Storytelling is a powerful tool that can impact lives in a myriad of ways. As an extended reality producer, Walid Kilonzi understands the potency of a good story. At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, he used his storytelling skills to support local businesses and give them a stronger digital presence. But before venturing into extended reality production, Walid eyed a different form of storytelling.
Early Years
Walid’s interest in the creative world began during his secondary studies at Lukenya High School when his parents purchased a camera. His interest progressed into film, when his school organized a film camp. His passion for film production burgeoned during this camp, motivating him to spend all his other school holidays writing mock scripts and visiting sets to learn more about this form of storytelling. By the completion of his high school studies in 2016, Walid was certain that he wanted to venture into story production.
At this young age, Walid had already set his sights on establishing his own production company. But he recognized that he needed more training. Walid enrolled at Daystar University for a short course on leadership. He then enrolled into the Africa Digital Media Institute (ADMI) for a Diploma in Film and TV Production.
Exploring the World of Extended Reality
As Walid strode in his career, technology also advanced to improve and create new avenues for audiovisual storytelling. Extended reality, an immersive technology that connects the digital environment with the real one to create a virtual world, was growing in Africa. Keen to explore this field of media production, Walid took on a part-time job as a production assistant at a virtual reality company. By taking this hands-on approach, Walid grew his production skills to encompass extended reality. Leveraging his newly acquired skills with his tertiary education training, Walid came across new opportunities in this space. He grew from a production assistant to a virtual reality producer in a span of three months. In 2018, Walid continued to balance studies and work when he became the Country Coordinator of VR|AR|MR, an organization that provides extended reality production services. In this position, he began to pay it forward by teaching and organizing classes for those interested in extended reality.
Economic Disruption
By the time of his graduation in 2019, Walid had amassed a wealth of knowledge about the creative and business side of media production. He was ready to strike out on his own. He registered his company, Fallohide, a creative studio that provides narrative solutions using extended reality. As is the case with most startups, the first year was one of the most challenging as Walid worked on establishing a client base, building the brand name, and creating a cash flow. Just one year after launching his business, the pandemic hit and threatened to wipe out all his hard work.
Even so, Fallohide was not the only business that was destabilized by the pandemic. During the lockdown, Walid watched as many livelihoods were lost in 2020 following the movement restrictions put in place to curb the spread of COVID-19. It was devastating to watch businesses crumble around him, not to mention the worry seeping in about his own brand. He began brainstorming ways in which he could use his skills to support local businesses.
Partnerships for Progress
With the tourism industry being one of the hardest hit, Walid approached the County Government of Machakos and proposed the idea of putting hotels on a database and using extended reality to give them a digital presence. After securing a partnership with Google Africa to bring this idea to life, Walid visited more than 150 hotels in Machakos County and captured content that could be used on Google Maps to give potential tourists a virtual travel experience and an idea of what to look forward to should they visit these hotels.
The response to this project was overwhelmingly positive, as the content garnered more than a million views in less than two months. Despite all the restrictions in place during the pandemic, business began to pick up for these hotels as potential clients were able to find them through their Google Business Profiles. Leveraging the power of technology, Walid helped many businesses remain afloat during this challenging season.
Using Extended Reality to Boost Economic Productivity
After the success of this project, business picked for Fallohide. Organisations began looking to extended reality to solutions for some of the challenges they face. From conducting safety training for workers of a manufacturing industry to interactive product showcases that improve marketing and boost sales, Walid has given businesses the opportunity to scale up economic productivity.
Indeed, Walid highlights the impact that storytelling can have on economic growth through his work. For his commitment to using extended reality to improve the digital presence of local businesses, we celebrate him as one of #OurGoalGetters.