CREA Fund: Encouraging Private Sector investment in the African Creative Sector

Scope: Restless Global is acting as Team Leader in a consortium with PwC to design, structure and manage Proparco’s EU-funded CREA Fund project. CREA Fund aims to encourage private sector investment in the Creative and Cultural Industries in the African and Caribbean region and is available to Proparco’s partner financial intermediaries and their CCI prospect or portfolio companies.

This 5-year ongoing mission involves:

  • Structuration and design of the Technical Assistance Facility

  • Needs Assessment of Financial Intermediaries and CCIs

  • Consolidation, marketing and launch of the services of the facility

  • Preparation of a catalogue of TA services/trainings to be delivered

  • Production of various market studies as needed

  • Delivery of TA support to financial intermediaries and CCIs

  • Monitoring of the implementation, results and impact 

Designing Afreximbank’s Film Finance Facility

Scope: In 2020, pan African multilateral trade finance institution Afreximbank launched a $500M Creative Industries Support Fund. Restless Global, in partnership with PwC, was engaged by Afreximbank to support the deployment of a Film Development Finance Facility (FDFF), and support with the implementation of the fund over an initial duration of 12 months.

More specifically, this mission included:

  • Identifying the most relevant transaction categories covering the entire spectrum of the film and television value chain (development, production, infrastructure, capacity building, distribution, etc) to be financed by the bank

  • Designing innovative debt and equity products for each transaction category

  • Developing a detailed framework for the disbursement and monitoring of the fund

  • Assisting the bank in performing due diligence on potential deals

Results:

Since the inception of this mission, Afreximbank’s commitment to financing the Creative sector was increased to $1B and the bank signed on the financing of several large-scale audiovisual projects totalling hundreds of millions of dollars. The consortium’s involvement in the project was renewed for another 12 months.

Africa’s Film and Television Industry in 2021:

Trends, Challenges and Opportunities for Growth

Scope: Restless Global was contracted by UNESCO, the United Nations’ Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, to produce the first comprehensive study of the film and audiovisual industry in Africa’s 54 countries.

Mission:

  • Production of 54 cartographies presenting each country’s film and television production and distribution value chains; educational infrastructure; financing ecosystem; institutional, legal and regulatory environment

  • Analysis of the major trends, challenges and opportunities currently shaping the African film and audiovisual industry

  • Production of strategic recommendations to encourage the development of the sector at the continental, regional and national levels 

Results:

I-DICE (Digital, Innovation and Creative Sectors) program design

Scope: Restless Global acted as Creative Industries expert on this project led by PwC, which covered the entire Nigerian Innovation and Creative sector. The project was initiated by the Nigerian Federal Government and managed by the African Development Bank (AfDB). The consortium conducted a feasibility study and designed the entire program prior to implementation.

Mission:

  • Conduct a country-wide study and analysis of the Nigerian innovation, technology and creative ecosystems

  • Identify key public, private, and international stakeholders

  • Recommend key action areas in the following 4 pillars: Policy and enabling environment; Infrastructure; Human Capital; Financing

  • Design a detailed program including proposed initiatives, partners, collaboration structures, and financing strategy

  • Design a detailed human capacity development program for the Nigerian

  • Animation and 3D Arts sector

Results:

Based on the recommendations of this study, the $600M I-DICE program was launched in March 2023, with financing from AfDB, AFD, the Islamic Development Bank, and Nigeria’s Bank of Industry.

 Building FilmOne’s First Original Content Slate

Scope: Leading Nigerian studio FilmOne identified IP generation and original content production as a strategic development area. Restless Global was engaged to build the company’s first original content slate and train its in-house development team.

Missions:

  • Based on a market-driven approach, identify genres, worlds and storylines that are both locally authentic and globally relevant

  • Source, generate and develop film and television ideas and concepts 

  • Build FilmOne’s local and diaspora-based writers talent pool

  • Pitch projects to international partners

  • Train and mentor the in-house team in international content development standards and processes

Results:

  • Development of 20+ film and TV projects primed for international co-production, in genres ranging from family comedy to sports and crime drama

  • Introduction of FilmOne as key Nigerian content partner to US, UK and French production companies, studios and buyers

 Sourcing African Stories for Twitter Films

Scope: Twitter Films engaged Restless Global to source African stories for an upcoming collection of short documentary films.

Mission:

  • Source and research compelling stories from across Africa around a set of predetermined themes (innovation and tech, youth engagement, tradition vs modernity, indigenous communities, the environment, etc)

  • Prepare pitches to be shared with the wider Twitter team

  • Recommend African documentary filmmakers and production companies

Results:

  • Production of a dozen story pitches from across the continent (Zimbabwe, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Senegal, Ivory Coast, etc)

  • Recommendations of talented African documentary filmmakers for future collaboration with Twitter Films

Investment Strategy in the Nigerian Creative Industries

Scope:

Restless Global partnered with PwC Nigeria to produce a comprehensive market study and investment strategy for French development banks AFD and Proparco in the context of their new mandate to support the Creative and Cultural Industries (CCI) in Nigeria.

