festival (SMF) will be happening. But if that isn’t enough reason, Singapore Comic Con will be joining in the festival as well!

Alongside the Asian Academy Creative Awards (AAA), Asia TV Forum and Market (ATF), ScreenSingapore, Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) and SMF Ignite, Singapore Comic Con will be taking part as a constituent event under the SMF umbrella. As the island’s biggest celebration of pop culture, SMF has grown from strength to strength since it began in 2014. As such, we feel the move to bring Comic Con under its wing is a smart one.

Simply put, it’s like introducing two sides of the same coin to each other. By putting geek and pop culture on the SMF stage, it opens up lots more opportunities for people to interact. Mr Rob Gilby, Chairman of the SMF Advisory Board, further emphasised the importance of pop culture and encouraging interaction.

He said “Pop culture is such a key component of the media sector, inspiring stories across formats and genres and capturing the pulse of the Asian fan. We’re constantly looking to expand the reach of the festival, and are excited to welcome Singapore Comic Con on board this year. This addition elevates Singapore Media Festival as a platform to discover new creative talents and expand our content experiences for both industry and consumers, especially when the global focus on Asia’s talent and content has been remarkable.”

What do we have to look forward to?

This year’s SMF will take place at the Marina Bay Sands Expo, packing almost 15,000 square metres worth of pop culture. Meet up with cosplayers, attend guest panels and snag merch, whatever floats your boat. According to organisers, the projected attendance totals around 55,000 people, making it the ideal place to butt heads with like-minded individuals.

Alongside regular Comic Con stuff, SMF2019 will also host local and regional Esports tournaments. The exact list hasn’t been revealed, but we can probably expect popular titles like PUBG, Dota 2, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Hearthstone.

On the professional end, the festival will also showcase a new Route to Market programme for content creators. The programme’s main purpose is to provide aspiring creatives with an appropriate platform to showcase their work, regardless of genre. On top of that, it will also act as a bridge between content creators and corporate entities. This will help to facilitate production deals and merchandising opportunities. Admittedly, the exact details are still being ironed out, but it’s a huge leap forward for content creators nonetheless.

Speaking on behalf of Reed Exhibitions, Managing Director for Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia Michelle Lim said “With the evolution to Singapore Comic Con and move to be part of Singapore Media Festival, we will continue to bring the best pop culture experiences loved by fans while expanding our content to induct new fans from the region into geekdom. From the best of toys, collectibles, comics, cosplay to new segments of Asian cinema and content, Singapore Comic Con welcomes the best of Western and Asian pop culture content.”

In any case, there goes my budget plan for December.