SMALL TEAM, GREAT WORK
- Oluseyi Ekanem
- Jul 13
- 2 min read
Rat Trap Project Post 2 : SMALL TEAM, GREAT WORK
Building something new is always an act of belief. Not just belief in the project itself — but in the people who will help bring it to life.
When I set out to make The Rat Trap, it wasn’t just about testing animation ideas or visual storytelling techniques. It was also a team-building experiment — a way to answer a simple but powerful question:
Can we build a nimble, world-class creative team from right here in Nigeria?
So I put out the call through Animation Nigeria, specifically looking for 3D artists who were excited to collaborate on an experimental project.
What I found was a diverse and passionate community — a mix of 2D, 3D, and stop motion artists, all pushing creative boundaries in their own way. But when it came to the exact combination of skills we needed for The Rat Trap — from modeling and rigging to layout and rendering — it became clear that the talent pool was relatively niche.
And that was okay. Because this process wasn’t just about hiring people to get a job done. It was about finding creative partners who shared a bigger vision. People who were:
Curious and open-minded,
Hungry to learn and grow,
And aligned with the kind of company we’re trying to build at PAITAN — one that leads with clarity, creativity, and care.
I was upfront from the beginning:
We’re a small team. But we have mighty ambitions. The Rat Trap is just the beginning. We're building something to last.
Not everyone resonated with that. Some never followed up after our initial conversations. Others didn’t share their rates or portfolio links. That was disappointing — but also revealing. It helped me quickly understand who wasn’t aligned with our values. And I’m glad we found that out early. That kind of clarity is a gift..
In the end, I was able to bring together an initial team of three talented artists with the right skills and energy to bring The Rat Trap to life. We’re already learning a lot together, and the early results are promising.
We’re starting small on purpose — so we can stay flexible, focused, and collaborative. But we’re also realistic. As the project grows and new challenges emerge, we’re open to bringing in more people with the specialized expertise we may need. It’s about staying honest with our capabilities, and always doing what’s best for the work.
In upcoming blog posts, I’ll begin introducing you to the team — one member at a time, as we explore different aspects of the project. From layout and lookdev to rigging and animation, each person is bringing something essential to the table. Because in the end, making great work isn’t about the size of your team.
It’s about the strength of your vision, the clarity of your values, and the people who choose to build with you — one frame at a time.
—Follow along for more behind-the-scenes updates as we develop Paitan Media’s first animated project — and set the stage for a bold new chapter in African storytelling.
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