25th November 2020… Kenya Film Commission hosted a joint press briefing to outline its partnership with ADA Labs Africa to host an animation bootcamp – a move that will see emerging animators in Kenya trained by professionals drawn from around the world.
This is part of the Commission’s initiative to build capacity of the Kenyan film industry with the aim of increasing the pool of skilled professionals in the field of animation. This bootcamp will provide the emerging animators with requisite skills and opportunities for mentorship by tapping into the vast wealth of knowledge and experience from industry professionals and collaboration to produce quality projects that are competitive on the global platform.
Through this partnership, the Commission hopes to put Kenya on the map as an animation powerhouse on the African continent whilst creating job opportunities and other commercial ventures for the youth. This comes on the backdrop of the recent launch of Gaming and Animation equipment and software at the Swahili Pot Hub by the Commission as part of its initiative to empower the creative community in Mombasa County with state-of-the-art technology to compete favourably in the local and international film environments.
Giving a keynote address at the event, Mr. Timothy Owase – CEO, Kenya Film Commission stated that, “Games and Animation offer great opportunities for the Kenyan creative community to tap into. Over 1.6 billion people around the world consume animation content with an estimated revenue projection of £82 billion by end of 2020. Animation has gone beyond entertainment and now offers a myriad of opportunities for the creative and technological sectors through development of Artificial Intelligence, Data Science, Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality products.”
Also speaking at the event, Mr. Kamara – CEO, ADA Lab Africa expounded that, “Ada Animation aims to create a catalytic platform for the youth of Africa that ignites the evolution of change that will directly impact, reshape and engineer the belief of the next generation to harness and own their future. Our job is to drive that vision home using animation as our tool, in the sheer belief that creative minds are the future of the industry that will help Africa flourish and conquer new heights.”
Emily Nyabere – a USIU lecturer noted, “USIU is thrilled to be at the center of this animation boot camp that provides the perfect opportunity to bring together students, industry practitioners and educators, bridging the gap between academia and industry. Our students have been exposed to both the local and international scope of industry and new innovations. The program has established a platform for networking and collaboration opportunities, providing our students with social and project management skills essential in any work environment.”
Ada Animation has already secured mentors with a wealth of knowledge and experience in their own right from across the world including Dean Lyon – Director at Mana Animation, Jack Giarraputo – Co-founder of Happy Madison Productions and Kevin Sharpley – CEO of Kijik Multimedia Inc among others.
Ada Animation recently partnered with United States International University Africa (USIU) in its inaugural edition for a three-month virtual boot camp to bridge the skill gap of creatives, in the animation field in Kenya. The boot camp which officially began 19th September 2020, has been running for three months with the aim to mentor, train and upskill USIU animation students by connecting them with global renowned experts who will sit as bootcamp mentors. This has offered a fusion of interactive training experiences, that has sharpened the bootcamper’s skills and ignited their ability to create world class content. Furthermore, Ada Animation has allowed the bootcamper’s to tell compelling African stories to Africa, and the rest of the world.
At the end of the three-month boot camp, each student who will take part in the Animation boot camp will be awarded an Ada Animation Certificate and will be allowed to use the content they created to boost their portfolios. Ada Animation will also offer four phenomenal students internship opportunities in the team while working closely with the mentors.
ADA Lab Africa also stated that the boot camp being a flagship programme, it will schedule more modules in the near future, to further align in bridging the animations skills gap in Africa.
According to the Global Animation, VFX & Games Industry: Strategies & Opportunities for 2019, the total value of the global animation industry was US$ 259 billion in 2018 and is projected to reach US$ 270 billion by 2020. The report further stated that the demand for animation, VFX and gaming has expanded with the increase in targeted broadcasting hours by cable and satellite TV, availability of low-cost internet access, penetration of mobile devices alongside the growing popularity of streaming video. In addition, the demand for Animation and VFX content to power immersive experiences such as Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality is growing exponentially.
The rapid advancement of technology has made animation, VFX & games available to the masses, and this industry has become one of the fastest growing segments in the global media and entertainment market. Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning based techniques are currently used for in-game analytics, customer acquisition, retention, cross-sell, churn, classified player behavior among other elements.
About ADA Animation
“Ada Animation” an innovative African animation studio hub with a mission to develop top-tier animators in Kenya and across Africa by providing young and ambitious animators with the necessary skills, tools, mentorship and platforms to create and share African stories with Africa and the world.
KENYA FILM COMMISSION is a State Corporation established vide legal notice No.147 of 2015, under the State Corporations Act, Cap 446 Laws of Kenya. Its mandate includes; development and promotion of the film industry locally and internationally; facilitating growth of the film industry; generating, managing and disseminating film industry research, information and market data, acting as a repository and archive of Kenya’s film records; promoting and facilitating the development of local content; establishing incubation centers for the film industry in Kenya, among others.
