Mike Muthiga — transcript

He Taught Himself Animation on the Internet. Then Made Kenya's Most Viral Ads | Mike Muthiga Ep. 24

This transcript is generated automatically by YouTube and has not been checked by a person. It misspells names and mishears words, particularly around Kenyan English and company names, so read it as a guide to the conversation rather than a quotable record. Each timestamp opens the video at that moment.

0:01 [Music] Greetings, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to episode 24 of the African Do podcast. Uh, today we are privileged to have um the founder of uh very interesting company, a company that I I enjoy their content very much. Um, and I'm a big fan of what they do. And this is Mike Migga of Fatboy Animations. So Mike, welcome to the African Do podcast. Thank you. Thank you for having me. Yeah, great. So let's get into it. I mean, you um you're in this unique space uh of content creation uh the creative economy as we have come to learn um over the years, the evolving part of the Kenyan digital economy. So where does this start? Where where where do you as an before maybe even before Fatboy Animation, how do you get into this space? Because you you you starting at a time when there was probably no formal uh education or formal structure. Uh we

1:08 grew up watching cartoons, but we didn't necessarily have any local cartoons, you know, that we could watch. A lot of us. Yeah. So, how do you find yourself in in in an animation space? Well, yeah. There was um really no formal uh industry or training for animation when I was starting. Yeah. Um I mean, all I had to go with was the cartoons I was watching. Mhm. Um uh I think what we had in our in our education system, I think it's improving now, but all we had was fine art. Yes. Um um no multimedia. Uh, so all all I could do was, you know, a lot of drawing and stuff. I'm terrible at drawing by the Yes. Um, a lot of people ask always ask if you need to if you need to know how to draw to get into animation. Yeah. And you don't need to. Yeah. And I'm terrible at it. Uh, but that's what I used to do. Uh uh a lot of uh which cartoon characters for example just to

2:15 maybe it might give away your age but which cartoon characters were you enjoying that was I I I loved all of them Tom and Jerry Dexter Wish Kid. Yeah. Um those cartoons for the is it the '9s or the early 2000? Early 2000. Late 90s early 90s. Yeah. Yeah. Those are some of my favorite on network especially. Okay. Um so I'd watch that. I always wanted to figure out how to do it and slowly uh just started teaching myself polit um just started with the basic softwares you know coral draw that's what was available then we got Photoshop those are obviously not for animation but uh good to learn you're going to need them in future. Yes. Uh so progressively just learning different softwares softwares um all the way to Blender Maya and stuff then and also learning the principles of animation. Um I was able to ship in some books funny enough I found some init

3:26 right at at a bookshop textbook center I found some uh books on learning 3D animation. Mhm. I was surprised. I mean, no one was teaching it, but they had the books. Okay. Uh, so I I I got those and just studied them and that's how I started off. So, literally self-taught, you know, the you've literally taught yourself how to do this stuff. Yeah. Yeah, I did. Excellent. So, now when I was reading through your profile on LinkedIn, Yeah. I noticed that you are part of a a project uh uh what was it called? Um with homeboy Tinger. Tinker Tinker Tales. Yes. I was I was um And how do you get into that? Because like you say, you're selftaught. Yeah. So how do you find yourself when when Homeboys and um I can't remember the name of the organization Tiger Aspect. Yeah. Are looking for people? How do you end up as one of those people and what was the impact of getting into that program to your

4:30 animation? Um, now that that it did have a huge impact on uh on my animation. Now the self-taught part uh I I had a lot of knowledge. Uh I just didn't know how to put it together. Okay. And working on Tinger Tinking Tills is what now uh helped me learn how to organize and put everything together, know what to do at what stage and how to do it and be able to now put out uh proper animations. So that really helped a lot and also how to manage the production and and all that. It really really helped a lot. Um I think at the time they had hired uh I joined after they they' started. Okay. Um and I think they were they were short on animators. Okay. So they just put out an uh call for animators to apply. So I just I I applied. Uh we were shortlisted. We had to do I think two or 3 months of training. Yes. um which to me was it was really good. I

5:38 was like free education like formal education first formal education I'm getting in in animation and by professionals actually guys who've worked uh uh you know in big big productions Disney stuff and so really learned I I learned a lot and after the 3 months then shortlisted again and I I got hired on Tinker Tinker Tails. Yeah. um as a junior animator. Okay. I think I did that for um a couple of months then uh got to lead animator. Okay. Uh then I did that for one and a half years then. And and what exactly are you doing when you're a junior animator and when you're a lead animator? Junior animator. So there's a lead animator. the team leader is the one who who you know approve the the final scenes that have been animated. So as a junior you you just animate whatever you assigned and stuff. Yeah. Um uh so the the lead it's a work to make sure that you've done it

