Black Women Animate Studios (BWA) is joining Lion Forge Entertainment to assist with recruiting pre-production talent for the highly anticipated Nigerian animated series Iyanu.
Lion Forge Entertainment’s Founder and CEO, David Steward II, is leading the partnership.The program aims to take an active role in helping increase the diversity that exists across roles in the animation industry.
“Lion Forge stands for diverse stories, authentically told,” said Steward in a statement. “BWA is one of the organizations leading the effort to open up this industry to new voices and new creators and we are thrilled to join forces with them to provide under-represented talent with the platform they deserve. Together, we will redefine the boundaries of storytelling and inspire a new generation of diverse voices in animation.”
BWA is a Black-founded and Black-owned an animation studio founded by Taylor K. Shaw. It offers creative services along with training and development services.
Lion Forge is also a Black-owned animation studio — and is known for its work on the Oscar-winning animated short “Hair Love.
“We are thrilled to embark on this talent pipeline partnership with Lion Forge Animation. We are coming together to hire and train diverse talent for their upcoming series and will continue our efforts through an ongoing equity strategy that will be announced later this year,” Shaw said.
Iyanu is based on the graphic novel series Iyanu: Child of Wonder — which was created by Roye Okupe. The series follows the story of Iyanu, a teenage girl who lives in Yorubaland and unexpectedly happens upon her own divine powers.
The series is inspired by Nigerian culture and Yoruba history. The show will air on Cartoon Network and Max. Brandon Easton is leading the writers’ room for the series while Okupe will serve as executive producer, writer and director on multiple episodes.