Sporedust is a digital animation and media solutions company with a mission to create top quality content and entertainment experiences through animation and technology. Sporedust studio commenced operations under the Sporedust Media brand early in 2012 and is located in Lagos, Nigeria.
Sporedust was founded by individuals from different backgrounds who say were brought together by their passion for animation from an African perspective. The include;
- Shina Ajulo, C.E.O.: A self taught animator giving managerial and technical direction to the team. He is also the face of the company and has led talks on Sporedust at events like TEDx Victoria Island & Lagos Comic Con.
- Ekene “Ape” Agu, Lead Animator: Credited for conceptualizing the studio’s flagship brand, “Chicken Core”, Ekene is the Sporedust’s lead animator and creative genius behind core concept and character designs emanating from the studio.
- Ede Omokhudu, Operations Manager: Passionate about making animation features, Ede’s eye for detail and push for process efficiency & effectiveness has him defining new methods for Sporedust’s daily operations.
- Ola Oyo, Finance & Accounting Manager: Also called the Abacus of Sporedust, Ola gives financial direction with focus on growth opportunities of the studios product offerings.
- Oricha Aliyu, Chief Creative Officer: Credited for directing the studio’s first short film and being the lead script writer on Sporedust creations, Oricha’s drive for perfection and focus on the story provides the creative direction needed to instill emotions of the studio’s concepts.
- Adebayo Owoeye, Production Supervisor: In line with operational efficiency, Adebayo coordinates multiple product schedules for the studios range of content assuring they meet quality and time specifications.
- Aide Omokhudu, Non Executive Director: Though not engaged in daily activities, Aide provides a broad overview of Sporedust’s core organizational goals and strategic direction.
TechMoran caught up with the team and this is what they told us.
What problem do you solve?
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Sporedust intends to bridge the gap between African stories and quality animation. Influenced by Nigerian culture and the stories we were told growing up, Sporedust has a vision to share African stories by Africans for a wider audience.
Tell us how Sporedust works?
We commence with an emotionally driven story backed by cultural sensitivities, develop the outline and then the final script tweaked to suit the intended audience. This is then passed on to our audio team who create a variety of musical scores, voice casting and direction setting the tone for timing of our animation. Templates from the audio team are then passed on to the story board, background and character design teams who then conceptualize on-screen and paper versions of what we intend to achieve. The storyboard is then timed and an animatic is produced which is ready for use by the 2D animation team. Completed scenes from the animation department are then forwarded for post-production where flaw fixing, visual effects, score blending and sound effects are all composited and finally rendered to give what you see.
What have you achieved to date?
We have a variety of concepts in development. Our first and most publicized is “Chicken Core” with a short film titled “Rise of Kings” . Chicken Core was planned as a movie/TVseries with a wide array of animal characters. Rise of Kings is a back story and the events that follow will comprise the main plot on which the concept is based. From the short film, viewers will realize that the chickens had been through perilous times and the Crow King was only a puppet for a more ominous character. The key protagonists in the short film are Patti Atti and Wasa leading the chicken kingdom towards liberation. Considering the word “chicken” is mostly associated with weakness, the story aims to inspire, bravery and hope.
How is the progress?
We are yet to release a full feature which is currently in its pre-production phase. But we are focused on all animation lovers we can reach through our stories.
What is your business model?
Sporedust’s business is currently focused on the entertainment industry. Our intentions are to extend the reach of Nollywood through animation adding to the prestigious position the industry currently occupies.
How is animation where you are, any competition?
Animation in Nigeria is at its infancy, we don’t look at other animation studios as competitors but rather collaborators. We consider it vital to build a strong animation community through which producers can network, benefit off a common vision, create industry standards and symbiotically co-exist within the niche we are all carving.
How unique are you from the competition?
It’s hard to tell as details of animation studios core competencies are sketchy. However, we believe that future market response will better discriminate across key indices of animation studios.
Any funding yet?
The studio is currently self-funded and executively produced the Rise of Kings short film.
Partnership?
We are currently developing our client and partnership portfolios. Release of the short film exposed us to a wide array of opportunities which are organically developing strategic alliances between Sporedust and interested collaborators.
Challenges?
Our greatest challenges are associated with inconsistent power within the region which proved to be a major setback while producing the short film.
What’s next on your plate?
We are looking a kicking off our independent productions in 2013 possibly commencing with Chicken Core as a movie and/or TV series. Our script writers have intelligently modified it to fit both formats enabling us to quickly move into full production on deciding which avenue to explore. We also intend to expand free downloads available from our website bringing our followers closer to experiences of their favorite characters.