6:48 properly, the animation is properly done, lead sync everything uh and uh managing the time to make sure that the uh episodes are complete on time. I think every month you have to make sure you've completed one episode. Okay. Okay. Yeah. So that that will be the role as the as the lead. Okay. Yeah. So junior and then leader. So when you're saying that that was now the experience that am I right in saying that it gave you a full circle understanding of the world of animation because you now meet the sound guys because I heard you mention lip syncing so you now meet the other guys the storytellers and so on so that is that where yes yes yes and uh that's why I I now learned all that um how do you uh bring the sound and the animation together Um, how do you do acting for animation? How do you do um how do you manage um uh the process of the

7:51 animation from the start to the end? Cuz you can't just jump in and make an animation. Yes. Or start in the middle or start at the end. Yeah. You'll take forever to finish. So organization um what comes first, what comes last. Okay. When you say acting for animation, what exactly does that mean? Because for me as a lay man I know an animation as a character that is drawn or is moving but you're now talking about acting for animation. So maybe you can help us understand what that is. So what I learned is I think one of the guys one of the guys who was training me told me just sit down and and watch Pixar movies the animations. Watch them. See how um and if you can just record your face as you're watching. Yeah. go back and play and see see how your expression is changing. Mhm. As you watch the the animation, it's because you're deep into

8:49 the animation. It's making you feel something. So, it's it's having an effect on you. And the way to do that is um uh acting first starts with the voice. The voice acting. Yeah. Uh how you express emotions. You know, when guys do um animation, you know, you just take a script and read it. Mhm. It doesn't bring life life to it. Okay. Um which is what I get also from all this AI. Yeah. So, yes, good uh good graphics, but the voice is off. It starts with the voice. The voice is already off. So, there's no life in in in it. Um there's uh expressions you make with your face when you're portraying different uh emotions. Yeah. Um that's acting. And then there's body movement, body language that uh corresponds to different uh emotions and uh um actions and stuff. So the same way you watch live action movies that acting is or when you go to theater that's the

10:02 best place to actually uh see it. Uh when they're acting and expressing emotions and uh uh you you look at the body language uh translate that now to animation. Okay. Now when you translate to animation add a bit of exaggeration. Okay. Yeah. So that makes it that's for cartoony animations. For more realistic animations just translate it to Okay. Yeah. So basically acting for animation is it's like acting theater acting but without the you have to capture the expressions you have to capture the inonation. You have to so capturing surprise, you know, by by that's what you're talking about when when you say acting for animation. Yes. Yes. Okay. And and a lot of it is the animations I do even if I don't do the lip sync and everything. Yes. You'll be able to tell what this guy is is uh is talking about or how he's feeling. And that's from the

11:06 body movement and the um the actions, the acting of the uh body acting. Okay. Um once that's done usually, so we start with that and then we go to um to the eyes. Uh the you can tell a lot a story just through the eyes. Mhm. Uh where the the the pupils are looking and how they're moving. Yeah. And the the eyebrows, the expressions they're making. So if I do that and the body you'll without the lip sync you'll already be able to tell Yes. what's uh what this guy is saying or what's going on with in his head. Okay. And then then the lip sync last. Okay. Yeah. So you've you've start you started your journey self-taught reading books textbook center. You're fortunate to find books. You get other books you read and then you get into this opportunity with homeboys and tiger aspect. So you you you get involved in tinga tinga tailed and you say you do

12:10 what about two years about to two and a half one and a half to two. Yeah. So now um Tinger Tinkinger Tales was a time based project so it ended. Yeah. Then where does Mike find himself after that? So Tinkerat Tinker Tales was more of it was 2D animation. Yes. Um and I was really really interested in 3D animation. Okay. Um there was a a lot of people doing 2D animation and uh and 3D really fascinated me. Okay. And people usually shied away from it cuz you know they think it's difficult. So I decided let me go with that one. Mhm. Um when I finished by the time I finished uh Tinger Tinger Tills I'd already cuz I was still learning by 3D on the on the side. So I'd go to work, finish my work, go home, study some 3D. Mhm. We can study some 3D. Um by the time I was finishing in Ting, I was able to make now complete 3D animation. So you were

13:25 doing it concurrently. And when you're saying study, is has things have things moved online? What are you doing? Are you reading? Are you doing YouTube? What are you doing? Where are you studying? The books. The books I had the the books I bought cuz it's a lot. It's a lot to take in and um and it's it's a bit difficult when you don't have a tutor. Yes. So, doing it on your own, it takes it will take uh quite some time. A lot of trial and error. Yeah. A lot of trial and error. Yeah. And sometimes you'll just get stuck and be like, let me just go to sleep. I your brain is tired then in the morning you figured it out. Okay. Okay. And also learning the software takes uh practice, repetition. So cuz it's it looks a bit intimidating when you open it. There's so many uh icons and uh tabs to click on. Too many things. But repetition over 3 months, four months, you'll know where

