The world is plagued with issues like poverty, lack to access to good education, good water, and other vital human needs. Many young people suffer these ordeals not by choice but because of circumstances beyond their control. Does an ordinary man have any hope? How can people survive these conditions without the help of good-hearted individuals?

On the 23 of February 1905 in Chicago, Paul Harris founded the Rotary club. The core objectives of the Rotary club were to provide community service, promote integrity and advance goodwill. In different continents, members of the rotary club have a track record of solving some of the world’s most challenging problems. Annually, they award men and women in different capacities who engage in any form of humanitarian service.

Mr Richard Oboh, Managing Director, Orange VFX Studios, was given the Humanitarian Service Award by the Rotract Club of Ikate on 29 of October 2022. This is a well-deserved award, as he has proven to be of service to the growth and development of many young Africans.

He is committed to providing training and mentorship for young people who want to get into the Createch industry; he expressed his commitment by building one of the best training digital art schools in West Africa, with a vision to train 1000 youths annually. He also supports gender inclusion and has launched the Sue-Inspire foundation. The foundation’s objective is to empower women and youth with the skills required to set them on the path to financial freedom. A scholarship worth N200, 000 is awarded to 12 people annually to take any course offered at Orange VFX training school.

There are many reasons why investing in developing African youth talent can be beneficial. Here are a few:

1. Economic growth: Africa has a young and rapidly-growing population, and investing in its youth’s development can help drive economic growth and create new business opportunities.
2. Social impact: Investing in African youth can help to address issues of poverty, inclusion and inequality and create a more equal and prosperous society.
3. Leadership development: Investing in the development of African youth can help to cultivate the next generation of leaders who can drive positive change and progress in their communities and beyond.
4. Talent retention: Investing in African youth can help to keep talented individuals in Africa rather than seeing them migrate to other countries in search of opportunities.

Awards of recognition are tremendous, and they encourage their recipients to do more. However, people are encouraged to carry out humanitarian services in any capacity they find themselves. It takes a collective effort to make the world a better place. Overall, investing in developing African youth talent is crucial because it can help drive economic growth, address social issues, cultivate leadership, and retain talent in Africa. We are also calling for partnership and sponsorships for the Sue Inspire foundation; if you want to be a part of what we do, visit our website www.orangevfx.com/scholarship!

LAGOS COMIC CONVENTION

Imagine a hall filled with like-minded people who will inspire you and challenge your thoughts! The 10TH edition of the Lagos Comic Con event held on the 17TH Of September, 2022, at Landmark Event center, Victoria Island, Lagos.

The event witnessed over a thousand attendees from different parts of Nigeria; high-profile people and representatives from the French Embassy were also present with the French ambassador to Nigeria, Mrs. Emmanuelle Blatmann.

The organizers did a great job with the event setting; it allowed attendees to meet and network with one another, which is one of the event’s goals. I attended for the first time, and it was worth every second of my time. I will share everything I experienced in this post, so if you are interested in knowing more about the event, keep reading.

BACKGROUND OF LAGOS COMIC CON

Lagos Comic Convention is a festival celebrating the finest of Africa’s creative talents as expressed in Comics, Animation, Films, Books, and Gaming. It employs exciting avenues like Exhibitions, Master Classes, Panel Discussions, Cosplays, Competitions, and Raffles to provide a rich space for markets, networking, capacity building, and enriching the fan base of creative brands.

Founded in 2012, the event has grown from an attending crowd of about 300 to hosting over 6000 guests. The Lagos Comic Convention features the core areas of the broader creative industry, like comics, books, gaming, film, animation, and even VR.

Tickets are usually sold on the website, and at the venue, you are free to pick any tickets that suit you. There are six options to choose from, such as the VIP or VVIP tickets which allow you to attend master classes by top industry players. There was also a regular ticket available, and all tickets had their benefits exclusive to the ticket type.

THE 10TH EDITION OF THE LAGOS COMIC CON

This edition of Lagos Comic Con was fun and fantastic, but I think it still lacked something important. Publicity ought to be done to encourage people not already in the industry to attend, and events like this will pique their interest and make them choose to join too.

Lagos Comic Con had sponsorship from organizations like the French Consulate to Nigeria, FilmOne, Raptures.io, uLesson, ParaTv, Acada Extra, Spoof Animation, bookause, and many others. Some sponsors also came with lots of freebies: free drinks, popcorn, T-shirts from Raptures.io, and ice cream.

The pitch session was great, although I think the organizers need to rethink the strategy because while some studios pitched, the audience who should listen was busy with other affairs, and the distractions reduced their attention.

There was also a panel session with outstanding speakers. Some remarkable speakers were; Seyi Awolowo, Adachukwu Oduniwe, Charles Novia, Ayodele Elegba, Judith Audu, Uche Agbo, Adaeze Nnabuchi, our MD, Richard Oboh, and many others. The conversations were enlightening as the speakers hit on important subjects aimed at moving the industry to another level.

Panel Session with MD Orange VFX studios: Mr. Richard Oboh

Another fantastic way to get people interested in your art at Comic Con is through the exhibition. We had a stand like many other studios; we premiered our newly released Buga skit. We also had some tickets for a lucky dip. The idea was for people to pay a token to qualify for the lucky dip. If you are fortunate, you can pick a ticket to get up to a 30% discount off any of our courses. Sadly, many people did not take advantage of that fantastic offer. In-house, we think our marketing was not so strong, and for next year’s event, we will strengthen our marketing to get more people interested in our offers.

The team members and I had a fantastic time at our exhibition stand, the guests who came around flattered us with their comments. These words encouraged us to continue to give our best because people are watching and drawing their inspiration from our works. I can’t forget a father who was eager to register his young son to train with us; it was a delight hearing him talk about how fascinated he is by our works.

Orange VFX exhibition stand

Many other studios came with their comics, and we heard many powerful stories behind these arts. It was thrilling. We got comics from Kugali studios titled Oro and also from Brown Roof studios, and they have a series called Jakuta. We met the Director of Arts at Taeps Animation studios, who narrated the story behind their short film, Ewa. There’s so much to look out for in the industry. Finally, we will not forget to mention Cosplay, the short form of Costume Play. It was a show of costumes, characters, and creativity. The audience enjoyed it because they decided on the winner, and he was awarded a cash prize of N50, 000.

We appreciate events like Comic Con that bring creative minds together to meet, discuss their art, and build long-lasting relationships. Since its inception, Comic Con has improved every year, but with more sponsorship and partnerships, the achievements will be more remarkable, brands will gain more visibility, and they can even close big partnership deals like that of Kugali and Disney.

Orange VFX and Kugali.

“Good leaders have a vision and inspire others to help them turn vision into reality. Great leaders have a vision, share vision, and inspire others to create their own.”
― Roy Bennett

Sproutly interviewed Mr. Richard Oboh, the MD of Orange VFX studios and in his interview, he shared how he turned his hobby into a profitable business. You can read this interview on Sproutly’s Blog.

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