Formed in 2011, and based in Cape Town, South Africa, Sea Monster creates engaging, memorable digital content and experiences using animation and games that drive business and social outcomes.
The startup’s creative digital products have solved communication, change management, staff engagement, and learning challenges for some of the largest corporates in South Africa and around the world, with FNB, Capitec, Alexander Forbes, Old Mutual, the South African Reserve Bank, Shell, and Mediclinic International among its clients.
Sea Monster creates digital content and experiences using animation, games, and augmented reality. It aims to build brands, drive learning and communication outcomes, and entertain. Its team is composed of 2D animators, game specialists, and augmented reality developers.
How it Works
2D Animation
At Sea Monster we know how to trap the essence of your business or social messaging into character-driven, 2D animated stories.
Their team has a vast experience in high volumes of quality content, that is crafted to resonate with the intended audience, is visually engaging, and cost-effective at scale.
Sea Monster provides value across the entire 2d animation process, from strategic insight to the concept and character development. They also manage the entire script and storyboard process, and all production is done in-house to international standards.
Games
Games have been used throughout history to make interactions engaging and goal-directed. With the increasing power of digital media and smart devices, organizations are looking at serious games to drive their learning and business outcomes.
Sea Monster understands how to use the power of games to increase engagement, improve learning, and strengthen impact.
Games-for-change guarantees an engaged audience and a deeply-instilled message. They can convey your brand or learning message in a fun and captivating way that is accessible to all ages.
As one of Africa’s leading serious gaming companies, Sea Monster’s experienced game development team can produce a wide range of branded and educational gaming experiences, from mini-games to more complex strategic games.
Their in-house team can handle the entire process, from initial discovery and concept development to creative and visual design, and all the coding and software engineering required. They also manage app store uploads and provide full data analytics and research reporting.
Augmented Reality
Far more than just a fad, AR is a fundamentally improved method of sharing digital information in a way that is contextual, visual, and gamified.
Sea Monster has been developing award-winning and highly-innovative interactive experiences via Augmented Reality since 2011.
They have used AR in various user experiences, from consumer-facing mini-games and e-commerce experiences to corporate change-management solutions, and more recently in Facebook Spark AR effects.
Augmented Reality is a powerful tool that creates opportunities to link digital experiences with activities in the real world. This immersive technology is engaging and memorable in reinforcing your brand.
Virtual Reality
VR has an unrivaled ability to provide users with complete immersion in digital environments. It allows role-playing and engagement on a level that other media cannot match.
VR, in its essence, provides the power to combine immersive storytelling with lifelike interactivity.
Virtual Reality also allows users to interact with a product or brand on a realistic level as has never been possible before.
At Sea Monster VR is the natural next step for their expertise in crafting visually engaging and interactive experiences with animation, games, and Augmented Reality and with their highly experienced team, they can take your brand to the next level of storytelling with VR.
Founders
Glenn Gillis
Glenn Gillis is the Founder, CEO & Managing Director at Sea Monster.
Glenn has a Business Science degree from UCT and has been a senior executive, consultant, and entrepreneur with growing, knowledge-intensive businesses for over 20 years.
He is also the co-founder and chair of Relate, a social trust that has provided R25m worth of employment opportunities and donations.
Wynand Groenewald
Wynand Groenewald is the Co-Founder & Creative Director at Sea Monster.
Wynand Groenewald After studying animation, Munki helped develop 104 episodes of SA’s first 2D animated series, Urbo: The Adventures of Pax Afrika, for SABC.
He co-founded Sea Monster in 2011, which allowed him to combine his experience in animation with his life-long love for games and tech.
Investors & Funding Rounds
Vumela Fund
Sea Monster has secured a $1-million investment from FirstRand’s Vumela Fund.
FirstRand’s Vumela Fund is managed by leading SME Venture Fund Manager Edge Growth. The fund offers financial investment into entrepreneurial companies, non-financial growth support, and access to the market to prospective investors who bring fresh solutions, stimulate job creation, and help create a positive social impact in South Africa.
Through this investment and partnership, Sea Monster will become a recognized global player in interactive experiences and solutions which change the way corporations engage their consumers and employees.
Main Competitors
Niio: Digital Art Distribution Network helps you to experience the world’s finest multi-format digital art from video to VR.
Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad: This is a leading integrated consumer media entertainment group in Malaysia and Southeast Asia.
Goodbye Kansas: It creates award-winning visual effects, digital animation, and motion capture for TV, movies, game trailers, and commercials.
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