From industry leaders to creative minds, we will be inviting professionals in the creative industry to grace our occasion.
Stay tuned as we will be revealing them from time to time.
Comic Republic
Jide Martin is the founder of Africa’s first digital comic book company: Comic Republic. He is an illustrator, designer, producer and entrepreneur with a passion for shaping Africa’s narrative through compelling stories and art. Born in Lagos, Nigeria, his desire to showcase the beauty of African art led to the creation of the largest comic book company in Africa, and the only company to distribute weekly comics at no cost to consumers raking in over 100,000 monthly downloads on www.thecomicrepublic.com.
His books have received critical-acclaim on 5 continents with features on CNN, Forbes, BBC, Comixology, Aljazeera for the quality of the art and content produced and the potential that the Comic Republic universe presents.
Tayekeni Productions
Muyiwa Kayode is the Chief Executive Officer of USP Brand Management, Founder/Executive Producer of Tayekeni Productions and Author, The Seven Dimensions of Branding.
A multi-talented creative entrepreneur, Muyiwa graduated from the University of Lagos, with a Bachelor’s degree in English and worked with The Guardian Newspaper before switching to advertising in 1990 when he joined SO & U Saatchi & Saatchi as a copywriter. He moved to Prima Garnet Ogilvy, at inception in 1992 to set up the Agency’s Copy and Radio/TV Department.
Muyiwa was a writer and cartoonist for The Guardian Financial Weekly, Lagos Life, Guardian Express and The Sunday Magazine between 1999 and 2004.
Muyiwa wrote and produced Nigeria’s first TV commercial on a global medium for Crystal Bank in 1994. It ran for six months on CNN. He produced a similar project for Nigeria Export Processing Zones in 1997. At Prima Garnet Ogilvy, he produced a series of award winning work, and was on the team that launched LG and Multichoice in Nigeria in 1995.
In 1998, he teamed up with two partners to establish USP Communications Limited, which evolved into Nigeria’s Premier Brand management Consultancy, five years later. With USP, Muyiwa led some of the most transformational branding projects in Corporate Nigeria, with institutions which included Bank of Industry, AIICO Insurance, Zinox Technologies, Intercontinental Bank, Unity Bank and Prudent Bank.
Muyiwa has produced several documentaries and television commercials for local and multinational clients. He is a writer, actor, artist, producer and musician. With a band he formed in 2003, UMUNTU BAND, he produced and released the single Ya Fun Were Ni, in May 2013. He also produced the cartoon animation musical video for that music.
He is the creator and producer of the multiple award winning animation series Adventures of Turtle Taido, which has aired on pan Africa cable and television networks as well as in the United Kingdom. He is the Festival Director of Lagos International Festival of Animation LIFANIMA, which he founded in 2017 and which is now one of the largest animation film festivals on the African continent, drawing more than 900 entries from more than 70 countries around the world.
https://www.instagram.com/magiclabacademy/
https://www.twitter.com/magiclabacademy/
David Victorious, a young Nigerian visionary, is passionate about fostering creative talent and driving economic growth in Africa.
He currently serves as the Head of Growth and Marketing at Magic Carpet Studios, a leading animation and storytelling company in Nigeria.
David is also the Co-founder and CEO of Magic Lab Academy, an internationally accredited animation school. His unwavering commitment to skill development and the growth of Africa's economy sets him on a path to make a significant impact on the continent's creative and educational landscape.
Instagram : @francis_y_brown
Linkedin : Francis Y. Brown
Facebook : Francis Y. Brown
Francis Y. Brown, the visionary founder and creative director of AnimaxFYB Studios, hails from Ghana and stands as an acclaimed filmmaker with a diverse skill set in various cinematic mediums. With over a decade of expertise in the audio-visual realm, Brown has garnered accolades for his outstanding contributions. A distinguished member and esteemed Jury member of the International Academy of Arts and Sciences (EMMY), he further extends his influence as a Jury member at MIPCOM in Cannes. Beyond his impactful roles, Brown shares his wealth of knowledge as a frequent speaker at various film and television forums globally, solidifying his reputation as a luminary in the industry.
Instagram: @ferdyadimefe
Linkedin: Ferdinand Adimefe
Ferdinand Adimefe is a creative entrepreneur, cultural architect, a policy enthusiast and winner of the United Nations Innovation Challenge for the Sahel 2022.
