SUCCESS STORY: CHUKS ORIAKU
Hello Chukwukere, please tell us about yourself and your educational background.
My name is Chukwukere Michael Oriaku, I am an indigene of Abia State, Umuahia Precisely. I studied Economics at Abia State University and graduated in 2017.
You worked as a graphics designer and 3D animator at Orange VFX studios. How did you begin your journey into this career path?
I got my first computer in 2009 when I learned graphics design during my university period. After my NYSC, I was thinking of going into the Banking industry. But it wasn’t my interest, so I decided to go into 3D, although I never knew about any 3D company in Nigeria. I researched through Google, and that was how I found Orange VFX, but they did not have a branch in Abuja, where I was staying at the time, so I had to come down to Lagos for the training, and now we are here. My training at Orange VFX began with the 3D jumpstart, Character Acting, and character animation After my training, I became opportune to work with Orange VFX.
How did you discover Orange VFX studios?
As I mentioned earlier, I discovered Orange VFX when searching for Animation companies where I could learn 3D Animation after my NYSC. I had never been to any 3D Animation studio before. During my research, I discovered that they were the studio that produced the Ovie and Wale Skit, which I really loved, so I was eager to learn 3D Animation in that same studio. This made me choose Orange VFX compared to other studios I found.
After your training at Orange, who were your mentors, and how did the Mentorship impact your growth?
After the training, I was opportune to go through Mentorship, which I did for about 4 months; I was even more privileged to be mentored by Mr Richard, the MD of Orange VFX. The Mentorship showed me that 3D Animation was more than I thought it was and that Orange VFX would support me. He was supportive. I decided to take it further and applied for the internship, which was granted. I gathered a lot of knowledge during my training, which made Orange allow me to intern with them.
How long did you work for the company?
I have been in Orange VFX studios for the past two years. I started in 2021.
What was your most outstanding career strength, and how did you manage your weaknesses?
My greatest career strength is that I know how to endure. I am a very passionate person when it comes to this 3D Animation. The fact that I plan to be on the bigger stage has kept me. Also, another thing that has kept me is my will and the zeal to learn more.
Every day, try to learn new things and ensure you are updated with the current trends, skills, and workflow. You might be doing something different for more extended hours when there are easier ways to do the same thing and achieve the same result with the same quality. It is a joy to remain passionate and keep the fire burning. You must do this with a high spirit; 3d Animation is very intense, takes time, and requires patience.
I am a very patient person, and I think anyone who wants to be in the 3D space has to learn how to be patient because sometimes you might be frustrated with feedback from clients, or your directors, things that could be avoided from the start, you find yourself in between, canceling Animation, re-doing them and all that. And also, working long hours requires patience and endurance; you have to learn to work long hours, which might include weekends if necessary, due to the nature of the job. Patience is the Key word there.
My weakness is that I can quickly lose interest when working if I am exhausted. So once I am tired, there is no passion or zeal to work again till I am strong enough to continue. Sometimes it hinders me because I might be working on something urgent, and I get tired in between and lose interest in continuing even when needed. Another thing is distractions , I always get tired when I am distracted or lose interest in what I am doing. In this industry, distraction comes continuously, and It is very vital to know how to manage your distraction. You will answer questions or put your colleague through something, distracting you from what you are doing. That is a key area I am working on, managing distraction.
Let’s talk about the company’s culture and the challenges you faced while working at Orange VFX. Were there policies in the company that affected your work? How did you manage the challenging situations?
The major challenge I faced when I was working was the location. My home address was far from work. Going through traffic daily to the office and back home was challenging. You have to wake up early and prepare. Sometimes you get to the office too early, and other times you are late. Most times, when you get to the office, you are too tired because of the stress of coming and going home. You get home late, which was really hard to deal with. Another challenge was the tight schedule that they usually have and the deadlines. There are jobs we do that should take a month, but due to back and forth and maybe some issues on the client’s part, when they delay and still insist that we deliver at the due date. That impacted me because we had to work back-to-back and long hours to deliver.
What are your next career steps?
My next career step is to continue learning to move from Animation up to the level of VFX for Animation, FX in particular, so I can aim to become a director for feature films and games and hopefully work in some of the biggest studios like Pixar and Disney.
What advice will you give those who want to enter this industry? How can they improve themselves in this career path?
The first thing I want to tell those aspiring to come to this industry is to have their mind made up. It won’t be easy, and it won’t be difficult; just try to be focused and determined to be in this industry, and don’t ever think of giving up. To be honest, you will face many challenges, but if you have your mind on the ball, all challenges will be easy to bypass and face if necessary.