Today we’d like to introduce you to Ndosi Anyabwile.
Ndosi, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I grew up in a household where my parents strongly believed in supporting my creativity. Whether I was into drawing or music at the time, my parents always wanted to know how they can help and invest when they could. I started getting into film production while attending Dekalb School of the Arts back in 2008 but it wasn’t until college where I really saw my passion for film emerge.
I attended Georgia State University, where I entered my first film festival “Campus Movie Fest” back in 2012 where you must create a short film within a week. Before then, I had only made films with my friends and family but I never experienced showcasing my work to a wide audience. I took home my first “Best Picture” award for my film “Spilled Milk” and the following year with my Sci-Fi short “Jerotis”. The success of these projects created networking opportunities with industry professionals and other content creators around Atlanta. Once I graduated from GSU in 2013, I had begun freelancing as Editor/Visual Effects Artist through my company Gorilla Tactix Studios.
At the time, I did mostly music video work on projects for artists such as Janelle Monae and Future, but I worked on many commercial and indie feature film work as well. With the work I received, I was able to continue to invest in my gear and software knowledge. After building my portfolio and referrals, in 2016 I got my first studio job at Awesome Inc. as a VFX Compositor on the Adult Swim show “Your Pretty Face.” I continued my compositing career path a year later at Bento Box Entertainment working out of the Pinewood Studios Atlanta office. I currently work at Crafty Apes VFX where I’m fulfilling the dream of working on high-end features and television.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Trying to make a career in the film business is something that wasn’t taught to me in school. I learned the hard way after graduating college that a few student projects weren’t enough to get my foot in the door. I didn’t want to have to move to LA to chase the dream because I believed that film in Georgia was on the rise. It was just a struggle trying to meet the right connections, especially with being an introvert. In my journey, I did a lot of low to no pay gigs just to build a decent portfolio. Then there were the occasional gigs where it was less of an “opportunity” and more of a waste of time. However, through each gig, I learned from my mistakes and ultimately led to better business decisions and the right clientele.
Gorilla Tactix Studios – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Gorilla Tactix Studios is a film production company that produces independent films that focus primarily on the genre of action and science fiction. It is basically the powerhouse behind all of my film projects from pre-production to post. We are most known for our collaborative film projects with Class Clown Films such as “Lunchtime Warfare” and “Unfollowed”. However, we have received LA Film Festival recognition for our sci-fi series “CHARGED” and was a finalist in the 2015 RODE Reel contest internationally for “Best Visual Effects” and “Best Sci-fi”.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
There have been so many great moments on this journey from winning my first film award to landing my first studio job. However, any opportunity I have where I can share what I have learned so far with aspiring filmmakers is always rewarding. My wife and I had the opportunity to share some insight on film with the students of Stone Mill Elementary for Career Day. We brought in our film equipment and showed them how to set up and operate. I didn’t see a RED camera in person until I graduated from college, now these kids are only nine years old and holding one. They were so excited and haven’t thought about film as a career until now. That’s why I feel exposure is important, especially at a young age. To be able to encourage and inspire the same way my parents encouraged me growing up truly is a blessing.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.gorillatactix.com
- Email: info@gorillatactix.com
- Instagram: @GorillaTactix
Image Credit:
Movie Stills from “CHARGED” and “The RIG”, “Unfollowed” Behind the Scenes Photos by J-MO Page, “The RIG” Behind the Scenes Photos by Healthy
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