He is the Chief Executive Officer of Magic Carpet, an innovation storytelling company committed to transforming the human consciousness focused on African creativity.
www.vxanimation.com
@somtoajuluchukwu
@vxanimation
born February 24th, 1991 is an award winning, emerging Animation Film Director, Producer & Executive. Also founder of Vortex Corp a creative content company keen on exporting African culture.
He began his professional career as a film maker in 2014 after founding Vortex Studios, an animation and comic book company where he Directed his first short animated film in 2016 called Town Crier, and has since then produced & Directed Orange City (2019) which traveled across 26 countries in 4 continents and most recently GLYCH (2022) which served as opening film at the RENDACON ANIMATION FILM FESTIVAL (2022) Lagos, Nigeria.
Somto Ajuluchukwu has directed and produced multiple animated music videos for Afrobeat stars such (REMA, WIZKID) and International acts (BRENT FAIYAZ and WALSHY FIRE - Major Lazer). In 2017 comic-book character published by Vortex Comics Strike Guard was listed 15 most influential black super heroes in the world by CBR (Comic Book Resources) and later produced as a 6 minute animated short film featured on VICE & Design Indaba in 2017.
In late 2017 he launched C3 Africa (Creative Content Conference) Nigerias first content market serving as meeting point for international companies discovering and buying Nigerian content, this expanded to the Accra for its second edition in August 2018, and has become a blue print of B2B events connecting the local entertainment industry to international stake holders.
In October 2018, African International Film Festival Appointed him Coordinator Animation programmes where he served for 1 year.
In 2021 Somto won his first animation film award at the NAICCON Film Festival. Nairobi, Kenya (Best Animation, 2021) and his 2nd award at the Afrocomic Con Film Festival. Los Angeles, USA (Best Animation, 2022).
Somto Ajuluchukwu is based in Lagos, Nairobi & Accra.
https://www.facebook.com/TheStorytellerPod
https://www.instagram.com/the_storyteller_pod/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/34816985/admin/feed/posts/
Natasje van Niekerk, a screenwriter with a 20-year career, has written for multiple TV series, feature films, and children's shows, earning multiple international awards. Currently based in Ireland, she works in Development for an Irish animation company.
Martin Ejenobor is a Business Adviser, Innovation Strategist, Trainer, Thinker and Entrepreneur. His consulting experience spans various industries various sectors including Marketing, Strategy and Human Resource, Food and Beverage, Not-For-Profit, Information Technology (IT), Sports, Entertainment, Logistics, FMCG, Learning and Development, Gaming and Agriculture as well as several functional areas such as Supply Chain Management. Martin has varied experience in assisting clients with company structuring for international expansion and business innovation. He has conducted trainings on Strategic Innovation for The Nigerian-American Chamber of Commerce, Dufil, African Management Services Company (AMSCO), Casafina, The Nigerian-French Chamber of Commerce, Sky Capital Limited amongst others.
He is highly creative and has good analytical skill. Martin has over twenty-three (23) years-professional experience coupled with more than 22-years-experience in the Not-for-Profit sector.
Martin served on the Advisory Board for Oct27 Perfumes – an online perfume wholesale and retail service.
He served as Chief of Staff/ Head Investment and subsequently General Manager at Magic Carpet Labs.
He served in management capacity Revele Consulting a Business and Innovation Advisory firm and is the Founder/ CEO of Casafrique Nigeria- a property technology [proptech] firm based in Lagos.
Mounia Aram Company
Mounia Aram is an engaged entrepreneur with more than 20 years expertise in Animation industry. She founded her company Mounia Aram Company in 2019 that focuses on enlightening the talents from the African continent and the caribbean by producing, distributing animation series and also launching animation training programs in Africa (summer schools in Ghana, Workshops in Egypt, masterclasses in South Africa and in 2024 a school in Morocco) She travels the world to speak about her engagement towards more diversity in kids content and advocating for the emerging talents from Africa by giving masterclasses and keynotes.
Since 2020 she is a member of the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (Emmy Awards) In 2021, she became Africa Council Chair at the Geena Davis Institute for Gender in Media November 2021 she won the Black in Animation Award in the Cultural Innovator Category She is a board member of the Diversify TV Awards that aim to bring attention to deserving programmes of diverse and inclusive background.
July 2022 she was featured on CNN as "African Voices Change Maker" She is since July 2023 a lecturer at Gobelins Ecole de l'image the best animation school, teaching the business side of animation.
Radioxity Media
Instagram :@estherkemigbadamosi
Esther Kemi Gbadamosi is the Creative Director of Radioxity Media. A stop motion animator and filmmaker for over 15 years.
