Tolu had always known he was different. As a child in Ibadan, Nigeria, he would sketch characters in the margins of his notebooks during long school hours, often getting scolded for “not paying attention.” But for him, those drawings were his escape, his way of seeing the world and reshaping it with color, motion, and heart.
As he grew older, Tolu discovered animation. He had watched the likes of Tom & Jerry, Mulan, and Naruto growing up and found them so fascinating. He didn’t attend film school or study design formally. Instead, he taught himself with every spare moment. Tolu watched YouTube tutorials, took free courses, and conducted numerous trials and errors. By the time he was 23, he had developed a unique style of motion graphics that combined Afrocentric storytelling with humor and vibrant visuals. His animations often featured local slang, street culture, and day-to-day life in Nigeria.
But there was a problem.
Despite posting regularly on Instagram and TikTok, and getting encouraging comments from friends and a few loyal followers, the right opportunities just weren’t coming. Brands weren’t reaching out. DMs stayed empty. And the dream of turning his passion into a career felt like it was slowly slipping out of reach.
“I started to wonder if maybe I wasn’t good enough,” Tolu admitted. “It’s one thing to love what you do. It’s another thing to make a living from it.”
Then one evening, while scrolling through Instagram, he stumbled on a post about FindCreators. A new platform designed to help African creators get discovered by brands, agencies, and collaborators looking for fresh, local talent. Something about it felt different. The stories shared weren’t of influencers chasing clout but of creatives getting real, meaningful work.
With nothing to lose, Tolu signed up.
The process was quick and straightforward. He uploaded some of his best animated videos, wrote a short but authentic bio about the kind of work he wanted to do. “African storytelling through motion” and added his skills: animation, motion design, and character illustration.
Unlike other platforms that centered on likes or vanity metrics, FindCreators was about being visible to the right people such as decision-makers, project leads, and creative directors actively searching for talent.
Two weeks later, Tolu received an email that changed everything.
A creative agency based in Lagos was looking for a freelance animator for a campaign promoting African tech startups. They had found him through FindCreators, loved his storytelling style, and wanted to work with him. Just like that, he was booked for his first major gig.
“I actually refreshed the email three times just to be sure it wasn’t a scam,” Tolu laughed. “It was exactly the kind of project I dreamed of, telling real African stories through animation.”
The job paid well. But beyond the money, it gave him something more valuable: credibility and confidence. The campaign was a success, and his work was featured across digital platforms. Not long after, he began receiving more messages, more opportunities, more collaborations.
Today, Tolu works full-time as a freelance animator. He has built a portfolio that includes local startups, pan-African brands, and even NGOs creating content for youth empowerment. And he always mentions FindCreators whenever young creatives ask how he got started.
His consistency paid off and that one decision to put his work out there on FindCreators shifted everything for him.
He says, “FindCreators didn’t just help me get noticed. It helped me get valued.”
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