14:21 everything is. Okay. So, even the um during the trial and trial and error and getting stuck, you're still grasping the software. Okay. Uh and you'd be able to remember what you need to do. Okay. Um so, by the time I was finishing, I uh I was able to make at least my first full 3D animation, which I posted online and on YouTube. I think that's the was the first viral video I'd ever had. Oh, really? What was it? It was uh Jimmy Gates who wrote a song. So there's this character dancing to it. Yes. Um and when I posted it, call started coming in. So you know clients we saw this are you doing this in Kenya? Is is this uh we want something similar and stuff? So that's how it interesting. And so is are these clients um you you you have learned you've taught yourself 3D animation. Yeah. M and then you you put your your your your education so to speak to practice and you create this

15:27 video. Yeah. Yeah. And you go in and post it on on where? On YouTube. YouTube. Okay. Yeah. And then from that now guys start looking you up. Yes. Yes. Okay. Yeah. Um and I I don't think I hadn't even did I even have an email. Uh just um what I put on that video was my phone number. I think my email. So the the guys started calling. Okay. Calling um and I uh the first one was some I can't remember the name of the client but but that first one didn't go through and they were offering to pay I think 250k for video which that was a lot of money. Now I was like yeah this I'll do it. Um, this a corporate client. That one was uh I never I never actually met them cuz we were just talking. I can't remember exactly what kind of cl is the video still there on YouTube. That first one. Can we find it or it's it's there. I'll send you the link. Yeah, send me I

16:34 I'd love to see it. Yeah. Your your first work. Yeah. Uh um the and then the the second client that called was now uh through the agency was Telecom Orange. Orange. Okay. Back then was Orange. Yes. And them they were like, "Hey, look, we like this. We need like nine 10 episodes of uh this kind of animation and stuff." And that was now like uh now Tinga had ended. And then I got that. So then I registered Fatboy Animations. I got the job. Did that. So this time it's just Mike. Yeah. Fatboy Animations is one is a oneman band. It was one man band. Yeah. Just you now. And and so you get this. But that's that's a that's a pretty high level client as as a first client. It was it was it was but I think what they they saw um as this is me in my bedroom you know just a tiny bedroom doing this but what the work you put out there someone will think uh this this is a this is a big

17:48 studio. Uhhuh. So then they don't know the the person behind they they know the result they're just consuming the content in front. Yes. Yeah. And I guess they assume that this one can make something good for us. And then and that's where And that So you produced for them? Yes, I produced for them. And what were they? It was were they telling a certain story? Was it? Yeah. It was just skits, you know. This is called Orange Maniacs. One of my one of my very very first Now when I look back at them, I'm like, "Yeah, you cringe a bit." A bit. Uh so yeah by the time I mean it was looking really really really good. Um so we I think with the money I made from that is now when I now got like proper upgraded equipment and stuff and softwares and everything. Uh took some now took some online classes proper online classes. Yes. Then started just improving on the 3D animation. But how do you know how to

18:51 bill for that first one or how do you negotiate? What's the basics? I didn't know I didn't know how to build. I didn't I just said, you know, let me just go over and say 9 million. 9 I said 9 million. You said 9 m is what it will cost. Yeah. Yeah. And it's just So it's a nine episodes or 10 episodes? There were 10 episodes. No, there were nine nine episodes. So it's an M and episode. Yes. Yes. Okay. Um, and this I think obviously they came back I guess negotiated to like three four million. It came down. Yeah. Yeah. So I was like but that's still a lot. Still a lot. And when you finish now you you do you start now buying your stuff. Yeah. I'm sure you had some bootleg uh um softwares there. Now you go you go proper. Yeah. No no I did not have bootleg software. You did not have bootleg. We did not have bootleg software. I had trial version. Trial versions. Okay. Trial versions. Okay. Um

19:50 so we obviously now got the the original softwares now the full full versions versions. Back then you could get them uh like a perpetual license. Yes. I mean but now you can't. Yes. And so yeah and then just started improving on the 3D okay and making you know learning more and more. Uh I was able to subscribe online for uh for the online classes. Uh the site was called um it's called digital digital tutors. Okay. Uh I think they changed to plural sites. Yeah. And that's a paid So you paid for the you paid for online classes. Your journey of self learning continues. Yeah. Yeah. Um, so yeah, and it's also a bit a bit difficult with those online classes because you just pay a subscription and they give you everything. So now you need to figure out what do I need to learn. So you need to really look for for the classes you need to take. So you

