Fatkat: a big draw in a small town

Gene Fowler wins BDC's Young Entrepreneur Award
for New Brunswick

(Miramichi, New Brunswick – October 16, 2007) – From commercials to animated television series, Gene Fowler's Fatkat, is making a big impact both internationally and at home. For his success, Gene, 31, has earned BDC's Young Entrepreneur Award for New Brunswick and will be honoured tonight at a ceremony in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Atlantic Canada's largest animation studio, Fatkat has a staff of 115 and provides animation services to the television industry as a sub-contractor, prime contractor, distributor and original author. The company is currently working on series that include Super Normal, for World Leaders Entertainment in New York City, Skunk Fu, in cooperation with Cartoon Saloon in Ireland, and Supa Strikas for Strika Entertainment in South Africa. "Our flagship co-production, Happy Tree Friends, really put us on the map," says Gene. "It has a massive following on the Internet."

Gene, who has been referred to as "The Komeback Kid", started his first business out of Halifax in 1999. It was quickly taken over by its major client, San Diego-based Trainingscape. After creating over 40 animated training films for companies like Nike and Hasbro, Trainingscape pulled the plug. Gene moved back to his hometown of Miramichi in the fall of 2003 and soon took an assignment to produce an animated series for television. From that success, TV production jobs began to pour in and the business gained a reputation for its world-class quality work, specializing in Flash Animation. 

Creative momentum
"When I started over, I hired an accountant to take care of all the financing, and someone to keep the business coming in," says Gene. "We set up a proper structure with the right people to do the right job. Our presence on the Internet created momentum and excitement for the business, and pushed us into new areas. Our blog has enabled us to spread the word about what it's like to work for Fatkat, making it easy to attract new employees."

Unlike many other studios, Fatkat's staff is full-time and salaried. And Gene believes that taking a "leap of faith" that he could provide steady work for full-time staff is one of his company's greatest strengths. Despite the growing number of employees, he strives to maintain a family-like work environment, with many extras such as flexible hours, generous vacation time, quarterly parties, the Fatkat Oscars and Flash Olympics.  
 
"Our ultimate goal is to become the premier producer of animated television comedy series," says Gene. "But at the same time, we want to retain our small company values. We treat our artists well, pay them fairly, and never take them for granted." This philosophy helps to explain how Gene has been able to attract animators from across the country to his Miramichi studio. "We're slowly turning this town around," says Gene, "and showing that you can build a business on creative resources rather than on natural resources only. Local kids are discovering that you can make money drawing cartoons. Maybe this will keep some of them from moving out of the province." 

"Gene has achieved remarkable success very rapidly. With vision and confidence he's built a growing operation that is world-class in reputation and a big boost to the local economy.  I congratulate him for this achievement," says BDC President and CEO Jean-René Halde.
 
"Fatkat is about much more than just the business," says Gene. "It's hope and inspiration for the area. We're proving that you can do big things in this little town." 

Young entrepreneurs in the spotlight
BDC's Young Entrepreneur Awards are a highlight of Small Business Week, providing the opportunity to honour the entrepreneurial spirit and business success of Canadians between the ages of 19 and 35.  Winners from each province and territory are selected by a panel based on the originality of their business concept, its success, growth potential and their community involvement.  The panel also considers the entrepreneur's age when the business was started and any special challenges that had to be faced.

Small Business Week partners
Contributing to the success of this year's Small Business Week and Young Entrepreneur Awards are the following national sponsors:  Western Economic Diversification Canada, Export Development Canada and Rogers. Privileged partners are the Pan Canadian Community Futures Group and the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, which has been a privileged partner of the event since 1981.

About BDC
BDC is a financial institution wholly owned by the Government of Canada. BDC actively supports the development and growth of Canadian small and medium-sized businesses through its complementary financial, investment and consulting solutions. BDC is one of Canada's Top 100 Employers for 2008.

Small Business Week is a registered trademark of BDC.

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