Her film projects have received multiple filmmaking awards including Berlinale Talents 2023, Winner MIFA Annecy 2022 Nigeria, Best Animation at the Inshort Film Festival 2021, Best Stop Motion at LIFANIMA 2022 and Best Documentary LIPFF 2019. My project 'Prepared to Die' was selected at the Durban FilmMart 2022, Capetown International Animation Festival 2022, Digital Labs Africa 2022, Animarkt Forum and MipTV Producers to Watch 2023.
She looks forward to seeing more inspiring African stories through stop motion animation.
Dash Studios
LinkedIn: http://linkedin.com/in/john-i-02b82397
John Ikpeme is the co-founder and CEO, Dash Studios. Backed by a core team, with over twenty combined years of experience in building profitable products, we intend to change the profitability landscape of African developed titles, by focusing on building world class social gaming experiences, using a GaaS model. As developers of Nouns Hunt, we intend to use this title as a launch pad to our future titles.
Linkeldn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dooshima-anger-a97244114/
Twitter: @DooshimaGames
Instagram: @dooshimagame
Dooshima Anger is a developer of fun and exciting mobile, PC, and WebGL games of more than four years of experience before transitioning to a software developer at (Flexip Group software development) for two years.
She has gained sufficient knowledge to take a step ahead in taking up more roles as an indie freelancer games developer.
She worked as an indie game developer with game studios like Maliyo Games and game publishers like Voodoo, Crazy-hub, and Moonee, building and testing both casual and hypercasual, and have published more than 10 games on the Google Play store working with both Unity and Unreal engine.
Instagram :adeoyin_ko / taepsstudios
Website :https://taepsstudios.com
Adeoyin Okuboyejo studied Computer Science at the University of Aberdeen for four years. Within those four years, gained practical experience interning at a number of companies including Shell. He then started off his career at Citibank London as a Technology Analyst in the Equities Technology team before being promoted to Assistance Vice President in the Commodities Technology team. He is now working full time as CEO at Taeps Animation Studios, a studio based in Lagos, Nigeria, focused on telling magnificent stories from the African heritage through the medium of animation.
Taeps has released two short films, The Satchel and more recently, Ewa which tells a story about a young boy, Ranti, who wants to grow taller before the next school term. Ewa plays on the popular phrase, “EAT BEANS & YOU WILL GROW”. Taeps Animation is currently working on a new set of exciting projects scheduled to be released to audiences over the coming years. Adeoyin’s goal is to build a Premier African Animation Studio that can compete globally with the likes of Disney and Pixar.
Social media handle @arttark @canyougoalone
Oyatokun gabriel (arttark) is a Nigeria 2d animator/illustrator base in lagos. He started animating 6 years ago and have previously work on some project and one of it is a big project by Magiccarpet Studios titled ‘Garbage Boy’ and ‘Trashcan’ and currently in development on ‘Meet the igwes’.
Showcased movie details
Movie/sitcom title: CAN YOU GO ALONE
Run time montage 1 minute
Pilot episode 2.45 minute
Total with end credits 3.45 minutes
Short synopsis
CAN YOU GO ALONE is about bet education and addiction of Nigerian's for gamble and average Nigerian spend thier monthly salary and allowances on gambling...so this show is created by oyatokun gabriel after spending five years as a cashier in a bet shop...so its more like a true life satire and scenario surronding the bet shop with is best friend buck and thier boss sir coco note this show is not meant to ridicule betting or any platform but to show what's on the street of lagos and teach people how to bet responsible...it's rated 18 as an adult cartoon
@edwardesene (IG, LinkedIn & X)
Edward Esene (aka Headworld) trained and practised as a geologist before delving into management, entrepreneurship, and consulting. With more than 15year training and consulting experience for indigenous firms and multinationals both within and outside Nigeria, now, Edward is a much sought-after startup coach, management & innovation consultant, business angel, access to market, and development finance expert.
