Wu Aizheng, executive director of A-Studio, is a finalist in this year’s Game Comic competition for animators and cartoonists, the winner of which will be announced on December 31. Visit http://game.21cn.com/mvg2008/china for more details.

SH: How does it feel to be a finalist?
WA: Well, it's not a professional comic competition, but it's nice to be recognized. I'm looking forward to seeing the results. This year there are only 26 finalists, so I was happy to hear that two of the cartoons produced by our studio – Magic Bolo and Balabang – were selected. It's a good way of promoting our work.

SH: Are you a born cartoonist?
WA: No, definitely not! I actually trained as an abstract oil-painter. It just so happened that I got the opportunity to try animation. I was curious about it, so I gave it a go, and here I am. It seems more imaginative to me – there’s more space for me to add my own touch.

SH: What's your inspiration?
WA: I'm continuously learning from others, looking at lots of other animations, having discussions with people in the industry. I draw on what I'm most familiar with, like the Shanghai shikumen where I used to live.

SH: Does your son like your animations?
WA: Haha, he actually prefers my cartoon t-shirts now he's big enough to wear them. I think cartoons are a great way to help children learn.

SH: Does being an animator keep you feeling young?
WA: Yes, of course! When you make an animation series, you have to think the way kids think.

SH: You manage a large team of animators. Do you ever feel like a father figure to them?
WA: I'm more like their foster father! It's important to encourage them to grow individually as artists.

SH: What's the most interesting part of the job?
WA: Making our vision into a reality. The whole process is amazing. It’s so satisfying to watch a finished cartoon.

SH: Any difficulties?
WA: It's hard to build up a brand. I'm aiming to have a stable operation running within the next five years, which means organizing everything from the animation right through to the marketing. That will be tough. - Emma Chi