Nissi Ogulu is a trailblazing Nigerian singer-songwriter, engineer, and founder of Creele Animation Studios. She is revolutionising the landscape of African animation with her latest 3D short film SOPO, which is set to premiere in May 2025. SOPO is a visually stunning celebration of music, Afrobeat, and the cultural movement that shaped a global wave. Ogulu in this interview discussed the business of African animation, Creele Studios role, and how indigenous African animated Intellectual Property (IPs) are the next big thing for global cinema. Excerpts by JOHN SALAU:
Can you tell us about your journey from working at Jaguar Land Rover to co-founding Kemet automotive and your current mission in African storytelling and animation?
I’m a composing artist, visual artist, and entrepreneur. I’m the founder of Creele Animation Studios and the co-founder of Kemet Automotive. My journey has been diverse, exciting, and rewarding. I started in the automotive industry, working as part of the Jaguar Land Rover engineering team that designed the fifth-generation Range Rover. This experience was invaluable, allowing me to cultivate knowledge, skills, and industry understanding. Transitioning from Jaguar Land Rover to co-founding Kemet automotive was a natural progression of my dream to create impactful products with global appeal. My time at Jaguar Land Rover was instrumental in cultivating my knowledge, skills, and industry understanding. I gained valuable insights into leadership dynamics, teamwork, and the intricate phases of development and production. This experience provided me with invaluable knowledge that I now apply to my current endeavours. Recognizing this, I view my career as a continuous learning journey. There’s always more to learn, especially in emerging fields like electric vehicle technology and data science. I’m excited to keep growing and applying new knowledge to drive innovation in the automotive sector. That is why in everything I do, my mission is to represent African excellence and showcase our potential on a global stage. Whether it’s through innovative automotive design, captivating animation, or my music, I’m committed to putting Africa on the map in various industries.
Which of your diverse talents would you say best describes your person?
It’s quite challenging for me to single out one talent as more defining than the others (chuckles). All of these abilities—my music, visual art, engineering skills, and entrepreneurial ventures—are integral parts of who I am. They collectively shape my identity and form the various channels through which I express myself. I believe that the essence of who I am goes beyond these talents. My character, values, and how I interact with others are equally, if not more, important in defining me as a person. I place great significance on human connections and personal interactions. So, my talents are the means through which I express myself and contribute to the world. But my core identity is rooted in my character, my values, and how I relate to others. It’s the combination of all these elements—my skills, my passions, and my personal attributes—that truly defines who I am.
So, what is the drive with Creele Animation Studios?
At Creele Animation Studios, our foundation is storytelling, with a focus on showcasing Africa’s rich cultural heritage. Our mission is to bring African stories to the forefront of global animation, create authentic representation for younger generations, and make African culture appealing and relatable to a wide audience. We believe that by producing content that accurately reflects African voices, experiences, and perspectives; we can achieve two important outcomes. First, we provide the rest of the world with an authentic view of African culture and identity. Second, we foster a sense of pride and self-recognition among African audiences. By creating animations that people can relate to, we’re opening up new possibilities for African youth to see themselves represented in media and to envision opportunities they might not have considered before. Our content aims to make African culture “cool” again, ensuring that when we see and hear ourselves in the media we consume, it resonates deeply and authentically. Our upcoming project, ‘SOPO,’ a 3D animated short exemplifies our commitment to telling uniquely African stories. Set to premiere in May 2025, it represents a significant step in establishing African animation on the global stage and furthering our mission of cultural representation and storytelling.
You recently announced your 3D animation project called SOPO. What inspired this film?
SOPO is a short film that explores the delicate balance between expectation and passion while highlighting the transformative power of parental support in a child’s development. The film delves into themes like the impact of talent and education on personal growth, the crucial role of parental support in boosting a child’s confidence, and how acknowledgement and praise can significantly influence future performance. By showcasing these elements, we aim to emphasize the importance of supportive parenting in character development. SOPO illustrates how a simple ‘job well done’ can profoundly affect a child’s approach to future challenges.
There’s a perception that audiences connect more with conventional human characters in live-action films. Why did you choose animation for SOPO instead?
Thanks for this question. Animation offers unique storytelling possibilities that transcend the limitations of reality. It allows us to visually express abstract concepts and imagination in ways that live-action films cannot. With SOPO, we wanted to explore the world of music and creativity in a way that’s both fantastical and emotionally resonant. Animation gives us the freedom to depict what exists in the mind’s eye. For instance, we can visualize the experience of being immersed in sound or show musical notes literally flying through the air. These visual metaphors help convey the emotional and sensory aspects of music that are often difficult to capture in live-action. It allows us to blend fantasy and reality seamlessly. We can create scenarios and characters that might be impossible or impractical in live-action, yet still evoke genuine emotions and connections with the audience. This flexibility is particularly valuable when telling stories rooted in imagination and artistic expression. By choosing animation for SOPO, we’re able to create a visual language that mirrors the boundless creativity of music itself. Our goal is to bring to life on screen the vivid imagery that exists in our individual minds when we experience music, providing a shared visual experience of something typically personal and intangible.
You appear as an advocate of animation in Nigeria and across Africa…
Absolutely. I’m a passionate advocate for the animation industry in Africa. When we look at the Western world and Asia, animation plays a crucial role in their cultural storytelling. Many companies have recognized the power of animation in how we consume media and stories. Unfortunately, we haven’t yet fully developed this potential from an African perspective. This is particularly disappointing because Africa has one of the richest cultural heritages on the planet. By not fully embracing animation, we’re doing ourselves a disservice. We must start to turn the tide and invest more in animation. By doing so, we can create content that not only resonates with local audiences but also shares our rich cultural heritage with the world. This could lead to more job opportunities, economic growth, and a stronger presence for African stories in the global media landscape.
