Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kanso Ogbolu. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Kanso, thanks for joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

I studied Architecture in college because my Dad wanted me to. I had told him I wanted to become an artist and he said, “Artists don’t make money.” And so I decided to become an Architect. I had excelled at technical drawing in high school and to be honest, going into my first year in the course, I started to enjoy it a lot. Fast-forward years later, after acquiring the degree and working as an intern in an architecture firm, I dropped it all to go start a career in advertising. This backstory is important because it helps us understand the risk I then decided to take when I left advertising after 5 years to set up my own company, and then after 4 years of running that successfully, dropped everything to move to the Netherlands to pursue a master’s degree in Animation. Over the course of these years, I gained a wealth of experience working for amazing people and brands and putting myself out there as a force to be reckoned with but I felt no satisfaction in my location at the time and knew I could be doing more with the ideas I was birthing. It was scary at my age to decide to drop everything and move to another country, especially with the uncertainty, the resources, and everything in between but I knew that I had to pursue my dreams for real, this time.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Kanso Ogbolu, an animation director based in The Netherlands. I have been in the creative industry for about 13 years, have worked with numerous brands, and won multiple awards both collaboratively and as a solo artist. In my business, my main goal is to creatively turn your ideas into visual gold, effectively communicating your vision to your target audience in the best way possible, through animated storytelling. I provide animation, motion graphics, film, VFX, and illustration services.

What am I most proud of? I would say 2 things. My network is the first. It may seem trivial but a large network is a powerful thing to have. it has caused me to collaborate or meet with people I only dreamt of…or stalked. I am still expanding this network but it cannot be overemphasized how important it is to have amazing people in your corner. The 2nd thing I would say is my ideas. I don’t know how it happens, but I come up with some great ideas that I always itch to execute. The one I am proud of the most is my horror anthology series, Freak The Fxxk Out.

Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?

Yes. I would like for my stories to get very far and wide. I want to tell stories that leave a lasting legacy. I want my kids to say, “My dad created this and it caused this positive thing in this place(s)”

I wouldn’t also mind bagging any of the Big 4 awards. Heck, a nomination would be okay to be very honest.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

The power of Collaboration.

For the longest time, I was a solo artist, only collaborating with people sparsely from time to time. The pandemic increased that sparseness but I never really understood the power of collaboration till I moved to the Netherlands. I have worked with some immensely talented people on some amazing projects and I had to learn to shed that solo artist cloak I had put on for so long.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.obkstudios.com
• Instagram: @obk_studios
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/kansoogbolu