We Utilize Art And Technology To Produce Cutting Edge Solutions – CEO, Komotion Studios

Mr. Kolawole Olanrewaju is the President and chief executive officer of Komotion Studio, a technologically driven company and a creative production company. He bares his mind on the broadcast and creative production industry, activities of Komotion Studios, and other sundry issues. Excerpt…

Assessment of Creative Production Business Landscape in Nigeria

The production business landscape has evolved drastically over the years. Before I set out to give birth to KOMOTION STUDIOS I acknowledged that fact. I also acknowledged that it wasn’t necessarily evolving in the positive direction. Clients tend to see production houses as well as animation houses in Nigeria as hot shops due to perception. This perception was borne out of the fact that there didn’t seem to be any properly established production business with the class, pedigree, quality and experience as their foreign counterparts. Once a perception has been built, newcomers in the same space suffer the same fate and it comes to two things…you either swim in the ocean with the fishes, or force evolution by developing lungs and wings then eventually fly. The truth is there are many production companies, while lacking in a few areas, that can definitely provide results, but perception always seems to win in the end. KOMOTION STUDIOS hopes to be the first step in changing this reality on a larger scale.

 

The name Komotion Studios

KOMOTION was coined after the word “Commotion” and also shares the same pronunciation. We believe in creating content that makes some sort of impact…the impact could be similar to a pebble causing successive ripples when thrown across a pond or a massive dispersion of birds from a tree due to the sound of a gunshot. Our ultimate goal is that whatever material comes out of our stables creates that emotional disturbance which leaves a lingering impact on the audience. So, in search of an impactful and memorable name that encompasses the vision and also tells a story of our origins as a motion design company, it was spelt KOMOTION.

 

Performance of Komotion Studios Within its Years of Operations

KOMOTION STUDIOS is barely two years old, but we strongly believe we are establishing ourselves as a creative content solutions provider in many sectors. With strong affiliations with some of the top Advertising agencies and creating engaging and award winning content for a variety of brands, we are on course to achieving our goal of becoming the most established and constantly evolving visual design and innovations company. From inception we have been observing and adapting in order to utilize our strengths wisely and in the right direction, and though it has been a long learning experience, we have kept our eye on the target and blinking is not an option.

Consistent Successes of Komotion Studios

The consistent successes of Komotion Studios can be attributed to two words…”VERSATILITY” and “FLEXIBILITY”. We believe nothing is impossible as long as the right conditions in terms of time and budget are met. We have very creative clients and most of them would love freedom to express themselves and execute ideas without thinking of production barriers. We give them the peace of mind that no matter the creative concept, we can bring it to visual reality at the highest quality attainable in the country while meeting their deadlines.

 

Innovative Initiatives in 2016

 

We are a technologically driven company and always try to find ways in which we can utilize both art and technology to produce cutting edge solutions for our clients. Technology is shaping advertising all over the world and also determines how consumers receive the messages brands are trying to pass across. KOMOTION STUDIOS engages in a lot of research and development and soaks up the latest relevant global trends, this enables us to create more interesting ways of creating content to appeal to a wider range of consumers and audiences. In 2016 in particular we began creating Virtual Reality experiences for brands who wanted a more interactive medium to communicate with consumers while entertaining them in the process. Most clients found it hard to believe we actually create Virtual Reality content right here in the country, as a matter of fact, most clients find it hard to believe we do most of the things we do…we take that as a compliment and love giving them pleasant surprises. Animated content as a tool for Digital Marketing is one of our major offerings, so in order to cut through time and efficiency barriers we also turned to technology. By utilizing state of the arts computers and motion capture technology, character based animations, visual effects and motion design can now be executed within a shorter period of time. For example, we recently executed a two minute animated introductory video for the 2016 LAIF award ceremony in just 10 days from concept to delivery. This particular project was a milestone in our efforts to structure a more efficient workflow for delivering high quality content to our clients on a reasonable budget and on time. This allows us to be more creative and focus on making the story we are trying to tell shine through.It also enables us keep to a schedule and deliver promptly.

