Meet the video production startup in Singapore that just raised millions from Sequoia

CEO Tim Norton (holding pen) surrounded by New Zealand team as he signs the term sheet.

If any startup is a reality TV show, this would be it. As I exit the lift, a man down the corridor greets me by pointing his camera my way. Silently, he follows me into the startup’s office, a SOHO with a high ceiling and a sweeping view of the Singapore skyline.

We do the interview at a standing desk, handmade from parts procured from a workshop. The cameraman records my chat with Tim Norton, the New Zealander who started a company that had just raised a US$7.5 million round led by top venture capital firm Sequoia India.

Tim and gang eat their own dog food: the video footage will be uploaded onto 90 Seconds, a service that aims to make the entire video production workflow – from getting a price quote to publishing a video – seamless.

Soon, I might get my 15 seconds of fame on Ride the Wave, a series of videos produced by the company documenting its journey. Or maybe I won’t make the cut.

Anyway, 90 Seconds smashes together two things: an online marketplace for video production talent, and a complete workflow management tool. Tim claims it’s the most full-featured product of its kind, and it’s best used for coordinating projects that require shoots in multiple countries.

“Purchase, plan, shoot, edit, review, and publish. At each one of those stages there’s interactivity required, and engagement from the brand, from the creator. You need tools to help them get the job done, online rather than offline,” says the lively, fast-talking entrepreneur, who describes his team as high-energy and nature-loving.

Grass carpets line the office, a common feature in all their bases. Nearby, colleagues exchange a high-five greeting.

90 Seconds’ simplification of a complex process into a one-stop sausage factory was enough to convince Sequoia to invest. Another prominent investor in this round of funding is Oleg Tschelzoff, founder of stock photography site Fotolia, which was sold to Adobe for US$800 million.