I have started a company to do contract artwork modeling and animation for U.S. and European game companies. I have a team of very experienced modelers and animators based in Asia. We have been working on various projects in Asia, we are now interested in doing contract work for U.S. game and animation companies. Since all of our experience is based on working in Asia I am not sure what I need to break into the U.S. market. We already have a web site www.visualiquid.com but what else do we need to present companies to make them interested in working with my company? What is the best way to approach them? How should I set up a proposal and what information will the client expect to see in the proposal? I would really appreciate any help that would get us to our goal of landing a case in the States. Thank you for your help. “Be formless, shapeless, like water. Now water can flow or it can crash. Be water my friend.”

I would recommend putting together a ''marketing kit'' with the following materials:

- glossy brochures outlining your services
- bios of your team members
- client list including sample artwork
- testimonials from former clients

Ideally, you could put all this material together in one nice downloadable .pdf, but for maximum impact it might be worth it to invest in having good quality printed material put together and then mailed to interested parties (or upon request from interested parties).

You might also put together some ''ballpark'' figures for typical projects, outlining how long they would take and how much they might cost, but make sure you mention they are hypothetical, since pricing will be determined depending on the specific needs of the client and each individual project.

To break into the NA industry, perhaps you can use some of the contacts you already have (through North American or European subsidiaries of Asian studios you''ve already worked for, perhaps?), or you could consider getting yourself an agent. Expect to spend a fair bit of your time and energy marketing yourself to companies, at least until you have established a reputation for yourself.

You might also consider adding yourself to the contractor listing at www.gamasutra.com.

Best of luck!

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The Idea Foundry