A.K.A.
Name: Amartei Kobla Armar
UBC major: B.F.A. Film Production
Year in E101 Class: 2013
Name of Current Business: A.K.A. (Ananse’s Kollection of Artists)
What we do in our business:
The Ananse Kollection of Artists is a start-up organization that seeks to provide a haven of creative collaboration for young and emerging writers, filmmakers, and visual artists. Our aim is to produce imaginative and innovative forms of short storytelling within the Greater Vancouver Area that reflect the modern day global nomadic experience.
Why this particular business?
I hail from both the land of gold and cocoa, which you can call Ghana, and the United States of America! I take great pride in where I am from, as it was through combining forms of Ghanaian and American storytelling that I developed my passion for narrative films.
Biggest day-to-day challenges as an entrepreneur:
The Ananse Kollection of Artists is very much in its infancy, having been started less than one year ago. We are now in the process of building our client base and sourcing the proper funding for all of our projects. Luckily, due to the wide array of skillets that we possess, along with the equipment that each of us own, we are able to cut down on several costs of production.
Greatest delights in being an entrepreneur:
I love the freedom of being an entrepreneur, but also the long gruelling hours of hard work over something I am passionate about. However, the most gratifying experience in my work is releasing the final product for viewership.
Four Key pieces of advice you would give to future entrepreneurs:
1. I believe that passion drives everything that we do. Perhaps I’m biased because I’m an “artist,” but I strongly believe that monetary gain isn’t the right incentive. Being passionate about something enough to position yourself to be the best at it will reap those rewards. Find what you are passionate about, something that you believe in and know you could knock it out of the park and stick with it.
2. I think it’s very important to have a direction that you are heading in. Knowing the long term goal, even if it’s just where you want to be or what you want to accomplish in the next five years. It’s crucial to know why you are taking up a project or selecting a course and how it serves as a great investment of your time.
3. For my Jim Collins’ readers, start your flywheel. Figure out what it is that you stand for, your ideal, carve it into stone and then start grinding! Success, however you like to define it, takes time and significant effort.
4. Entrepreneurship is an every day thing. Your entrepreneurial brain can never stop working or be put on sleep mode. Everything you experience, regardless of how random it is, somehow ties into your business. If you think hard enough, you will find how it fits into your model.
Where do you see yourself going as an entrepreneur in the future?
As an African, my goal is Africa. Will it start in Ghana, my home country? Sure. I ultimately want to give the artisans, poets, speakers, filmmakers of the continent a stronger voice and a united banner to fly under. They are the keepers of our culture and have arguably the greatest role in preserving our history, who we are, and who we want to be. At the heart of it all, having an organization that links passionate artists from different fields and different cultures, is what AKA strives for and why I began it.