Media Innovator Awards 2020

Jul20231 Best Multicultural Animation Studio 2020 Video has such an important role to play in the media landscape, and animation offers storytellers the freedom to share their vision in a truly unique way. For the team at Afrika Toon, the strengths of animation are what has allowed them to work in many different sectors of media production. We take a closer look at this impressive firm to see what has driven them to such high levels of success. Founded in 2005, Afrika Toon has quickly made a name for itself as one of the leading lights of Africa’s film industry. With a team of impressively high calibre, and a passion for telling stories that others might ignore, it’s easy to see how they’ve managed to achieve so much in such a short period of time. At the heart of Afrika Toon are the talented animators, artists and graphic designers who bring each production to life. The team work on a variety of different projects, pushing into new mediums every year. So far, the team have been proud to work on web series, tv series and their own feature films. Needless to say, this breadth of activity reflects the impressive range of the company’s capacity. Recently, the firm has explored the creation of its own apps, applying its considerable skill to bringing this vision to life. With a strong commitment to quality, it’s little wonder that the Afrika Toon team has also invested in new equipment to allow them to produce animations of the highest quality. The team can operate successfully in both 2D and 3D animation, with team members experienced in the intricacies of both. The use of the latest software, such as Autodesk Maya, Toon Boom, Anime Studio and Adobe After Effects, makes the process of production much more straight-forward for all concerned. Any technological change must be matched by training the workforce to use the new resources in the most economical manner. Afrika Toon prides itself on not only using the most sophisticated software, but on having a team that can leverage this advantage to the fullest. Internal training workshops are organized at regular intervals to allow graphic designers to be up to date with new ways of working. Software and animation techniques evolve very quickly, and it pays to be ahead of the curve. Over the last fifteen years, it’s clear that this way of thinking has paid dividends for the studio. Its YouTube channel boasts over 1,000,000 subscribers and it is often considered to be the first animation studio in French-speaking Africa to have produced an animated feature film. This success has led the leaders of the firm setting themselves the challenge of producing one animated feature film per year. While many companies would settle, content with their achievements, it’s little surprise that the Afrika Toon team continues to aim ever higher. Of course, achieving such success is a credit to the firm, and is a result of an attitude that not only encourages ambition, but allows its team to make mistakes. This is not always easy, as mistakes can be costly, but in an endeavour such as this, it allows creativity to flourish. The continued achievements and innovation of the firm are a credit to the team’s leaders, who allow them to explore the possibilities presented to them. In all, Afrika Toon’s success is due in no small part to the ambition with which its team operates. Few can argue with their impressive flexibility, allowing them to work in a multitude of mediums. When combined with a way of working that keeps looking forward, this is a studio that will be around for years to come. Company: Afrika Toon Name: Abel N’guessan Kouame Web Address: www.afrikatoon.com