When Jamaica announced their billion-dollar film investment, it made global headlines. Meanwhile, there is a Hollywood-standard studio in our backyard, and most people don't even know these facilities exist.
This tells you everything about how regional film hubs actually succeed.
The infrastructure is already here. We work closely with Iskandar Malaysia Studios, which was previously built as a Pinewood facility—that means Hollywood standards right in our backyard. Malaysia offers a 30% cash rebate with additional cultural bonuses that many producers don't even know about. Singapore hosts Netflix, WarnerMedia, and Discovery's regional headquarters.
Yet here we are at markets, doing what we call "lobbying ourselves" just to get people to pay attention.
Fighting the Same Misconceptions Over and Over
Time and time again, we encounter the same assumptions from Western producers about Southeast Asia. They think it's only good for cheap productions—that if you want quality, you can't come to Asia. There's a persistent belief that the infrastructure simply isn't there. Or that Singapore is too expensive to shoot in.
These misconceptions are what we spend most of our energy correcting.
Meanwhile, Jamaica gets to build on reggae and dancehall's global reputation for quality and authenticity. They understand something crucial that we're missing: cultural narrative matters more than facilities.
Think about it—we have Michelle Yeoh winning Oscars. We have premium studios that rival anything in Hollywood. We have competitive incentives. But Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines are frankly terrible at marketing themselves as production hubs.
The Economic Ripple Effect That Governments Miss
Here's what drives us crazy—governments are missing the bigger economic picture. The real impact goes far beyond what productions spend directly.
Look at what happened with Leonardo DiCaprio's The Beach—it dramatically increased tourism to that specific location in Thailand. Parasite and Squid Game created a tourism boom for South Korea. Research shows every $100 of Korean cultural exports generates $248 in additional consumer goods exports.
When foreign production crews come to our countries, they don't just work and leave. They take weekend trips. They eat at restaurants. They rent cars and go shopping. All of this is secondary spend that happens while they're here—and it adds to the direct production budget.
Most Southeast Asian governments only see the immediate production revenue. They're completely missing this multiplier effect that creates lasting economic value.
Three Countries, Three Different Levels of Understanding
Operating across Singapore, Malaysia, and the Philippines gives us a front-row seat to see how differently each government approaches film promotion.
The Philippines is starting to get it. They recently launched a charm offensive in Hollywood, actively courting producers. But they're missing a proper incentive scheme that would actually attract large-scale Hollywood productions.
Malaysia has the strongest financial package—that 30% cash rebate is genuinely competitive. But they bury it in general tourism campaigns instead of targeted film marketing.
Singapore built world-class infrastructure and just assumes producers will somehow discover it organically.
Everyone has some catching up to do, but at least Malaysia and the Philippines are starting to understand the bigger picture.
Why Jamaica's Strategy Actually Works
Jamaica's approach is brilliant because they connected film to their existing cultural brand. Reggae and dancehall already have global recognition and quality associations—people worldwide respect Jamaican culture.
Festival organizer Ava Eagle Brown positioned Jamaican cinema as the natural next step in their cultural export strategy. The billion-dollar investment creates credibility, but the cultural foundation makes it believable.
They're not starting from zero.
We have cultural advantages in Southeast Asia too. Crazy Rich Asians gave Singapore its best hotel occupancy rates in a decade. But instead of building on that success, we treat these wins as isolated incidents rather than proof points for systematic marketing.
We're Sitting on a Gold Mine Nobody Knows About
Singapore has emerged as the leading Asian hub for streaming and digital production. The facilities exist. The talent exists. The government support exists.
What's missing is the story.
Here's the thing—when producers finally see our budget breakdowns, they get it immediately. The cost efficiency combined with Hollywood-standard facilities makes obvious sense. We watch it click for them every time.
The challenge is getting them to look in the first place.
Jamaica solved this by creating narrative momentum around their film industry. They positioned cinema alongside their musical exports. They made film investment feel inevitable rather than experimental.
The Bigger Picture We're Still Missing
Some progress is happening. Malaysia's Visit Malaysia 2026 campaign could integrate film tourism if they're smart about it. The Philippines' Hollywood outreach shows they recognize the marketing component matters.
But we're still thinking too small.
Film production creates jobs, builds infrastructure, and generates soft power. It attracts international talent and creates lasting economic relationships. These secondary effects compound over years—they don't just disappear when the cameras stop rolling.
Southeast Asia has the foundation. We need the narrative.
The region that figures out how to tell this story first will capture the next wave of international production. The infrastructure is ready. The incentives are competitive. The talent is proven.
Governments just need to understand that marketing matters as much as facilities.
Jamaica's billion-dollar announcement worked because they understood this fundamental truth: having the best studios means nothing if nobody knows about them.