Switotwins, Inc., Philippines

GBG Case Study
YouTube enables Filipino enterprise
Switotwins to create a dynamic digital
storytelling community
About Switotwins
• switotwins.com and switotwinsinc.org
• Davao City, Mindanao
• Digital stories is a creative collaborative
platform that provides a space and venue
to showcase the creativity of ordinary
people and promote local cultures and
languages
• 5 employees based in head office;
6 on-call project-based animators,
illustrators and voice artists
• Founded December 2012
Switotwins Digital Storytelling enables ordinary Filipinos to tell their stories, express
themselves through writing, animation, voice and film and promote their language
and culture. The founders met new friends at the University of the Philippines
and together they created Switotwins after graduation. Showcasing stories online
through the YouTube videos it makes and shares, the company has created a
powerful online community keen to support the storytellers. Since December 2012,
Switotwins has processed more than 200 stories.
YouTube lowered costs and helped Switotwins expand its reach across the
Philippines and around the world. This led to seed funding amounting to an
86 percent increase in start-up capital. Google Hangouts enables Switotwins to
hold workshops online and provides a 66 percent saving on travel, accommodation
and living expenses. Switotwins also uses Google Drive to write stories and
collaborate. Furthermore, Google+ helps Switotwins be more visible to the young
people who use social networks. Finally, Google Maps makes the enterprise
searchable and has led to invitations to talk about Switotwins’ work further afield.
“The Internet is one of
our biggest assets and
opportunities.”
— Glorypearl Dy,
President/CEO
Looking back on the achievements of the past two years, Glorypearl Dy, co-founder
and now President/CEO, says: “In two years, we’ve expanded from one community
to several. We’ve helped children see that technology can be used in a more
meaningful way. We’ve empowered the women in our workshops so much that they
say they don’t need us. They can echo the storytelling methods to other women
in the community. I see that as an amazing impact. We’re also helping revive the
relationship between people and their mother tongue. Ultimately, we believe that
if more people understand and love our cultures and languages there will be less
conflict and a more peaceful culture of coexistence.” The next steps for Switotwins
include selling ebooks written in the local language and translated into English,
making materials to help teachers teach students in their mother tongue, and selling
children’s toys developed to assist mother-tongue learning during early childhood.
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