Hepmil Media Group bags US$10m in funding, plans Thailand and Vietnam 2022 expansion

Singapore's tech-driven media company Hepmil Media Group, well known for creating brands such as SGAG, MGAG, PGAG, as well as digital creator agency Hepmil Creators’ Network,  has received US$10 million in its Series A funding round to support its expansion plans in Southeast Asia. The funding was led by Quest Ventures, Pavilion Capital and Bent Pixels.

With the investment, Hepmil Media Group is looking to expand into Thailand and Vietnam in 2022. It also has plans to strengthen its leadership in the digital media space and grow its revenue streams. The group will tap on the fund to grow its content and creators' platform and capabilities, expand its esports and gaming network, and develop content capabilities to serve regional commerce players in their direct-to-consumer efforts. 

The investment comes as the Group witnessed a strong revenue performance in 2020 in its current markets, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and Singapore, despite pandemic-driven challenges. According to the group, this was due to the rising demand for online content and advertising inventory, as brands pivot to a digital-first approach to reach the growing online customer base.

Karl Mak, CEO an co-founder of Hepmil Media Group, said that the digital media space in Singapore and Southeast Asia has transformed rapidly over the last decade, and more people are spending their time online for entertainment, as well as to fulfil their everyday needs. "We are also seeing more brands looking for an integrated digital media solution capable of reaching and engaging an exponentially growing audience in a compelling manner to drive conversion. Through expansion and investing in capabilities building to push new, innovative solutions for brands, we hope to be able to redefine Southeast Asia’s digital media and entertainment sector, and to remain the preferred platform for brands to work with," he added.

As part of its expansion plans, part of the funds will be used to create Bent Pixels Asia Private Limited; a joint venture with Bent Pixels in Asia Pacific. Headquartered in Singapore, Bent Pixels Asia will enable the Group to expand its influence and reach within the esports community in Southeast Asia, by being the preferred provider for YouTube reserved media in its current markets. 

Mike Pusateri, founder and CEO, Bent Pixels said that it is looking forward to seeing how it can bring its partnership with the Group to greater heights, and deliver greater value for brands and esports creators in Southeast Asia. “We couldn’t have asked for a better partner to enter Asia Pacific than with Hepmil Media Group. Their track record in audience engagement and delivering effective results for brands in the consumer space is exactly the right expertise we need in cracking this highly challenging market, where there is no one-size-fits-all approach," he added.

At the same time, the Group will expand its Hepmil Creators’ Network, which connects the region’s comedy and entertainment creators to co-create content and to tap on reserve ad inventory to ensure targeted campaigns are engaging and effective. The network currently features over 300 creators in Southeast Asia, amassing over three billion views monthly. 

Some of the brands that have advertised with MGAG include Carousell, Grab, Huawei, Lazada, Sony, Suntory and Watsons. Meanwhile, brands that have worked with SGAG include 100 Plus, Disney, HBO, Resorts World Sentosa, Singtel, Shopee and Unilever.

Most recently, SGAG worked with McDonald's Singapore to promote the latter's limited-edition Jenga sets through a livestream video on McDonald's Singapore and SGAG's Instagram which showcased the media's talents having a go at the game.

In March this year, the Group made its foray into the Indonesia market through a partnership with EVOS Esports, which aims to offer brands and advertisers in Indonesia premium inventory on YouTube. One of the key inventory is the esports and gaming channel bundle, which is said to enable advertisers to target the hard-to-reach Gen Z and Millennials in Indonesia. As part of the collaboration, marketers in Indonesia will have the ability to create YouTube advertising assets in multiple formats, both skippable and non-skippable, that run complementary to its branded content on YouTube channels. 

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