20:53 pay a subscription and then you they just bulk send you everything. You have all the tutorials on what you want. Yeah. At your pace. At your pace. So it's not that you sign on on this day there's a class like nothing and and the classes that are there are not just for animation it's for everything. So it becomes a bit difficult to to figure out what and what I need to learn. Okay. Once you figure that out it becomes uh easy. So you navigate this maze and now fat boy has been kitted out. I'm sure you have some new machines. You have your proper software. So how does the journey continue? So we continue. We just continue making uh more and more more clients come and more clients come. Then we got the fiber client. Yes. Um D has been a a good client, a long-term client. So what's that character called? Your character like a big guy. He's

21:45 called the first fiber was was not even that one. It was um the caveman guy. Okay. Down was also went viral. It was a hit where people loved it. The one who says uh is that your wife calling? Yes. Um then we did guy the big one. Yeah. Boa is a guy who's still he's still a living character today. He's still a living. He's still around. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And guys love him as well. Yeah. And I think he's had a long shelf life that one. Yes. And then and then the rest that just keep coming up more and more. And we did we did then the Safari comm. Yes. Uh we did um done a couple of saf animations. We created the Zur character. Yes. Um but now you see now I was just now creating for corporates. Yes. I I still wanted something my own. Yes. Which is uh now when I came up with now Capinto. Yes. Yeah. Before Capinto was Capinto the first one. There's this uh another

22:49 character I really like. um this lady and her daughter uh Mama Michael. Yes. Yeah. Yeah. So the the way the way this came up was um I first started with the character designs. So I looked at the characters I'm like the stuff I used to watch on Cartoon Network. I want something like that but African 3D uh with a completely African theme. Um, and just some funny funny designs. Big head, you know, those ones around. Um, guys, some guys helped with, you know, with their suggestions. Add a ponytail, which was a very good one. Someone commented add a ponytail. Um, so the Mama Michael was the first one. We created all of them. Mama Michael, the daughter, Capinto, the other girls. So Capinto and Capinas were actually my idea was for them to be the kids of Mama Michael. Yes. And the dad. Um and then the daughter was the big sister and there was the big brother.

23:59 But then it took a whole different direction. There was now Mama Michael and the daughter. Yes. Um and then Capinto they were supposed to be babies but I remember watching Family Guy and Stewie. Yes. He's supposed to be a baby but behaves like an adult. But he behaves like an adult. Yeah. Yeah. So I was like, let's do that with Capito. Let him let these be grown-ups. Okay. Yeah. Okay. So my favorite Let's come to you. You've brought him into the picture. Capinto Capinto when I look at Instagram, Facebook. Yeah. H Tik Tok. Yeah. Capinto has become uh the real African character. I think Capinto is a as a Kenyan Capinto is a brilliant Kenyan ambassador because when you look at the the the comments and I like to read the comments with each episode you post they're from all over all over the the you know they from all over the continent and the diaspora and the

25:00 African diaspora have kind of adopted this character because I I hear comments about people wanting to learn Swahili, you know, from South Africa. What's that language? I love the language. I love the sound. Um, what is it? You hear people of European descent, you know, even asking this guy, um, I I think once or twice you've posted Capinto without the captions. And then in the comments, guys are like, "Hey guy, we don't understand what what what our guy is saying, you know, and they've kind of owned that character." Yeah. So, and it's interesting for you to say that he was not originally designed like that that he was supposed to be Mama Michael's kid. Yeah. So, now how has that whole Capinto journey been? It's been So, we we also learn along the way. Um I remember when in the beginning when I said um uh managing cuz I had I had those characters in my drive. Yes.

26:02 For quite for for some time. Yes. Um, and earlier I'd said you need to start from the beginning. You can't jump in the middle. So, first we need a good voice. We need a good voice. And I found that voice now through Capinto himself. There's Capinto himself, the he's on his page, the real guy. Okay. The guy the guy who is the voice of Capito. Yes. So that voice and um the way even without watching his videos, if you just play the audio, you can you can imagine how he's moving because there's so much expression and inonation and um expression of emotions when he's talking especially when he's angry. So like I was like uh that's that's a perfect one. That's the one we'll use for this kid. So when you say find a voice, allow me to dig a bit deeper. What What does that look like? Because this character is now originally just living in Mike's head.

27:06 Yeah. But now you say you found the voice. So where do you go looking for voices? So voices, the thing is the best voice needs to come naturally. So I I auditioned I've auditioned so many times. I'll give you a script. um act it out and it just doesn't fit in, you know, when you're behind the camera. I think it's maybe I don't know if we there's not much experience in uh in acting. I'm not so sure in Kenya or something. M um because once you get the script uh I think people fear or something and it's very hard to be natural when you're off off the script when you're talking with your friends that's the perfect voice because or when you're fighting say with your maybe fighting with your spouse or girlfriend girlfriend or something. Yeah. uh and your there's no camera on you when it's a real real fight. That acting is now the best. M. So I I auditioned couple of guys, but it