 

Core Values or Operational Philosophy of Komotion Studios

KOMOTION STUDIOS believes that time and budget shouldn’t hinder creativity and quality. We will provide solutions to every problem if we are given a chance because we are problem solvers and it’s in our DNA. We are proactive and we believe in the saying that people never really know what they want until you show them. We learnt from experience that clients love when you pay attention and sometimes it can also mean reading between the lines to get to the meat of the matter.We are very flexible and we listen. Finally, we believe “content is King and everything else is a tool“, this is our mantra.

Competitive Edge of Komotion Studios

There are a lot of production houses, a lot of animation houses and a swarm of creative freelancers that operate on a variety of levels and classes.There aren’t really many integrated creative companies that are operating exactly the way we are. As the founder of KOMOTION STUDIOS what I personally bring to the table is experience.I worked for close to 8 years at Insight Communications which is a giant in the Advertising and marketing communications space. I grew to understand the language, to understand what clients really want, as well as what the consumer wants. While I was there I silently observed and learnt what it would take to not just run a business but a brand. This knowledge merged with my natural strengths in storytelling, art, and visual media as a whole gave me the confidence I needed to build my company brick by brick. I stumbled, I felt the pressure, but you have to love what you do and be unnaturally resilient to transform a dream to stark reality. The ability to adapt and rearrange your business model on the fly due to external changes has to come naturally, while retaining your core vision.

On the technical side we are always in tune with technological advancements that would help us give our clients the best. We specialize in 2D and 3D character animation, visual effects, production, direction and post production services, virtual reality content production and much more. We have a team that comprises of some of the best artists, writers, and strategists that have been involved in creating commercial content from the shores of Nigeria to the demanding world of Hollywood, and we are still growing.

Finally, innate creativity is a trait every team member of KOMOTION STUDIOS possesses. It can’t be bought and can’t be taught, it’s in our DNA.

 

Impact of the Initiatives Deployed

I will use one of our major clients, APC, as a case study, while it isn’t a business per say, it would serve as an example of one of our most impactful endeavours. Buhari at the time was running for presidency and there was a lot of resistance due to his perceived character and religion. We were tasked to sway perceptions through communication and visual media as well as appeal to the youths to vote for him. KOMOTION STUDIOS alongside APCs media team came up with a series of engaging content, utilizing various visual styles that appealed to the youth,and eventually aided in sealing the victory for the party. While we always stay true to our creative roots, we believe whatever we do for our clients must always be result oriented.

 

Rating Komotion Studios

Like I said earlier, there are lots of production houses, animation houses, and freelancers, most of which creatively we have immense respect for, but we all don’t have the same business model… so a mode of comparison may not be so accurate. KOMOTION STUDIOS offers a plethora of creative solutions which include concept development, full service production, visual effects, animation and motion design, all specifically geared towards providing solutions for digital marketing communication. In terms of rating, generally I would say we would prefer others to rate us through our work, and our mode of operation.

 

Projection for Komotion Studio in the next Five Years  

KOMOTION STUDIOS has a lot of stories to tell, whether it be through commercials, film, music or any other form of sensory media. We believe in creating work that touches people emotionally, work that people love, talk about and want to share or even cause a movement. We also believe in great ideas beautifully executed. Currently KOMOTION STUDIOS is prepped to offer specific digital content solutions for web and mobile, aimed at digital marketing for our clients. We will also be expanding our business to various industries including the film/entertainment industry. In the next five years, we will have a couple of international clients that we cater to with our unique offerings.

KOMOTION STUDIOS will be a brand that is recognized globally, and this will happen naturally… I am a dreamer, but by dreaming and hardwork, I and my partners have been able to build relevant businesses through identifying needs and proffering solutions. So, in the next five years, you can be sure I’m going to be dreaming of the next five years down the line.