Edward worked in a venture capital firm and was a frequent guest and SME Expert on Business Morning, ChannelsTV. He is also an accredited Business Development Service Provider (BDSP) by the Small and Medium Scale Enterprise Development Agency (SMEDAN) and Enterprise Development Center (EDC) of the Pan Atlantic University (PAU) of Nigeria He also attended Center for Management Development, Lagos Nigeria where he became a Certified Management Trainer and a global scholarship recipient and alumnus of the Centre for Global Excellence (CGE) New York. He has served as a faculty, mentor and consultant on several projects such as; The FGN Youwin Project, the Presidency Amnesty program, The Bank of Industry (BOI) YES-P & GEF programs, the Tony Elumelu Foundation (TEF) Entrepreneurship Program, VC4Africa Mentors Capital, Global Startup Weekend, iCEP project by Industrial Training Fund (ITF), Daystar Business Academy (DBA), United Nations Hult Prize, GIZ- GOPA SEDIN Programme, Boost With Facebook, MetaBoost, Google Digitals Skills for Africa, Google Hustle Academy across Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), Google CS Frist Project, Transforming Nigerian Youth by Mastercard Foundation, Lagos State Government LASRIC Innovation Bootcamp, The World Bank MCRP Project in North East Nigeria and Several others.
Edward Esene seat on the board of the Innovation Support Network (ISN) as a director; https://techeconomy.ng/innovation-support-network-isn-elects-new-board/
An access to funds, expert. Edward is a 2023 Google grant awardee and multi grants recipient and expert. He is about
to launch his online course and book #GrantSuccess – to help aspiring entrepreneurs , startups and organizations access grant funding.
He is the co-founder of Plus Incubation Hub and also works as Senior consultant at Kinetic Associates.
A former fan of Chelsea FC. Headworld loves to play chess and video games to relax. He is happily married and blessed with Kids.
His views are shaped by the Bible, self-awareness, and data.
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stuart-forrest-b849874/
Stuart Forrest is the CEO of Triggerfish, an animation studio with offices in South Africa and Ireland.
Triggerfish is the largest and most awarded animation studio in Africa. The studio has produced 3 feature films (Adventures in Zambezia, Khumba and Seal Team), and numerous short films which have won multiple International Emmy's, a BAFTA and an Oscar nomination. In 2023, Triggerfish released three original African TV series: Kiya and the Kimoja Heroes (with Hasbro Studios and Disney Jnr), Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire (for Disney+), Supa Team 4 (for Netflix) and the short film Aau’s Song, for the Star Wars anthology Visions Part 2.
@the_ebunoluwa (Instragram)
@Ebunoluwa_xo (Twitter)
Ebunoluwa Bayode-Ojo is a dedicated Entertainment and Sports Lawyer who Specialises in providing legal advisory services and representation to artists, musicians, filmmakers, and various entertainment and sports industry stakeholders. Currently an associate at Olisa Agbakoba Legal, she possesses a deep understanding of sports, entertainment, and technology law. With her expertise in negotiating contracts, managing intellectual property rights, and developing brand protection strategies, Ebunoluwa is a valuable asset to her clients and the legal profession. Ebunoluwa completed her LL.B. degree at Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti. She
successfully obtained her Nigerian Bar qualification in 2021. Her comprehensive legal training equipped her with the necessary skills to navigate the complex field of sports law.
Over the past year, she has demonstrated her expertise in handling various commercial, media, marketing, and brand-related issues. Her diverse portfolio includes managing media rights, sponsorship agreements, licensing deals, talent representation, image rights agreements, player employment contracts, and brand protection strategies for sports and entertainment properties. In other to become a recognized authority in this area of law, Ebunoluwa has actively contributed to the legal community through her publications and participation in various platforms. She has written and featured in several publications related to sports law on esteemed law blogs and websites. Ebunoluwa is an active member of the African Intellectual Property Rights Centre, where she focuses on emerging trends and developments in intellectual property law.
In addition. Ebunoluwa is a member of the Nigerian Institute of Chartered Arbitrators showcasing her commitment to alternative dispute resolution and her dedication to providing clients with effective legal solutions.
Christophe Pécot, currently Regional Audiovisual Attaché for Nigeria, Togo, Benin, Ghana and Cameroon, had been working for various French international film sales companies. He has marketed animated series, TV series, documentaries and feature films for over 20 years.
He joined the French diplomatic cultural networks in 2015, where he held the position of audiovisuel attaché in Istanbul, also covering Caucasus and Central Asia.
Shola Edu is an Experienced and versatile artist with immerse dexterity, skilled in directing creative endeavors for brands and driving the visual identity and brand tone. Collaborating with clients, he has shaped their brand vision and ensuring industry positioning. His expertise spans in Graphic Design, Animation, Motion Graphics, Game Design and Development, Architectural Visualization, 3D Modeling, and Visual Effects for film and television. He is Passionate about creating impactful and cohesive visual experiences in the creative industries.