The MultiChoice Talent Factory Academy is MultiChoice’s flagship Creating Shared Value programme aimed at ‘igniting Africa’s creative industries’ by boosting the quality of local film and television programming as well as creating a pipeline of great stories.
The Academy graduated its second set of students via a virtual ceremony earlier this month. The graduating students were provided with skillsets to develop their talent, connect with industry professionals and tell authentic African stories through a comprehensive curriculum comprising theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience in cinematography, editing, audio production and storytelling.
During the graduation ceremony, students who had displayed outstanding performance during the course of the program, won scholarships in specialized areas made possible by the partnership between MTF and its international partners namely New York Film Academy (NYFA), Dolby, Nihilent Technologies and Jasco Broadcast Solutions.
One of the recipients is Julie Ako, winner of the Nihilent Technologies eight-week scriptwriting internship on an animation series in Bollywood. She attests that the fully-funded program by MultiChoice has helped her with character development and has given her more confidence to interact and collaborate with others on an international scale.
“My experience at MTF was very useful. The academy is a unique kind of school, a program that not only promotes academic excellence but character development in such an embracing format that most conventional higher institution lack. The most vital skillset needed was a willingness to unlearn, learn and relearn.
As a function of these pillars, I learnt humility and curiosity to walk into rooms and get the most out of my time there. I have taken on territories in filmmaking that otherwise would have taken years to attain on my own.”
Joshua Tsotso, winner of the MNet 4-week Internship Award, expressed his delight to MultiChoice for the opportunity and looks forward to “creating magic” by telling significant stories that reflect the philosophies and world around him.
“My training in the academy has thoroughly and immensely prepared me for a career in the film industry through the rigorous, hands-on practicals and internship experience I’ve had. We were exposed to different types of productions in the country ranging from location shoot, studio productions, live broadcasts, OB van productions, as well as the theoretical studies on art appreciation, film business, broadcast standards and film production.
These were done in partnership with prestigious institutions such as the Pan-Atlantic University, Henley Business School Africa and the New York Film Academy” he explained.
Gbenga Gomes, winner of the Jasco AVID Composer License Award describes his experience as educative and fun. When asked what his plans and aspirations are going forward, he said “I want to create more documentaries that will help to broaden the knowledge of our youths on the African culture. I want to create beautiful and impactful movies.” He also explained that with the experience gotten from the training, he will have 95% chances of making it in the film industry because the academy has made him better at directing and producing.
The Chief Executive Officer, MultiChoice Nigeria, John Ugbe, who spoke at the virtual graduation explained that 2020 was undoubtedly tough due to COVID-19 but the ability of all the 20 students to quickly adapt and transition from physical to virtual learning speaks to the world-class nature of the academy’s course.
“This is a proud moment for everyone involved in ensuring that the students became graduates. It’s also been fulfilling to see just how in-tune this next generation of African storytellers are with the importance of being multi-skilled and intuitive creatives,” Ugbe said.
Other recipients of prizes include Abisola Aboaba, the top graduate of his set who won an eight-week scholarship at NYFA, Igho Arusi Avuirovarie who won the Jasco Broadcast Solution AVID Pro Tools licence, Eric Kafui Okyerefo, Chioma Paul-Dike and Avuirovarie Igho Arusi, winners of the CEO Award for innovation for building Ekho media, a streaming platform for short films and content creators.
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