Missions:

  • Produce an in-depth market study and value chain analysis of 6 sub-sectors of the CCI: Film Production & Distribution, Broadcast & OTT, Music, Fashion, Visual Arts, Animation

  • Identify major players, potential partners and investment targets

  • Recommend the most relevant investment tools 

Results:

  • Delivery of first-of-its-kind report on the Nigerian CCI with a strong focus on private sector initiatives

  • Organization of a workshop attended by 100 stakeholders including top creative entrepreneurs, local financiers, and government agencies

  • Identification of investment opportunities leading to the first-ever road-map for French investment in the Nigerian CCI

Building French-Nigerian Cultural Relations

Scope:

On July 3rd 2018, Restless Global, in partnership with TRACE, organized a major event dubbed A Celebration of African Culture at the iconic New Afrika Shrine in Lagos. The goal of the event was to orchestrate the meeting of French president Emmanuel Macron with top practitioners from the Nigerian creative sector.


Missions:

  • Coordination between TRACE, the Elysee, VIP guests and on-the-ground teams to ensure the smooth running of the event

  • Writing and producing of “The Shrine Daily” an editorialized program of the event based on a mock newspaper concept

  • Coordination of the French and English-speaking PR teams

  • Media identification and press relations management

  • Monitoring of media outcomes and detailed reporting

  • On-the-ground support during the event

  • Coordination of live Facebook feed and social media coverage of the event

  • Production of various short and long-format videos of the event

Results:

  • Attendance by 1,000 VIP guests and 200 journalists

  • 1,300 press articles and TV mentions for the event and for Emmanuel Macron, with a 95% positive coverage and an Estimated Advertising Value  (EVA) of USD 20M 

  • 617k total social media video views (Facebook, YouTube and Instagram)

  • 28M social media impressions, reaching 24M people

Bringing Hollywood to Africa

Scope:

A top-5 Hollywood studio contracted Restless Global to provide in-depth expertise on the African film and television space and source investment opportunities for a potential involvement in African productions.

Missions:

  • Production of a comprehensive study on the pan-African film and television industry and its major players

  • Long-term advisory and deal sourcing

  • Local introductions

Results:

  • Production of a detailed entry-to-market investment strategy leveraging the client’s specific strengths and focused on the Nigerian cinema sector

  • Introduction to first-class local partners and relationship management

  • Successful intercultural deal negotiation 

TRACE Studios Restructuring

Scope:

Following the acquisition of Afro-urban media group TRACE by American investment firm TPG, Restless Global led the restructuring of TRACE Studios, the company’s content production department servicing TRACE’s 24 pay TV channels and its various online platforms broadcast in 160 countries.


Missions:

  • Lead the transition of TRACE Studios from a focus on servicing the group’s linear pay TV channels to a full multimedia, digital-focused production hub

  • Hire, build and train the core Paris-based production team, as well as regional production teams

  • Strengthen collaboration between TRACE Studios and the company’s other departments

  • Proceed to a complete review of all TRACE editorial and branded content formats

  • Create new formats based on viewers’ insights to support the company’s switch to digital

Results:

  • Comprehensive format review lead to the cancellation of some outdated programs and the creation of new ones, with a focus on social-media friendly short form content

  • Creation and dissemination of precise guidelines for all formats, ensuring the homogeneity and quality of content production across all channels and platforms

  • Establishment of new processes for rights acquisitions and management

  • Training, mentoring and coordination of the TRACE production teams in France, Nigeria, Ivory Coast and South Africa

  • Marked improvement of the collaboration between TRACE Studios and the company’s programming, social media, sales, distribution, music business and communications teams 

Yanga! Channel Launch

Scope:

Yanga!, a new TV channel on SKY and Freesat targeting the African diaspora in the UK, hired Restless Global to help define their content acquisition strategy and connect them to relevant distributors and producers.

Missions:

  • Help refine Yanga!’s acquisition strategy around premium Nollywood film and series

  • Build content wish list, secure pitch materials and trailers

  • Manage contacts with distributors and producers

  • Negotiate acquisition deals


Results:

  • Secured necessary volume of content to support Yanga!’s launch

  • Introduced Yanga! to top African and Nollywood distributors and producers, leading to lasting relationships

  • Negotiated best price for top content 

Africa Now Talks x Galeries Lafayette

Scope:

In the Spring of 2017, in the context of their AFRICA NOW season celebrating young African creation, iconic Parisian store Galeries Lafayette approached Restless Global to organize and curate the AFRICA NOW TALKS, a series of three thematic round tables with leading African movers and shakers.

Missions:

  • Concept and design of the event

  • Curation of the round tables

  • Speakers, guests and press invitations

  • Moderation of the round tables

Results:

  • Organization of a series of lively and well-attended debates that brought some depth to the AFRICA NOW season

  • Strengthened Galeries Lafayette’s relationship with a new clientele

  • Attracted new visitors to La Galerie des Galeries art space

  • Sparked interest from Galeries Lafayette’s leadership to further engage with young African creatives and entrepreneurs