The global animation industry is worth about $450 billion according to public estimates. Africa’s share of that is around 2%. The continent’s ecosystem, despite its vast potential, is still playing around the margins. The obstacles are formidable. Animation is expensive to produce. The skills required are highly specialised, and the training and infrastructure needed to build a competitive industry remain limited across much of the continent.
Triggerfish, an animation studio based in Cape Town, South Africa, has spent nearly three decades navigating those constraints. From its early work in stop-motion to becoming a full-suite Computer Graphics (CG) studio, it has built a business that now works with global platforms and studios including the BBC, Netflix, Disney+, and Lucasfilm. Its work has grossed more than $50 million worldwide and earned BAFTA, Emmy, and Annie recognition.
Getting there, however, was far from straightforward. Triggerfish had to confront the huge constraints of building on the continent. It had to reinvent its production model, find creative ways to finance ambitious projects, and build the talent pipeline it needed to grow.
In this episode of Creative Capital, we trace how Triggerfish navigated that growth, and what its journey reveals about building a world-class animation business from Africa.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
How Triggerfish rebuilt itself as a full-CG studio when stop-motion, its specialty, went out of fashion.
The novel and creative ways Triggerfish had to develop to finance their projects.
How Triggerfish came to play an important role in developing a talent pipeline in Africa’s animation industry.
The policy gaps that hold back Africa’s animation industry.
Watch the full episode on YouTube here.