How did music, particularly Afrobeat, influence the storytelling and production of SOPO?
SOPO is another adaptation of the book ‘This Fela Sef! The Legend(s) Untold’ written by Benson Idonije and it essentially details his experience in the creation of Afrobeats. It tells his story as one of the pioneers of the genre. Idonije was Fela’s first band manager, a respected music critic and renowned broadcaster. He provides a wealth of knowledge about the creation of Afrobeat. He has a wealth of knowledge, experiences, and insights in the music space.
What inspired the name SOPO?
SOPO is a Yoruba word that embodies the concepts of connection and togetherness. We chose this name because it perfectly captures the essence of our film and its themes. The idea of connection is central to SOPO in various ways. It represents the bonds between people, the relationships we form, and the universal desire for human connection. In our story, it symbolizes the connection between generations, particularly between a young musician and his father. Music is like an all-knowing, all-encompassing friend that we all share. It comforts us, uplifts us, and supports us through various life experiences. By naming our film SOPO, we’re emphasizing the importance of these connections between people across generations and through the transformative power of music.
How does SOPO contribute to Creele Animation Studios’ broader initiative?
SOPO is a significant step in our mission to redefine African storytelling and elevate animation on the continent. It demonstrates that high-quality animation can be produced in Africa, showcasing the potential for global partnerships and collaboration. The film highlights the universality of human experiences, bridging cultural gaps and creating content that resonates with audiences worldwide—whether they’re in Nigeria, Japan, or Finland. Through SOPO, we aim to connect African stories with global audiences, emphasizing shared emotions and journeys while maintaining an authentic African perspective. It’s about showing that African narratives are not only relatable but also deserving of a place on the global stage. This project is just the beginning of building a thriving animation industry in Africa, one that celebrates our rich heritage and creativity while fostering growth and development in the sector.
What’s your view about the potential of African animation?
I truly believe that for this generation and the future, leading an industrial animation development push is crucial. Animation is not just about entertainment—it is a powerful driver of economic formation in the knowledge, leisure, and entertainment economy. Animation is like crude oil: within it lie economic-shifting derivatives. When fully harnessed, it fuels growth in industries like film, edtech, gaming, healthcare, and more. Just like crude oil transformed economies, animation has the potential to propel Africa’s creative industries to new heights. To unlock this opportunity, animation in Africa must be developed on an industrial scale. This will empower millions, open new markets, create jobs, and establish Africa as a major player in global storytelling. Right now, Africa is sitting on hundreds of billions of dollars in untapped creative value. Consider this: Africa’s youth population is a major driver of mobile technology, gaming, and animation. 70 percent of Africa’s population is under 30, with 60 percent under 25. Between 2015 and 2018, 86 percent of people aged 15 to 29 owned a mobile phone, fueling the gaming industry, which generated $1.8 billion in 2024. These trends create significant opportunities for animation-driven sectors like edtech and healthcare to engage this massive, tech-savvy audience. At Creele, our goal is to produce indigenous African content for a global audience-sharing Africa’s rich and diverse stories with the world. With continued support in funding, training, and partnerships, African animation can unlock billions in untapped creative value and establish itself as a global powerhouse in storytelling
Can you elaborate on the studio’s plan and how it aims to revolutionise African animation globally?
Creele Animation Studios aims to revolutionize African animation globally by creating exportable content and products that showcase Africa’s rich cultural narratives. Our strategy focuses on building an industry that boosts local talent, enhances skill acquisition, and diversifies the continent’s creative portfolio. By leveraging Africa’s unique storytelling traditions and addressing challenges like funding gaps, our studio seeks to compete on a global scale and contribute significantly to the continent’s economy.
What does utilisation of local talents within your core production pipeline signify for the industry?
Great! For us at Creele, relying solely on local talent for SOPO signifies the untapped potential within Africa’s animation industry and highlights the need to empower, educate, and refine these skills. It shows the importance of creating robust structures to support talent development, skill acquisition, and creative ecosystems. By showcasing that African talent can produce high-quality content independently; projects like SOPO demonstrate new avenues for economic growth and encourage leaders to invest in education and infrastructure to foster innovation across diverse sectors.
What are the challenges encountered in the course of producing SOPO?
The production of SOPO faced two major challenges: skill development and unreliable power supply. Developing local talent required extensive training programs, which were time-consuming and impacted both the budget and timeline. However, these efforts were essential for building a capable team and fostering long-term industry growth. The second challenge was the lack of steady electricity, critical for rendering and operating high-performance systems. To overcome this, the team advocated for leadership to prioritize infrastructure improvements while implementing adaptive workflows to mitigate disruptions.
Is Creele Studios open to partnerships from financial and industry dealmakers to fund future projects?
Yes, we’ve seen significant interest from financial players and industry dealmakers who recognize the immense market potential of Africa’s creative industries. With the rise of a new legacy market and the untapped diaspora audience, there’s growing excitement around African storytelling. We are open to collaborating with strategic partners who align with our vision and long-term goals, ensuring that these partnerships contribute to the growth and global impact of African animation.
Finally, what’s next for Creele Studios?
Creele Studios is poised for exciting developments, with several projects in the pipeline. While details are forthcoming, the studio is committed to continuing its mission of showcasing African stories on a global stage. Announcements about new projects are expected soon, highlighting the studio’s commitment to innovation and global storytelling.
