In our efforts at 249Startups to generate information , data and opportunities in sudanese markets , We have launched series of forums where we will be hosting experts, Corporate executives and entrepreneurs to detect challenging areas and market gaps, and identify what opportunities lie within it, and to provide market insights and know-how on approaching specified subjects.
This is done with the aim of equipping the participants with explicit knowledge about the identified markets and widen their horizons by communicating the different opportunities which lie within them, and try to direct them towards working in areas that are currently a priority for government , development & private sectors .Additionally, encourage the participants to develop solutions to address the identified challenges and gaps in the industry.
And, with the call for applicants for the 3rd batch of the Orange Corners Sudan Incubation Program started, we are considering how the upcoming incubation cohort can address these challenges as well as the needs of the country. With that came the idea
of the incubation program having thematic tracks dedicated to the identified challenging areas and gaps.
Third Forum : Artpreneurs : Entertainment, Art and Culture markets in Sudan
In our third forum, Moderated by Suzan Elnour our Community Coordinator ,249startups. We hosted Hadeel Osman from DAVU Studio, Zainab O. M. Gaafer from The Urban Episode, Games Developer: Ayman Alshaikh, and the CEO & Founder of the resideo Ahmed Gihad, and also Ahmed Nouman from Nile Zoal on a webinar discussing the challenges and opportunities in the Entertainment, Art and Culture markets. Watch the full webinar and reach the summary of discussion points .
Watch Full Webinar now Online
Entertainment, Art and Culture is one of the eight tracks of the Orange Corners Program. This webinar is an opportunity for entrepreneurs to learn about the opportunities available in these paths.
Entertainment, Art and Culture
The creative industries refer to a range of economic activities which are concerned with the generation or exploitation of knowledge and information. They may variously also be referred to as the cultural industries.
Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task but is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have developed over thousands of years specifically for the purpose of keeping an audience’s attention.
Entertainment and creative industry appeared in Sudan in the last 10 years or so. It started with baby steps, but today we are attending a new era and change in the creative and entertainment industry in Sudan.
How to start correctly and find the right market
- It’s very important to do your research and study the market very well.
- Find the gap and use it.
- Do online courses, workshops, and keep yourself up to date and grow your knowledge.
- Write down your business plan, addressing your field and goals as well as your targeted clients.
- It’s always good to start small then gradually grow your business.
- Sudan is a very good place to start any business idea because it’s a raw market.
- Try to work with different people, it’s always useful to see things from a new perspective.
- The important question isn’t is my business going to work, it is where should I position myself in the market to make my business successful.
- The network is very important, your network can help promote your work and deliver it to a bigger audience.
- You need to step out of your comfort zone and write emails, make phone calls, and visit companies to market your work and offer your products or services.
- You need to educate your clients about the value and importance of your work, through discussions and samples of your work.
- You need to show your clients that you are serious about what you’re doing, by sending them presentations.
- You must have an identity that separates you from your other competitors.
- Try to approach people from Outside Sudan, because learning about other cultures and different experiences can help you see things from different perspectives.
- The market in the UAE _as well as other places around the world_ in comparison with the market in Sudan is Saturated. To compete you have to be more than just an artist, you must be as unique as possible.
Challenges that face the creative and entertainment industry in Sudan
- It is not easy to conduct market research.
- Any outstanding new idea will face hesitation from clients and partners.
- In the beginning, you are forced to work commercial work to generate incomes and to establish a client list, and most importantly to finance your private projects.
- When you look at the entertainment and creative art industry in Sudan you find that people usually start their businesses then they create and find a market for it.
- Sudanese people suffer from visual literacy.
- Working in the art field in Sudan is challenging because there’s no motivation and it’s difficult to make a living out of it.
Panelists stories
DAVU studio by Hadeel Oz
DAVU studio is a multidisciplinary creative studio based on the concept of fusing visual identity with design, art, sustainability, and creative direction.
Hadeel was a freelance branding and marketing specialist in Zimbabwe, there was governmental support both social and financial for art and creation and that is what we need here in Sudan. So Hadeel talked to specialists and did workshops so when she moved back to Sudan in early 2018 she immediately started establishing DAVU studio.
Kalma by Ayman Elshaikh
Ayman is a game developer, he created the game (انسان حيوان جماد بلاد), which is a local game that all Sudanese played at a certain age of their lives. The transformation of the game from the traditional way of using a mobile phone and other devices.
Since the beginning, I wanted to develop games that had a historical background and were already known and familiar to people with new and outstanding features.
The Urban Episode by Zainab Gafaar
Urban Episode is a research studio which focuses on urban life, mostly the city of Khartoum, depicting the urban culture and how people use the urban space.
Started 2 years ago with urban exploring, the founder is an architect graduate who was curious to see beyond the city. So she started exploring historical places that held an architectural value within Khartoum city. Seeing the place physically wasn’t enough for her so she started researching the sites, the context buildings were built in, the historical events that took place in it and so on, which led to creating an archive.
Nilezoal by Ahmed No’aman
Nilezoal is a media production company that was founded in 2012. Photography in Sudan started with wedding photography, then photographers found their way towards commercial photography. Agencies and production houses complete each other, it’s the agency’s job to establish a marketing strategy, and supervise the implementation of projects.
The resideo by Ahmed Jihad
Is a branding and consultancy agency.Which is based and working in both Sudan, UAE, and the United Kingdom. Ahmed started as a freelancer, then he confounded a studio with 3 of his mates, after one year he withdrew from the studio and headed back to freelancing then he founded the resideo in 2019 to work in clients strategies, his goal wasn’t to produce work more than help clients with including the community with the clients.
This Article had been developed by 249Startups Team for purpose of learning and sharing knowledge as part of Markets Opportunities Mapping Forum . Written by : Thuraya Saad , Copywriter – 249Startups .