How TNC Africa Is Revolutionizing African Storytelling Through Tech-Enabled Production

Could the next Squid Game come from Africa? TNC Africa thinks so.

Tega Gabriel and Founders Connect

You know, there’s this thing that I’ve noticed, and maybe you have too. Whenever we start talking about tech and innovation in Africa, we tend to go straight to the usual suspects: fintech, health tech, edutech. It’s like a reflex, right? But today, I want to shine a light on a different kind of tech story, one that’s less about algorithms and more about emotions. Let’s talk about how technology is being used to tell African stories and produce TV shows.? And who better to exemplify this than Wale Adetula and his incredible journey with TNC Africa?

Wale Adetula's work with TNC Africa is a fascinating evolution from a personal blog to a tech-enabled TV production company. It all began with Wale's creative spirit, which manifested as early as primary school when he started drawing comics and selling them to classmates.

As a child, Wale was deeply inspired by Disney and animation, which fueled his passion for creating moving images. His early exposure to computers at age 9 or 10 sparked an interest in technology, leading him to explore Microsoft PowerPoint and even learn programming. By 15, he had obtained a Microsoft certification in Visual Basic.

Despite initially considering architecture, Wale ended up studying Systems Engineering at the University of Lagos. During his university years, he co-founded Icebox Studios, a software and web development company that became the second-largest web development company in Nigeria by 2008.

However, Wale's creative side remained restless. After leaving Icebox Studios, he worked briefly at an advertising agency before joining GT Bank's corporate affairs team. It was during this time that he started a personal blog called "The Toolsman Blog," which evolved into The Naked Convos (TNC).

The platform was created as a community space for young Nigerians to discuss topics that were often considered taboo or risqué, such as sex, sexuality, and religion. It quickly gained popularity, especially among upwardly mobile youth, becoming a safe space for people to express themselves through articles, opinion pieces, and short stories.

As social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram grew, Wale recognized that The Naked Convos wasn't sustainable in its existing form, prompting him to explore new formats. Over time, TNC experimented with podcasts, stage plays, and book publishing. However, it wasn't until 2017 that the idea of producing web series took hold. The first major success came with the collaboration with REDTV on the drama series Our Best Friend’s Wedding, which garnered millions of views on YouTube.

In 2021, Wale, along with new partners Gbemi Olateru-Olagbegi and Daniel Aideyan, officially launched TNC Africa as a tech-enabled content production company. This new venture was focused on creating and distributing original African stories, with a particular emphasis on digital platforms. The success of their flagship series Little Black Book further solidified TNC Africa's position as a leading force in African digital media.

TNC Africa's innovative model quickly gained recognition. In their first year of operation, they received three nominations for the Africa Magic Viewers' Choice Awards (AMVCA) and were selected for YouTube's Black Voices Fund. They also expanded to other platforms, with content now available on Amazon Prime TV.

"Our content is designed to provoke thought and inspire discussion," says Wale. "We want to create a space where difficult conversations can happen, and where people can engage with ideas that challenge their views."

TNC Africa's success isn't just about producing great content—it's about fostering a sense of community and participation among viewers. By involving the audience in the creative process, the company has built a loyal following that feels invested in the stories being told. But how did they do this? When Wale started The Naked Convos back in 2010, it was just a blog where anyone could submit their stories. TNC allowed contributors to submit content anonymously, which encouraged more people to share personal experiences and opinions on sensitive topics. I'm talking real, raw stories about everything from relationships to religion. The platform encouraged active discussion and debate in the comment sections. Some posts generated hundreds or even thousands of comments, indicating a high level of audience participation.

But here's where it gets really interesting. They didn't just stop at letting people post stories. They were like, "Hey, what if we let our contributors make money from their posts?" So they built this whole system where writers could earn cash based on how many views and comments their posts got. This incentivized the audience to not only create content but also to promote and engage with it. When TNC Africa pivoted to web series, they didn’t go looking for new stories. They adapted the most popular ones from their own community. It was a brilliant move—like saying, “You guys wrote it, now let’s bring it to life!”

TNC Africa employs advanced data analytics and machine learning to inform every stage of content creation, from selecting talent to refining plot threads. This tech-driven approach enhances the quality and engagement of their productions, making African stories more relatable and impactful on a global scale. Despite some criticism that technology might depersonalize media, TNC Africa insists that their method enhances creativity by complementing artistic intuition with scientific insights.

In addition to creating original content, TNC Africa is committed to empowering other African content creators by providing access to tools like Premier, an app that offers real-time data and insights, and Foresight Stack, designed for larger producers. Through these innovations, TNC Africa aims to elevate the entire African media landscape, contributing to a new era where African stories can achieve global acclaim.

In an interview with Founders Connect, Wale talks about how TNC Africa has set an ambitious goal: to create the next global hit series from Africa, akin to the international success of Squid Game. Wale believes that by combining their technological edge with African storytelling, they can produce content that resonates worldwide.

Wale emphasizes the importance of continuous learning, surrounding oneself with brilliant people, and being open to new experiences. He sees great potential in the convergence of technology and creativity in Africa's entertainment industry and encourages more people to explore this intersection.

TNC Africa has been expanding its horizons even further. In a groundbreaking move for the African film industry, TNC Africa signed a distribution deal with The FilmJoint, a platform dedicated to promoting, marketing, and monetizing short films. This partnership, initiated in early 2024, aims to bridge the gap between emerging African filmmakers and audiences who are eager for narrative short films. This collaboration allows filmmakers to tap into TNC Africa’s established social infrastructure, which boasts thousands of followers across various platforms. Titles like Ihunanya’m by Abiodun Odu and My Mama na Ashewo by Nwamaka Chikezie have already garnered significant recognition, with the latter achieving nearly three hundred thousand views on YouTube since its premiere in February 2024

In the end, what Wale and TNC Africa are doing goes beyond just entertainment. They’re driving conversations about the social condition in Africa, and rewriting the narrative on African creativity. They’re not just telling stories; they’re redefining who gets to tell those stories and how they’re told. With each new project, TNC Africa chips away at the notion that tech is only for apps and algorithms. It’s also for the things that make us laugh, cry, and think—because in the grand scheme of things, that’s the kind of tech we need most.