An Interview With Queen Studios' CEO Jason Zhong

Turning A Hobby into the World's First Hyper-Realistic Silicone Collectibles Company

Recently, Queen Studios' CEO Jason Zhong was interviewed by the Xinhuanet and the People's Daily Online. He expressed his thoughts on the 19th China Joy exhibition. As we all know that Queen Studios is aiming at creating the most realistic statues and busts for collectors. During the China Joy exhibition, Queen Studios brought fans over 30 sculptures, including many famous characters from Marvel and DC, which received awesome responses from both fans and industry specialists. Let’s look at what Jason had to say.

WHAT FEELINGS DO YOU HOPE QUEEN STUDIOS CAN BRING TO FANS AT THIS CHINA JOY EXHIBITION?

Completely brand-new emotions, with an interactive experience, our fans can learn more about Queen Studios.

THROUGH THE DEVELOPMENT OF QUEEN STUDIOS, HOW DO YOU HANDLE THE DEVELOPMENT COLLECTIBLES?

In recent years, the collectibles market has sprung up rapidly. We are facing more competition and greater challenges. However, we always maintain our original intention and must not be too eager for success. We always adhere to our brand view and the quality of our collectables.

WHY DID YOU CHANGE YOUR ART FORM FROM PAINTING TO SCULPING?

Before 2012 I was a painter, I knew little about statues. Until I started collecting with statues like King Kong vs Godzilla, a voice popped in my head and said "Why not make one yourself?" So, I started with friends who had the same hobbies, and we made our first attempt at a silicone statue, which is the birth of the Stormlord.

WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE MOST DIFFICULT ASPECT OF MAKING STATUES AND BUST? WHAT IS THE MOST FULFILLING PART?

The toughest part lies in the creativity and design of the R&D team, which is the soul of the collectible. Our team works extremely hard to bring  bring each design to life through the constant pursuit of perfection and optimization of design process time and time again.

The second is production. The production of collectibles needs to ensure that the quality of each shipped product meets our high standards. To ensure the quality of the final product, the company has planned a strict quality control processes. We have a detailed inspection charter to ensure all collectibles are perfect.

Finally, the delivery, sale, and shipping also require a professional and efficient team to cooperate to ensure that customers receive the products safely and flawlessly, and live up to high expectations. As the first licensed silicone collectibles company for Marvel and DC in China. The most fulfilling thing is that our ideas become physical, and many fans and collectors love them.

 WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE WORK? WHY?

Each of Queen Studios' collectables provides us with passion and the team's hard work. It’s hard to pick one as the favorite, but I think it would be the Joker (Joaquin Phoenix) displayed at the 2020 Wonder Festival exhibition. From the idea to the finished product, the process was perfect. The trinity of the dressing room table, stairs, and Joker with full make-up shows the various stages that Arthur Fleck goes through before he evolves into Joker.

After releasing this work, it caused a sensation in the media both at home and abroad. The director, Todd Phillips reposted the Joker on Instagram, expressing his recognition of the Queen Studios team. The Joker is not only my favorite; it is also an innovation and exploration of the artist's creativity in statues.

LICENSES ARE THE LIFEBLOOD OF THESE COLLECTIBLES. CAN YOU SHARE HOW YOU GOT THE FIRST LICENSE? HOW MANY LICENSES DO YOU CURRENTLY HAVE?

Our first bust was Siegar the Stormlord. The unique style and hyper-real sculpt with silicone and artifical hair caught the attention of a few companies representing major IP's. However, it was the recogintion and recommendation from Mr. C.B. Cebulski, the then-Marvel Editor-in-Chief, who helped us successfully sign the first Marvel licensing contract.

Afterward, the first Marvel bust produced was our Loki 1:1 life-size bust. We are fortunate to have in-depth cooperation with major IP companies around the world. At present, we have got authorization from many world-renowned film and television companies, including Disney (Marvel), Warner (DC), Hasbro.

FROM THE INITIAL SMALL TEAM TO THE CURRENT TEAM OF OVER 100 PEOPLE, WHAT DO YOU THINK  IS THE HARDEST PART OF MANAGEMENT? WHAT ARE THE SUCCESS TIPS?

Since the establishment of Hangzhou Shouchuan Culture Co., Ltd., it’s been a rapidly changing environment, self-improvement and setting an example, the team led from 10 people at the beginning to more than 100 people today has gathered and cultivated many outstanding talents. You must love it enough to create a character with a soul. I continue to inspire myself to form a complete and unique aesthetic standard. I have always been extremely demanding about the quality of product research and development.

For me, I need to continuously improve my management ability to match the company's rapid development and resonate with the company at the same frequency. Control the development direction of the enterprise, step out of the inertial thinking mode, and improve the thinking ability of our managers.

UNDER YOUR LEADERSHIP, WHAT IS THE FUTURE DEVELOPMENT PATH OF QUEEN STUDIOS?

In the future, we will continue to optimize our products and continue to build IPs. At the same time, we will continue to expand the IP cooperation matrix and add cultural value, so that our products will be loved by more people. Continuously improve management capabilities, create a stronger comprehensive team, and move forward as a leader.

WHAT UNFORGETTABLE MEMORIES DID YOU HAVE DURING THE ENTIRE ENTREPRENEURIAL PROCESS?

When we were a small team, fans traveled far and wide to see our works. They came from different countries, and expressed their love and blessings in different languages.

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Post by Luke Wainhouse