Laurène Sénéchal is the CEO of Likasa, an audiovisual production agency based in Ivory Coast. Likasa is also a partner in the Créa'Storm project, an event co-created by Filip Kabeya, who is himself president of the Content Lab association.
What are your activities in Ivory Coast?
Likasa was launched in 2017 in Abidjan. It is an audiovisual agency specializing in the design, production, and distribution of videos. We work on projects involving reports, documentaries, and TV shows. We are also on the lookout for new digital writing formats. To this end, we are increasingly working on web TV and brand content projects. We also support brands and companies in the digital sphere and work on the creation of series and web series in the fiction field.
For example, we have produced reports for the CANAL+ program "Bonjour Santé" and we have also created and developed a program for TV5Monde called "Le petit geek." This is a youth program, presented by children, which educates viewers about new technologies. We filmed this program in schools in Abidjan, where children who have received training in new technologies present the uses of digital technology to other children around the world. The program consists of 7-minute episodes and will be broadcast in early 2020 on TV5Monde's youth channel, Tivi5. We are also working on a documentary project with CANAL+ for the "Enquête d'Afrique" slot " slot. For RTI, we worked in collaboration with Elephant Africa on the program "Made in Africa." In terms of institutional communication, we work more with local structures.
You co-created the Créa'Storm project. Can you tell us more about it?
CréaStorm is the first African content production accelerator. The idea was to adapt the environment of new technologies and innovation to artistic creativity for the audiovisual sector. The project takes the form of a Hackathon. During this event, young talents have five days to focus on the real content creation needs of companies and international channels.
For this second season, we have chosen three challenges:
- The A+ Ivoire channel, one of the DTT channels, would like to include a music program in its schedule to promote Ivorian artists. In this challenge, the channel is asking participants to come up with an original music program tailored to its family-oriented, popular, and above all Ivorian audience.
- The second challenge is a digital-focused concept. It involves coming up with a video series that could promote Abidjan as a global tourist destination. The concept, entitled "I love Abidjan," should be short, original, innovative, and digital.
- The final challenge is a fiction challenge. At the moment, there is high demand for fiction in the sector. The major players in the local audiovisual landscape are looking for fiction, for people capable of writing scripts, stories, series, and even web series concepts. This challenge will also be an opportunity to spot future talent, support them in developing their ideas, and pitch them to these major television channels.
At the end of the competition, we will organize a Pitch Night, which will be an opportunity for participants to present and defend their projects to our jury of partners.
This year, we received 380 entries, and 30 to 40 people will be selected from among them. We have also chosen to encourage women to apply, as these professions remain very male-dominated.
What are your ambitions behind this project?
CréaStorm aims to support young talent in developing the skills needed to meet the needs of the audiovisual sector. In addition to concept proposals, participants will be invited to take training courses on several topics, such as screenwriting and the basics of filmmaking. Eleven coaches, who are professionals in the sector, will also support the participants.
With a view to strengthening skills, we would like our partners to be involved in this week, either by sharing their experience or by leading a training session. This year, our partners are Vivendi Create Joy Fund, A+Ivoire, Dailymotion, Universal Music Africa, ABS (African Broadcast Services), and UNBCI (bloggers' associations).
Were any projects launched during the first edition in 2018?
In 2018, the jury was composed of the Deputy Director of one of the new private DTT channels, the Director of Transformation, Digital and Media at Orange, the Senior Manager at Orange Fab, and the Director of External Communications and Brand at Orange. They chose to support us in developing the project and "testing" the concept, but they weren't necessarily ready to embark on the actual production of the proposed challenges. The ambition for all of us was to launch an initial training initiative, identify talent, and stimulate creativity. For this second season, we hope that projects will come to fruition or create synergies between future talent and industry players.
What is your view of audiovisual production in Côte d'Ivoire?
Despite some difficult phases that have marked the development of the sector, we are now seeing a new lease of life for local audiovisual production. From a global perspective, we feel that Côte d'Ivoire is positioning itself as a hub, particularly for the development of series. In terms of audiovisual production, more and more projects are being carried out in the country. These are high-quality, international-level projects that are also contributing to the emergence of many talented individuals.
The arrival of digital terrestrial television will also be another driving force, as four new channels means four new program schedules to fill. This leaves room for new projects, even if the issues related to financing remain the same.
