ADA LABS Africa launches Ada Animation in partnership with Kenya Film Commission




ADA LABS AFRICA has launched Ada Animation, an animation hub set to catalyze the animation industry and create massive opportunities for young people in Kenya and beyond. The launch included the official announcement of its flagship program, Ada Animation Bootcamp in partnership with the Kenya Film Commission 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.

(TOP: L-R – Walter Mongare, Director Youth & Development, Office of the President; Timothy Owase, CEO, Kenya Films Commission; John Kamara, CEO and Founder, Ada Labs Africa and Ada Animation; Irene Kiwia, co-founder, Ada Labs Africa & CEO Twaa Mentorship; Kenneth Namunje, CEO, Kipeto Energy; Michael Onyango, Future of Work, Thought Leader).

Ada Animation aims to create collaborative platforms where key stakeholders in the industry work together to create shared value through skills development, content creation, technology integration and disruptive distributions that will offer opportunities for animators to create wealth for themselves and build a thriving animation economy.

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.

Speaking at the event, John Kamara, the 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.”

Giving a keynote address at the event, Timothy Owase, the 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.”

The Ada Animation Bootcamp, which officially began in early September 2020, and scheduled to run for three months, aims to mentor, train and upskill animation students from USIU-Africa’s Animation Department and Africa Digital Media Institute (ADMI) by connecting them with global renowned experts who sit as Bootcamp mentors. This has offered a fusion of interactive training experiences that has sharpened the bootcampers skills and ignited their ability to create world class content. Furthermore, Ada Animation has allowed the bootcampers to explore their active imagination and create cutting edge animation content that will build their portfolio in readiness for the world.

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 Bootcamp has 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, the CEO of Kijik Multimedia Inc among others.

The partnership also stated that the boot camp being a flagship programme will be rolled out across Kenya in 2021.

According to the Global Animation, VFX & Games Industry: Strategies & Opportunities for 2019, the total value of the global animation industry was $259 billion in 2018 and is projected to reach US$ 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.

Ada Animation is 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. Its service offering includes; but are not limited to; Animation 2D & 3D, Motion Graphics, White board animation, VFX, Content Creation, Character Design, Voice Overs, Infographics, Animations and training.

Advert:




Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.