Meet 7 founders of animation firms in Nigeria’s rising inventive business
The Nigerian inventive business has undergone a significant face elevate over the past decade, changing into one of many nation’s fastest-growing sectors.
From Nollywood’s world impression to the rise of Afrobeats, Nigeria has firmly established itself as a cultural powerhouse, exporting expertise and tales throughout the globe.
This progress is now extending into new frontiers, with animation rising as a key space of innovation.
The native animation business, although nonetheless in its infancy, is driving the wave of this broader inventive renaissance. Just as Nigeria’s music and movie industries have flourished by telling genuine African tales, animators are drawing from the identical wealthy nicely of indigenous folklore, historical past, and tradition.
Through 2D and 3D animation, Nigerian studios are creating narratives that not solely entertain but in addition protect cultural identification.
These animators should not simply filling a spot in youngsters’s leisure—they’re reimagining the best way African tales are instructed on a worldwide stage, contributing to the inventive sector’s total progress. Much like Nollywood, Nigerian animation is poised to develop into a cultural export, spreading the essence of Africa via visually fascinating and culturally resonant tasks.
At the guts of this motion are the pioneering founders of animation studios, who’re dedicated to breaking into the worldwide market and giving Nigerian youngsters—and audiences worldwide—content material that displays their heritage.
Niyi Akinmolayan-Founder Anthill Studios
Niyi Akinmolayan is the Founder and Creative Director of Anthill Studios, certainly one of Nigeria’s main manufacturing homes, identified for its innovation in movie, animation, and media. With over 15 years of expertise, Niyi centered on Nigerian leisure business, specializing in directing, producing, and media consulting.
In 2022, Niyi secured a groundbreaking cope with Amazon Prime Video, making Anthill Studios the second Nigerian studio to land a significant licensing settlement with the worldwide streaming platform.
Anthill Studios is famend for its creativity and consistency, producing a number of quick animations yearly for practically a decade. Their most formidable venture so far is Mikolo, a high-budget animation aimed toward revolutionizing the African animation panorama with its huge N120 million manufacturing finances. Niyi’s management at Anthill Studios displays his deep ardour for mixing African tradition with cutting-edge visible storytelling.
Prior to founding Anthill Studios in 2009, Niyi labored as a **Senior Post Supervisor and Creative Director at Genesis Studios, the place he created TV commercials, music movies, and animation results for function movies. He additionally held a job as a Motion Graphics Designer and Visual Effects Artist at NANTOONS, contributing to broadcast results for TV and commercials.
Niyi holds a Higher National Diploma in Electrical and Electronics Engineering** from Yaba College of Technology, the place he graduated with First Class honors.
Roye Okupe –Founder Youneek Studios
Roye Okupe is a trailblazing filmmaker, writer, and entrepreneur who based YouNeek Studios in 2015, pushed by his ardour for comics and animation.
His imaginative and prescient has been to create numerous superheroes and animated tales rooted in African tradition, historical past, and mythology. Roye’s work contains the critically acclaimed Malika – Warrior Queen animated quick and the debut graphic novel E.X.O. The Legend of Wale Williams, a sci-fi epic set in Lagos. His tales have garnered consideration from CNN, Forbes, and The New York Times, amongst others.
In 2020, Roye’s graphic novel Malika – Warrior Queen received the Glypc Comic Awards’ Story of the Year. Roye’s affect was additional cemented by his groundbreaking 10-book cope with Dark Horse Comics. He has additionally obtained notable recognitions, resembling Ventures Africa’s Top 40 African Innovators and a nomination for the Dwayne McDuffie Award for Diversity in Comics.
Recently, Cartoon Network and Max introduced the all-Nigerian forged for Iyanu: Child of Wonder, an adaptation of the graphic novel collection by Roye Okupe.
The forged additionally contains TV persona Okey Jude as Biyi, Samuel Kugbiyi as Toye, and Nollywood stars Adesua Etomi-Wellington as Olori, Blossom Chukwujekwu as Kanfo, and Stella Damasus as Sewa. Shaffy Bello and Ike Ononye additionally joined the forged.
Johnson Mbuotidem- Founder Basement Animation Studios
Johnson Mbuotidem is a distinguished determine within the African animation business, with over 16 years of expertise. He is the CEO, Producer, and Director at Basement Animation, a fast-growing studio in Lagos, Nigeria, specializing in youngsters and household leisure, in addition to digital 2D and 3D animation providers.
Since June 2023, Johnson has been a member of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (International Emmy Awards).
He has held a number of management roles, together with Director/Senior Compositor and Creative Director/Animator at Basement Animation. Additionally, Johnson is the Head of Advertising for the African Animation Network and the Founder of Animation Nigeria, an initiative centered on setting world requirements for the Nigerian animation business.
Johnson’s instructional background features a Diploma in Animation Production Management from VIA University College, and he has labored as a Brand Consultant at Negris Limited within the oil and fuel sector.
