Embrace animation industry, youth told

ANIMATION       MULTIMEDIA 

KAMPALA - With more platforms opening up for animation, the demand for animators is constantly on the rise with youth encouraged to grab opportunities in this industry.

The global animation industry is vast and widespread, estimated to be worth US$ 259 billion in 2018.

The Content Development Manager at the Uganda Communication (UCC), Ruth Kibuuka explains that animation is the industry of the 21st century that requires creative brains.

"Being an animator is one of the 21st-century jobs that you should be thinking of as a youth. The industry is growing with a lot of demand especially for local content that can be developed and sold," Kibuka said.

She said this on Tuesday during the opening of a two-day computer Arts boot camp held at UCC offices where animators and artists from around the country had gathered for exposure and networking.

Some of the animators who attended the workshop

 
"Animation is one of the industries that are growing but with few Ugandans taking it up. If you develop cartoon series in local languages, many TV stations will be ready to pay you," Kibuka said.

The boot camp was facilitated by a team of animators from the United States led by renowned animator Andrew Maximov, the founder, and CEO of Promethean AI, in Los Angeles.

"As long as you have a computer and the right software you can teach yourself animation. All you need is to invest in a lot of time," Maximov told Ugandans youths.

He explained that if one is passionate about animation and invest in their time, it will bring them money.

"Computer graphics has matured enough to tell a lot of stories. But you must do research, educate yourself about the world and pay attention to details to be the best," Maximov said.

Amaa Atabua, the coordinator Women in Animation Uganda

 
Animators are technology-driven artists who create an extensive series of images for movies, commercials and video games.

"All that matters is your work. No one is going to look at your degree, you have to be better than anyone else. The other skill you must possess is getting along well with other people," he added.

David Masanso, the director of Crossroads Digital Multimedia say the animation industry in Uganda is still young, but growing at a very fast rate.

"There are very many opportunities for young people who are passionate about creativity and animations. Animation has very many other pipeline players and thus various jobs," Masanso said.

According to the US Bureau of Labour Statistics, by 2026, the employment rate of animators is expected to have grown by 8%.

"The way forward is to look at animation as a puzzle by different players, where each player places a masterpiece to see the project through to its success," Masanso said.

He explained that there is a need to train more people to work in this industry, which is taking over the world.

The industry needs support in the form of training, funding, tax incentives, market reach, access to hardware and software, legal support to protect the content IP.

 
Uganda, alongside countries as South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Kenya, Tanzania, Ghana, Zimbabwe, and Ethiopia are emerging as the leaders from Africa through content productions as well as collaborations.

Amaa Atabua, the coordinator Women in Animation in Uganda says opportunities in the animation industry are mainly in developing content for movies, television, games, augmented reality, virtual reality, advertising, web designs and industrial applications such as architecture, engineering, industrial design, healthcare, education, medicine, and the motor industry.

"This is an industry where women can excel at the same level as men. All we need is to embrace tech and put our creative minds as women and make money," Atabua said.

She encouraged women to join the animation industry.