28:27 just doesn't fit the uh the character because when I close my eyes and listen to to you acting out, I can't picture this guy, you know, exaggerating or I can't picture how he'll move. M I don't know when I had I was just scrolling Tik Tok then I just came across one of Capinto's videos. M now his is completely I don't know how he does it. It's completely natural. Okay. And he does it on camera as well. Yes. Uh and it's a silly way he moves when he's saying stuff and everything. And then I was like yeah that's that's the that's the guy. That's the one. Okay. So then what you reach out to him and say yes I reached out to him. I was like, "Hey, let's let's have this cartoon character. Let's make animations out of this. This it could be big. I believe this one will be big because this thing is really good." Uh so he agreed. I was very easy guy to work with. Mhm. Um he agreed and uh we just

29:33 started making them. Okay. Yeah. Okay. Wow. I like I say he's a I love him as a character. But now let's talk a bit about you said at the beginning when you are creating Kina Mama Michael and and the daughter is she what's the daughter called? The the daughter of mama Michael the one there's one particular clip where she's crying for heartbreak and her mom has no sympathy for for her heartbreak. Um so you you capture I feel the power and importance of local context. Yes. Because from buga even the way he talks you know he's like you say he's a bit of an overexaggerated character but a lot of people who are Kenyan you know can relate to those characters because they are local and they are created with local context. Yeah. But as they grow and evolve into um into characters and take their own life, they sometimes participate in social commentary on various issues, you know,

30:47 and they capture nuances of how we are, who we are. I know uh last time during um last year during the the Gen Z protests, Yeah. Capinto, you know, did one or two, there were one or two skits just capturing the mood of the nation. So, how's that journey for you? Because you now I I think it was your character, but it now becomes not really your character in the sense that if you do some things with Capinto today, they'll be hue and cry, you know, on on the owners who are the people out there consuming the content. Yeah. um you know um so I I try to make them uh feel like part of the people. Yes. Yeah. So um just carefully choosing you know real uh real things that are going on and involving the characters as well so that guys can also feel he's part of part of them as well. Um, so and also I try to do it in a comical way. Mhm. Uh, I just try and balance the humor and the messaging. Yeah. Yeah. Uh,

32:07 also I'm just trying to be careful not to cause any trouble. Not not Okay. But now um, Capinto now as he evolves Yeah. He the story is telling kind of telling itself and evolving. Yeah. So, uh there's now this is this chick South African chick. Yeah. And the guy the big uh muscular uh Nigerian guy I think he is. Is this an evolution as a result of your consumers uh of the content or it it is. Yes, it is as a result. Um because I I learn a lot from the consumers as well. Yeah. Um uh and it's something when you watch um western films yes animations and films you'll notice that they love different characters and and uh I know I don't know if America has different languages but you'll see characters um southern accent I think a New York accent. Yes. Yes. And what's this song? I don't know. He'll be something like Exactly. And they'll have

33:29 all those different characters looking like that, which is different characters from different states. They look different and they speak. Um, so I mean it's the same thing with Africa. You can have think of United States of Africa. Yes. Different characters from South Africa, Nigeria. Yeah. Latest ones from Somalia. Yes. That Yeah, we can have the It's good you have brought that guy. That guy. Yeah. Yeah. Okay. That That's a What does he have a name? That guy? I call him S. It's called Soman. Yeah. Short for Somal. Yeah. And again, all these characters start starts with the voice. it. The voice actor needs to be completely natural, really good. So, the the guy who does the smile is called Oda. Yeah. Uh there's a couple of his videos on on YouTube. Yes. I've just listened to the just listening to the audio. You can And it there's no video of it,

34:42 but it's just audio. That's all he has. But then it's so funny. And when I heard it, I was like, I need to make this into So, did you create the character after hearing the voice? Yeah. So, I created the character after I had the voice. And cuz even the voice is just giving you like a picture of how this funny character will look. Yeah. Uh for the South African character, she's called Kisa. Yeah. On her page. Again, if you just look at her page, musician uh when she's when she's talking her pests, you see even you see her facial expression, you'll be it's so natural perfect voice that fits it. Um Mama Michael one boy and Mama Michael and the daughter that was Mike Musher when he was doing those those audios. Yes. Um I don't know how he was able to do both again. Mama Michael the voice is a guy. It's the same. Yeah. Oh, Mama Michael and the daughter is one person. Yeah.

