If there’s one thing Africans do really well, it is the ability to laugh at themselves! Taking advantage of Africans’ humorous streak, and incredible storytelling abilities, Cartoon Network Africa has launched the Cartoon Network Africa Creative Lab, designed to bring innovative, local short form content to the channel, and its digital platforms.
Cartoon Network, a leading channel in kids’ entertainment industry, has taken the step to address the gap in locally relevant content which offers a viewing experience that resonates with its African audience. The initiative will encourage African talents: creators, writers, graphic artists, animation students and anyone who loves kids’ content, to explore their creative, animation and production talents to produce short-form animated comedy for Cartoon Network.
“As sponsors of the Discop 2016 Animation Pitching Programme, we were exposed to some really inspiring local animation projects,” says Ariane Suveg, head of programming and acquisition Turner kids Africa. “We were so impressed by Cape Town-based Punch Monkey Studio’s amazing creative energy in the winning entry, Cloud Life, that the project has been traveling through the Turner group and is now in a development process with the Turner Asia Pacific production team! This just reinforces our need to invest in local content and our commitment to further mentoring talent in the African animation industry.”
Entries for the Cartoon Network Africa Creative Lab will be open from 7th June until 31st August 2018 across the continent. African residents, aged 18 and over, or any African-based company, can submit their one-to three-minute creative short project which must be in the genre of comedy and fit with Cartoon Network’s values of funny, random, irreverent, smart and contemporary humour. Editorial guidelines can be found on www.CartoonNetworkAfrica.com/CreativeLab, and you can watch the video here.
Ten projects will be short-listed in September, and the local creators will get the opportunity to pitch their work to Cartoon Network Africa’s content programming team. The winner and two runners-up will then be revealed at DISCOP Johannesburg at the end of the year.
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The winner and runners-up will be given the opportunity to get their project produced as a pilot with Cartoon Network Africa which will then premiere on Cartoon Network Africa and its digital platforms in 2019.
“We are honoured to be supporting local African animation talent through the Cartoon Network Africa Creative Lab. We look forward to seeing the entries and hope to see the winners flourish in their career as content creators, following the footsteps of some of Cartoon Network’s greatest talents,” says Ariane Suveg.
