When cloud video production platform Genero picked up Series A funding from Ellerston Ventures earlier this year, one of its first moves was to open an office in Singapore.

For co-founder Andrew Lane, Singapore was pretty much a no-brainer after speaking with a number of advertising agencies and investors in the region.

He says the appetite for video in the Southeast Asian market is strong and Singapore is an obvious hub. Yet despite the huge potential, Lane warns it can be difficult to incorporate in the city-state.

"There was plenty of paperwork and red tape which was quite demanding and many checks from the Singaporean government across a number of different government departments," Lane says.

He says the initial hurdles will no doubt prove worthwhile now Genero has incorporated as a Singapore-based subsidiary of its Australian parent. Lane says as companies expand further in the region the Singaporean government offers tax incentives and grants to foreign companies if they employ more locals in Singapore.

A former marketing executive, Lane and co-founder Mick Entwisle set up Genero in 2009 and it now boasts a global creative community of more than 300,000 filmmakers in 180 countries. The cloud-based platform allows agencies, publishers and brands to manage and collaborate across the end-to-end creative and video production process, where clients present a brief to producers and directors, who then pitch their ideas and credentials for the job.

Complex logistics

"What we're allowing our clients to do is to use the cloud to get better results. The rules of film production have changed and you can now make exciting content without the big budgets and complex logistics.

"Genero's software is built specifically for the creative industry and it can be used to brief filmmakers, receive pitches and even handle payments in multiple currencies.

"As for the content many of the world's leading automotive, airline, travel and FMCG brands have worked with us because we can deliver quality at speed for smaller budgets," Lane says.

And while the company has derived most of its revenue from brand-generated content, it has also worked with a diverse range of music artists including David Bowie, Moby, Muse and Alicia Keys as well as filmmaker David Lynch.

For Lane, part of the reason the company's network has grown so rapidly has been its association with the music industry and the creative work generated from these collaborations.

He says the company's network is already strong in Asia.

"We're tapping into creativity around the world and these are exciting times for us."