35:47 Yeah. Michael, it's a guy. Yeah. That's And those are the kind of people, you know, like that's really very good voice acting. Um I don't think I don't know if he knows it, but just that's talent in voice acting. Oh yeah. Um, there's when when there's a character, it's a female character and you and it's a guy doing it and you can't tell. That's that's something. Hey, boss. Even I think that's one of the thing that one has surprised me that the Mama Michael character, the voice is a man. Yeah, that's some brilliant acting voice acting right there. Yeah. So, you have all these characters. So maybe we should talk a bit about where you're going. H but before we talk about where Fatboy Animation is. Yeah. Capinto and the other characters who are now Fatboy Animation characters, they they double in commerce sometimes, you know. So you you you produce your content and

36:56 sometimes it's commercial. So how is that determination made? Is this a request by clients or or what happens when when sometimes Yeah. Yeah. It's a request by by clients? Yeah. Uh I know guys don't like watching the commercial Yes. ones, but that's how it pays for the fun ones that you know you like to watch. Yes. Yes. Yes. Uh so yeah, he he he'll sometimes in those products or uh do commercials. M um some will will pitch or propose. Yeah. Okay. Okay. And that that of course brings you into the world of IP. Yes. Protection. You're dealing with people's voices. So you get into that whole how has your journey been on the more back behind the scenes and scene side of animation you know legally protection of your characters um imitation and all that. Yeah. there's we we will always uh you know protect uh the characters the IP and everything. Um

38:07 but uh I think when it when it goes global there'll always be some culprit some will just Yeah. Yeah. more and do their own things with it. Yes. Um but yeah we have to protect the IP. Mhm. Um, have you found the legislation to be sufficient? Our legislation? Yes. Our Kenyan legislation for those protections? It's it's it's good enough. It's it's good enough. It's working for now. It's working for now. Yeah. U for Yeah. Okay. So I mean just expound when you say behind the scenes like so there's there's clearly a lot that goes into we just watch the content you know it comes out on Instagram but you you're talking about multiple relationships with multiple people. Yeah. Yeah. So so what are those relationships? Sman Capinto are they contractual? So you know I have to I have to reach out I have to reach out to them and Yes. and and ask them,

39:18 hey, look, can we can we do can we work on this together? Do you are you open to it? Uh we'll have that conversation. If you're open to it, then um you know, ideally for uh I don't say much on what our agreement is, but uh uh I have to reach out and and and talk to them and try and make sure that this is a long-term thing. Yes. and we we can in future generate revenue from this together. Yeah. There's a Chinese character I did I created. I still haven't found a voice for it. So I just did a song but then just I think two days ago this guy who does some funny I was watching Instagram. He does some funny Chinese accent. He's Chinese and speaks in English. Um so I just followed him and he followed back and said I love your videos. And I was like, let's let's work on some Oh, really? Yeah. So, we look out for that guy coming soon. Coming soon. And he's like, yeah, I'd

40:20 love to do it. So, it's uh something I was excited. So, we'll jump on it and make the next couple of animations with the Chinese. Excellent. I mean, I think what what your your story thus far captures for me is the power of creativity and culture. Yes. Yes. even in terms of bringing people together. Yes, that's one of the things you know um one of the challenges we have as uh I think animation creators um I've seen guys in film in uh feature films and is working together in in animation not so much everyone wants to be um the one-stop shop and do everything and uh be the limelight. Yeah. and it's improved over time, but that was also a big challenge. Summer wants to do the I'll do the voice, I'll do the character, I'll do the uh animation, I'll do everything and in the credits it's all going to be my name, you know. Yeah. Yeah. Which is a big challenge. Uh

41:30 when you just assign whoever is best at this, let them do it. Yeah. These guys are the best at doing the voice. Let them do it. Yes. Do I generate the voice with AI? No, because it's just it's mechanical. There's no soul in it. True. The the guys who do it best, let them do it best. Um, am I good at drawing? Terrible at drawing. Let the guy who knows how to draw draw. Um, what kind of animations? When think about what kind of animations to make. Um there was uh there's this trend of when you're making African animations, we we either want to make African superheroes or uh folktails. Yes. And stuff like that. Um and I was like, "No, no, no. We just want regular guys." No, we want regular guys. If you watch Family Guy, it's Family Guy, American Dad, uh uh which other uh Rick and Mo is a bit that's a bit exaggerated, but still those family it's about day-to-day lives. Yeah. Even this

42:53 to me, what are these kids? What are they called? South Park. Those South Park those to me crazy to me kids. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So, it's about everyday life of these people. where they live and their cultures and everything. It's everyday life. So in the same way with African just do everyday life and then you can add exaggeration on top of it. Maybe you can make uh like um yeah just add exaggeration to it, some humor and stuff like that. Um so I wasn't never for the idea unless it's for kids, you know, making just kids content and nursery rhymes. Uh yeah, musicals and stuff just like Coco Melon. That's just to attract kids and guess and and for education. M um the stories people want to I think what people love to hear about Africa is day-to-day life lives of Africans, how how it really is. M uh something I saw I keep seeing online uh I don't some of these black Americans

