In 2010, Lagosian lawyer Zulumoke Oyibo studied the screenwriting book Story by Robert McKee, together with three friends in finance and marketing who shared a passion for writing and cinema. Meeting up frequently to discuss each chapter, the friends soon decided to found Inkblot Productions and try their hands at filmmaking. A web series and debut film flopped after they dug into their own pockets while securing funding from family members, a government grant and a smattering of investors, but despite these early setbacks, the Nigerian production house persisted. Inkblot gained critical success in 2016 when they premiered their films The Arbitration and The Wedding Party at the Toronto International Film Festival, and in December last year, they celebrated their 10-year anniversary during the same week that they announced an exclusive multi-year licensing agreement with Amazon Prime Video. The deal – Amazon’s first of its kind in Africa – represents the global streaming video on demand (SVOD) giant’s first salvo as they compete with market leader Netflix, and regional players Showmax and myCanal for eyeballs on the continent.
SOURCE: AFRICAN BUSINESS