Media owner of SGAG and MGAG bags SG$1.3m in pre-Series A funding

Hepmil Media Group (Hepmil), owner of SGAG and MGAG, has raised SGD$1.3 million in pre-series A funding through angel investors. The funds raised will go towards international expansion efforts and product development, enabling Hepmil to create more "fun" and localised digital content for various Southeast Asian markets, while creating sponsored content for brands as a business model.According to the press statement, there will also be a concurrent focus on the augmentation of platforms and audience data applications.In a statement to Marketing, Mak said Hepmil is currently exploring Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand as the next possible ports of entry. For existing markets such as Singapore and Malaysia, it will focus on going deeper into data analytics to have an extensive understanding on how to create better content for its audience. Mak said this will in turn help Hepmil create more impactful branded content with partners. He added that the company will also be exploring integrations with technology partners to improve engagements and conversion metrics for our client campaigns."Our focus will always be digital and social channels. Our core belief has always been to exist significantly on platforms where millennials are already on, instead of forcing them to consume our content on a platform that’s not in their typical digital behaviour," Mak said.He added that Hepmil is exploring opportunities to create different types of content through new brand offerings that will continue to "better the lives of [its] audience". It is also in the midst of exploring partnerships and integrations for SGAG and MGAG.Following the announcement, ad veteran Jeffrey Seah (pictured centre) will assume the new role of vice chairman of Hepmil's board, working to enable quick entry into new markets and deepen footprints in existing markets such as Singapore and Malaysia.Prior to his latest appointment, Seah served as group advisor to Hepmil CEO Karl Mak (pictured right) and CCO Adrian Ang (pictured left), who are also the co-founders and co-chairmen of the board. Seah has been heavily involved in their leadership in the past year, helping them build a deeper understanding of the advertising and communications industry, the press statement added.Last month, Seah joined the advisory board of Gravity4, a marketing cloud platform specialising in artificial intelligence and big data which is now focused on developing blockchain technologies to eliminate ad fraud. He is currently a partner at Mettle and Salt Partners, and also serves as a venture partner at IncuVest and Quest Ventures. Prior to leaving Starcom, Seah was Southeast Asia CEO, a role he had held for over seven years.According to Seah, his best contribution to the industry is mentoring young talent. A fervent believer in the societal and commercial benefits of digital revolution, he strongly advocates the re-definition of media companies as data and platform environments, the press statement wrote.“The company is at an exciting juncture, because digital content platforms are the way forward. I hope to be able to bring Adrian’s and Karl’s vision for Hepmil to fruition,” Seah said.“We have established ourselves as a leading content provider in both Singapore and Malaysia. Now with Seah on our board, we hope to capture market opportunities ahead of the curve in the epicentre of millennial marketing in Southeast Asia," Ang said.