43:57 who come to move to Kenya and is coming to Kenya and they'll go online and say this is not the Kenya we see on from that side yeah and it's so different um cuz I guess you're expecting to come and see a jungle and lions walking in the streets and something like that and I mean In some places, yeah, some ls will break into your house, but it's the every day lives. Those are just living. Yeah. They're enjoying. They are they are stealing from each other. They enjoying. They are bashing. Just dayto-day life. Fabulous. I think and I don't know whether you set out to do this, but I think you capture for me um one of the things that um this I would like this podcast to be about. Yeah. Which is us guys are just here. Yeah. We are here. We are Africans. We are in Africa. We are living our lives. Yeah. I I I have I've come to appreciate the power

45:03 of narratives, you know. So I I take issue with some things like for example um not to to to bash them too hard but things like SDGs, you know, development goals. Were we at that table to determine that this development is what is important to us? Mhm. So what I like about your characters is that they are just characters and even from the first the fact the first character that I encountered of yours now that you mentioned Mazbe I need to go back and because I remember that thing on the as a safar but the one I think that really stuck with me was you know and because I know some booas you know probably even elements of what is I know three or four characters you would pick a bit of the voice from this guy, the mannerisms from this guy. I know those guys and I'm sure there are many Kenyans who go through the same and this crazy short guy Capinto you know some of the things his

46:03 craziness you're like okay s you're a bit of a crazy guy but I can relate to your craziness because it aligns with with what and when you see the the big Nigerian guy a lot of Kenyans who are in the club you know they can relate to the Nigerians And that's the African story. And the fact that it's been told from our lens is really powerful. I don't know if you set out to do that or it is uh byproduct of what you're doing. No, no, I I did I set out to do that. Exactly. Uh because you know when I I always wanted to to be able to achieve that when when I used to watch these cartoon networks uh animations and um Kinat and those early early cartoons I' I'd be like where's the African one? I I need an African version of this. Yes. And not cocktails. I need lives of Africans. Dexter's laboratory. This is a scientist boy in I think the character was Russian. Russian accent. Yes. He speaks

47:22 with a Russian accent. Yeah. And I noticed it's all there's always like a family setting. Yes. Uh these guys go to school, these guys uh the playground, these guys go for uh to the mall. All of them. K chicken everything family setting. Yes. They're just chilling. They're just chilling daytoday life. So I always wanted uh that something that's that's not it's not forced. It needs to come naturally. Naturally. Yeah. So even the way I came up with the uh character, this was ideally meant to be. So it was meant to be an ad. Yes. Yeah. Actually, it was meant to be another, but guys took it like just pure content. This is like you're saying, this is I know I'm boo. I know this is me or this is that guy. And then at the end is where we put the ad. How I found the voice again. That one I auditioned a couple of times. I I couldn't find a voice for him. I I was

48:29 at the garage somewhere uh upper town and I here I didn't even have a name for it for the character. I just had the character. How I got the name I was at the I was installing speakers quagari. Yes. And the guy who was doing it was called Ba. Yeah. And the way they the the shopkeeper I mean the owner would shout and he'd call him is Bogua. Bogua. So I was like that's the name. We'll call him Bo. That's the guy. Uhhuh. Yeah. Not the voice but the name. So we'll call this character Bogua. Yeah. Now auditions. I auditioned couple of guys still calling. I didn't get the the voice for him. When I was leaving the studio there was this guy. He was uh I don't know he was doing some work on the on the building or something and I heard him talking to someone else like past something and that accent I was like that's the voice so I'm like hey can you come can we try up a studio

49:45 something I gave him the script perfect then we got that's Ma's Hey, this is even more interesting than I thought. But you see, his was completely natural. Yes, of course. We had to do a couple of text, give him the script. Um, it will change a bit. It won't be natural. So, I'm like, just memorize. It's a it's a short script. Memorize it and then take away the script. Now, just talk the way you are talking to that guy. Yeah, he got it perfectly. Yeah. Excellent. So, so I'm assuming now Fatboy Animation is not the one man band it was in those early days. There's there's a team. So, what has it evolved into and where do you see it going? Um, the industry is evolving quite fast. You know, there's something new all the time. So we might plan to go this way, something happens, then plan and go this other way, they do something different.

