SINGAPORE - Viddsee.com, the fast growing Singapore-based online video platform for Asian short films, has always focused on providing the best support for the film-makers whose films’ they carefully curate and the audience watching said films. Now, the Singaporean start-up has entered a partnership with Nikon to recognise and reward selected film-makers every month for the next year.

Based on the platform’s Viddsee Shortee films, the most watched, shared and talked about Asian short film on Viddsee.com over 30 days will take home a Nikon D7200 camera kit (with an 18mm to 105mm lens) the latest and most advanced DSLR in the brand’s DX range.

Viddsee is a hybrid video platform similar to other video sharing platforms such as YouTube and Vine, but specifically focused on showcasing curated Asian short films. They are a prime example of how online platforms are changing the media industry by giving content creators a growing range of accessible distribution platforms. The platform has reached over 1 million active users on its website, mobile web and through the iOS Viddsee App since it was first incorporated in Jan 2013. The Viddsee Shortee initiative began in October 2014 and the first ever Vidsee Shortee awardee was 17-year-old Nanyang Junior College student Jason Lee, who won with his short film, Closer Apart. Other top talents from Singapore, Malaysia, the Philippines and Korea have since been featured, but now that the camera brand has come in as a partner, this is the first time the awardee will receive a physical reward (as opposed to just having bragging rights and a profile feature).

“At Nikon, we’re delighted to work with Viddsee to inspire the development of unique Asian content. We support creativity and recognise the growing trend towards short movies,” said Jonathan Ang, Deputy General Manager, Nikon Singapore. “We are confident that this partnership will further develop a dynamic and creative pool of talents, and we hope to encourage more individuals to embrace videography.”

Said Ho Jia Jian, Viddsee co-founder: “We want to support Asian content creators who create quality cinematic stories for the Internet. We hope to encourage and spur further growth with this Viddsee Shortee initiative, together with our official camera partner, Nikon.”

And Viddsee doesn’t want to stop here: It is open to all brands that may have any ideas on how to collaborate. “Over one million users visit Viddsee monthly to watch great curated content and we hope to bring more brand partners on board to commission more original branded content on Viddsee,” shared Viddsee co-founder Derek Tan. “Our aim is to bring such native advertising onto our platform as we believe in bringing the ecosystem of brands, creators and audience together where value is created for everyone. We see how the creator community can benefit from brands with the sponsorships to make more content, and our audience enjoying more quality short films from creators and at the same time, bringing brands closer to our engaged audience.”

He added: “Hey, brands have great stories to tell, too!”

The first Viddsee Shortee winner to receive a Nikon D7200 kit will be announced on 1 May. Viddsee encourages online submissions from filmmakers based anywhere in Asia. To find out more, visit http://www.viddsee.com/submit.