Name: From Lion King to Iwaju: Hamid Ibrahim of Kugali Media on Building African Worlds That Travel
Uploaded: 2025-11-20T00:25:43.000Z
Duration: 5191
Description: In this episode of Talking Tech with Creatives, I sit down with Hamid Ibrahim, creator and production designer of Iwaju, the first African animated series...

In this episode of Talking Tech with Creatives, I sit down with Hamid Ibrahim, creator and production designer of Iwaju, the first African animated series created in collaboration between Kugali Media and Disney. We explore his journey from portrait artist in East Africa, to Hollywood VFX work on The Lion King, to building authentic African IP that can stand on the world stage.

Hamid shares the business realities behind creative entrepreneurship, the challenge of raising investment, how Kugali Media earned Disney’s trust, and his perspective on AI, culture and the future of creativity.

Timestamps:
00:00 – Welcome and introduction
00:55 – Why Iwaju matters to Lagos, identity and representation
03:00 – Exploring Lagos through fiction and short stories
05:10 – Representation and the impact on Black children
06:00 – Visual design and worldbuilding
07:00 – Hamid introduces himself and his background
09:30 – From portrait artist to animation and advertising
10:40 – Hollywood VFX work on The Lion King
12:00 – Leaving Hollywood to build Kugali Media
13:10 – African IP across comics, AR and media
15:00 – What VFX is
16:00 – Augmented reality and millions of users
18:30 – Monetising African IP
22:00 – Trust, investment and fundraising challenges
24:30 – Global perceptions of African risk
26:00 – Why African creatives must think differently
28:00 – Cracking global markets through authenticity
30:00 – How the Disney partnership began
32:00 – The BBC interview that changed everything
33:00 – Navigating early scepticism
34:00 – Negotiating the Disney contract
37:00 – Pre-production and design pressure
39:00 – Building authentic characters
40:30 – Marketing Iwaju
43:00 – Understanding the audience
45:00 – The future of Kugali Media
47:20 – Seven-book Disney publishing deal
48:00 – AI, creativity and meaning
54:00 – Using AI for efficiency
56:00 – Coding, gaming and education
01:00:00 – The future of tech
01:06:00 – Risks of AI saturation
01:10:00 – Advice to young creatives
01:17:00 – Imagination and courage
01:18:30 – Where to find Hamid
01:19:30 – My closing reflections

Guest Links:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hamidibrahimportfolio
Instagram (Kugali): https://www.instagram.com/kugalimedia
LinkedIn: https://uk.linkedin.com/in/hamid-ibrahim-564892a7
Twitter: https://x.com/hamid_portfolio

My Links:
About Stella: https://stellaonithewriter.com/about
Podcast Website: https://talkingtechwithcreatives.com/episodes
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@TalkingTechWithCreatives
Substack: https://stellaoni.substack.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/stella-oni-065788140