50:55 AI has just come in and changing things. So yeah, I think we we go one day at a time. Mhm. Uh so if AI goes that way, we go this way. We we need to do something that it can Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Um, and the industry has changed a lot. Before I always wanted to have a show on on TV. Yeah. Free to air TV. Yeah. Yeah. Uh, but then getting there, it's difficult. I mean, the cost uh there's no budget to to do that. Making animation is expensive. Now, who's going to fund it? And also they understand how will they make their money back. making animation is expensive and to the point I was thinking look I'll make the animation just put it on TV that's free marketing for me uh it came so so difficult but now with this uh revolution of uh a digital space you can have your whole episode on the phone yes the whole series on the phone they don't have to be that like Capin the 30 seconds 1 minute long you can

52:19 make many so many of them uh now that's content that's I think reaching even more people than than we told on TV yes [Music] and so it's just to to grow that more and go beyond that the future is to go beyond that how do we make continue to make good content um leveraging technology and being consistent um and expanding the team um and and going with the changes that are coming. Okay. Um yeah. No, I mean I man I'm I'm I'm I'm really I've really enjoyed this conversation and for me it's like been a throwback because I've been consuming your content not knowing who's behind you. But I really like that the ethos of what you're about prescribes to a lot of things. Maybe there was a subconscious attraction to your content for me. Yeah. Because of the things that you're talking about. You're espousing African impact. Now that I think about it, daughter, you know, if you look at her,

53:38 she always has some African print on her face, but in a very modern way, you know, so the Nigerian character, the guy who who um gives Capinto's love crush, that guy looks muscular. He looks he reminds me of the traditional um West African wrestlers, but in a very modern context. Yeah. So, I love that those are the basis of your stories and and I'm I'm I'm really happy that one, you exist and that Fat Boy Animation exists because I like to say that one of the things that captures for me where we are going is my kids. Mhm. When my firstborn daughter is 14, when I was 14, culturally, music, uh, movies, TV, uh, most of what I consumed was western cuz that was what was available to me. Yeah. So, my music was hip-hop, R&B, you know, and and neo soul. That's what I used to consume. Yeah. Well, that's what I liked. Yeah. H my shows were local. My cartoons were not local. My shows were

54:54 were largely American, you know, a few British, you know, as a kid. But now when I look at my daughter, I'm saying we don't even know where we are going because these guys are being fed such a steady diet. Yeah. Of local content and the local content is built to an international standard. Yeah. And that is fabulous. Yeah. So mine is to one, thank you very much for for what you do. I think it's fabulous. I love the fact that you're developing characters and you see you talk about a Chinese character. Yeah. Chinese in in a Kenyan context have become part of our culture. Yeah. Cuz they are in they are the major contractors in contraction construction sites for big developments. Yeah. So having a Chinese character gives you so much bandwidth into life as it is now. Yeah. Yeah. So mine is one to thank you very much uh for doing what you do. Uh and also that you capture what I believe

55:59 we're about which is espousing African X. Yeah. So keep learning, keep teaching and thank you very much for the existence of Fatboy Animation. Yeah. You're welcome. Welcome. Yeah. You know, there's this uh I forgot to mention there's um something that just caught my attention when I look at because Japanese animation is different from y there was they have the style of animation the Asians uh Chinese Japanese uh Koreans and the and there's a a style to even animating it. there's a style to how uh they look uh how they move. Um we can also have that. Yes, that's what I want uh also for Africa. And one thing is um I mean you know there are some people who um get offended yes with how sometimes the characters look. I'm like, "Embrace, embrace Africa." Yes. Don't uh run away from We We do. We have big lips. Yes. And they look good. Yes. They don't look

57:15 bad. Some will be like, "Why you giving him big lips? Why you giving him dark uh light lips? Dark face. We are dark." Yes. Uh and let's make it cool. Don't make it like it's something. Yeah. Yeah. The fact that their accents, you know, their accents, I I I like when we were in school, which in retrospect I now see to be a fallacy. We used to laugh at guys who, you know, we used to call it shabby. Yeah. But think about it. That's absolute nonsense. M a monolingual person is laughing at a multilingual person because if you're speaking with an accent, it's confirmation of multilinguity. Yeah. So, how can you as a monolinguist, you know, whether you're a British or an American who speaks one language, English, be surprised at someone who speaks your language as an accent. It only means that he's speaking another language or two, you know. And that's why I like the

58:17 Somali character because he's clearly he's a Somali with exposure. He has been to diaspora. So you can still get his accent. Yeah. You know, but he's still you say this guy has been outside, you know, so you can see and that's real. I know one or two people like that, you know. Yeah. And so that's fabulous. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Excellent. Mike, thank you very much. It's great. I'm really chuffed that I've finally gotten you here. Um I don't know if what are your your handles specifically for uh so my handles are Fatboy Kenya. That's for Instagram, Tik Tok, uh YouTube and Fatboy Animations for Facebook. Okay, excellent. So ladies and gentlemen, I hope you have enjoyed that episode 24 of the African Do podcast. Uh that was Mike Mutiga of Fatboy Animation. You can catch them on Tik Tok, Instagram um as Fatboy Kenya and you can also catch them on uh Facebook

59:19 as Fatboy Animations. Go consume their content if you haven't done so and on X Fatboy Kenya and Fatboy Kenya on X. So ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for joining us on this episode. I hope you found value and we look forward to seeing you in episode 25. Astantenius Anna. [Music]