Damilola Solesi-SMID Animation Studios
Damilola Solesi is the CEO and inventive director of SMIDS Animation Studios, which she based in 2010. SMIDS is recognised as certainly one of Africa’s foremost animation firms, and was rated among the many high two animation companies in Nigeria by EY’s 2019 business report.
The studio has delivered quite a few 3D animation tasks for a variety of purchasers and is at the moment centered on producing youngsters’s content material for tv and digital platforms. Its debut TV collection, The Makerbolts, was a finalist at this yr’s Annecy Animation du Monde, having superior via regional and continental levels.
Solesi has served as a juror for the 2020 International Emmy Awards, and she or he is a trustee of Animation Nigeria, which seeks to foster the nation’s animation business. A Mandela Washington Fellow in 2015, she holds a level in Computer Science from Bowen University, Iwo, the place she graduated in 2009.
Her technical basis on this subject set the stage for her future entrepreneurial ventures. In 2011, she bagged a Certificate in Entrepreneurial Management (CEM) from the Enterprise Development Centre at Pan-Atlantic University. This certification outfitted her with the instruments essential to navigate Nigeria’s evolving enterprise panorama.
In 2015, Solesi expanded her experience in enterprise and entrepreneurship by attending Clark Atlanta University.
Ayodele Elegba- Founder Spoof Animation
Ayodele Elegba is a dynamic chief in Nigeria’s animation and inventive business, with over a decade of expertise.
He at the moment serves because the Festival Director of RENDACON Animation Film Festival (since September 2021) and is the Founder of Spoof Media Ltd, also called Spoof Animation, Nigeria’s main 2D animation firm, established in 2015.
Spoof Animation has garnered recognition by profitable the distinguished Digital Lab competitors and receiving funding from France for its Area Daddy comedy collection.
Ayodele additionally based Lagos Comic Con in 2011, main a passionate staff to ship animation content material. His efforts have resulted within the creation of Hero Corps, an action-packed quick movie that includes characters from Spoof Comics.
Additionally, Ayodele is the CEO of Mustardseed Communication International, a inventive consulting agency specializing in leisure, comics, and animation. He holds a Postgraduate Degree in Public Relations from the Nigerian Institute of Journalism and a Higher National Diploma in Microbiology from Yaba College of Technology.
Ferdinand Adimefe- Co Founder Magic Carpet Studios
Ferdinand Adimefe is the Co-founder and CEO of Magic Carpet Studios, a distinguished inventive enterprise that he has led for over seven years.
Adimefe serves as curator of the Creative Nigeria Project, which facilitates bi-monthly conferences for inventive professionals to community and bridge the hole between capital and revolutionary concepts.
A winner of the UN Innovation Challenge Sahel 2022, Adimefe is reshaping the narrative via imaginative, African-rooted tales and exploring cutting-edge applied sciences resembling augmented actuality (AR), digital actuality (VR), Afrofuturism, and hyper-surrealism. His work has garnered recognition, positioning Magic Carpet as an award-winning studio redefining African leisure.
Adimefe can be the founding father of Imaginarium HQ, a tech-driven options platform centered on fintech and edtech. His educational credentials are equally spectacular, holding an MSc in Media and Communication from Pan-Atlantic University, a Postgraduate Diploma in International Business, and a Bachelor of Science in Human Anatomy from the University of Port Harcourt.
A Ford Foundation inductee, Future Awards recipient, and Guardian of The Future, Adimefe co-founded GOTNI and serves on the board of Slum to School Africa.
Brian Ola Wilson-Founder Zero Gravity Studios
Brian Ola Wilson is a seasoned animation and inventive government with over 10 years of expertise in main and managing inventive groups.
In 2021, Brian received the distinguished Digital Lab Africa award within the animation class for his venture Aminah’s Journey. His numerous expertise spans from working as the top of video and animation content material at GTBank, the place he additionally performed a key position in launching the Art635 initiative—a CSR venture aimed toward selling and monetizing African artwork.
Brian holds a Master’s in 3D Computer Animation from Bournemouth University and a Diploma in Directing for Film from the New York Film Academy. He is a Board of Trustees member for Animation Nigeria, a corporation he co-founded in 2017 to set world requirements and lift visibility for the Nigerian animation business.
Currently, because the CEO and Creative Director of Zero Gravity Studios, Brian continues to push boundaries in animation and digital content material creation. His prior roles embrace creating inventive methods at Pd Media Studios, the place he secured high-profile tasks just like the 2010 Guinness World Cup TV industrial, and collaborating on impactful media like IBK Spaceshipboi’s music video, which gained worldwide recognition.
Note: The people featured on this compilation have been rigorously chosen by a distinguished panel of editors, specialists, and analysts at Nairametrics. It is essential to notice that not one of the people listed have solicited their inclusion.
While this checklist goals to be complete, it’s under no circumstances exhaustive; quite a few different contributors have performed important roles in driving the Animation Studio business in Nigeria. This compilation is unique to Nairametrics and could also be up to date periodically to replicate adjustments and developments within the subject. Feedback can be appreciated.
