Wow! I can’t actually believe it’s been 2 years. Somehow it feels a lot longer than 2 years, which is a good thing, I guess. 😅 I joined Cowrywise as a motion designer and within two years, I’m now a media manager. Here’s how it all happened.
Getting into Cowrywise
When I joined Cowrywise on the 26th of July 2021, I was really excited and scared at the same time. I had never worked for a fintech so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I remember applying in May 2021 but I was rejected, I felt bad because I really like Cowrywise not just because of the value of the products but from what I saw on social media it seemed like a very great place to work with a lot of talented minds.
About a month later, I sent a LinkedIn connection request to Faith, the then People and Culture Lead. I was determined to still shoot my shot. To my surprise, he sent me a DM saying he liked my profile and requested for my cover letter. I put my all into writing that cover letter because this was a second chance. I got an interview the following week, I met with Faith and Nonso Okolo who drilled me. 😩 Then I had the second stage interview with Razaq and well the rest is history, as they say.
2 years down the line
Having dedicated two years of diligent and smart work, Cowrywise has evolved into much more than a mere workplace for me. It has transformed into a close-knit community of like-minded individuals all devoted to achieving excellence and driving innovation in all they do.
Over the past 2 years, I’ve had the opportunity to work on some really exciting projects and campaigns. I have faced challenges but I have also emerged stronger and more confident in my abilities. Let’s take a look at my top five projects at Cowrywise.
Top five projects at Cowrywise
Simplified by Cowrywise
This project was really interesting. Mobolaji and I were tasked to revamp the simplified series because honestly at that time there was nothing really ‘simplified’ about the Simplified series. It was a bit more complicated than it should be. Then, Simplified by Cowrywise used to be a one-hour Zoom session where we try to break down money. After doing that for a year, we revamped the series into short videos that simplify complex money concepts. I particularly enjoyed shooting and editing these videos mainly because I personally learned a lot about money while shooting the videos.
Ope’s Diary Book launch
This was one of those campaigns that stretched me. I went out of my comfort zone to pull this off. Big shout out to my team lead, Grillo. He challenged me and it paid off. Ope of Cowrywise was launching a book and we didn’t want to go the conventional way of creating a promo video; we decided to create a movie trailer! I know right, what’s the connection between a movie trailer and a book launch? When Grillo shared the idea, I was initially scared, I didn’t think I could pull it off because I have never done it before. But I did some homework and with the help of some friends in the industry and my team lead we pulled it off.
Campus Ambassador Tour
This was one project I can never forget in a hurry. Michael our Content Marketing Manager (the Community manager then) came up with an idea. It was time to recruit new student ambassadors and we needed to tell a story of how beneficial and awesome it is to become a Cowrywise Campus Ambassador and what better way to tell such stories than to hear from the students themselves? So we set out to go to 3 schools( Obafemi Awolowo University, University of Ibadan, University of Lagos). Michael, Faith (ex-People and Culture Lead, Oluchi, Hannah, and I packed our bags and were set to go on tour.
I met amazing students in all the schools and learned new things about the school and what they were doing to propagate the message of financial literacy on their campus. The entire experience was wholesome and deeply rewarding.
PCI DSS!
Finally! We got our Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard license and we were super excited as a company because this shows our commitment to improving security and creating a wholesome experience when managing your wealth.
I had no talent to shoot this video with so I became the talent (I became a video vixen 😂). I drafted a script, set up my camera and other shooting equipment, did some light makeup and started shooting. This was fun for me as I have never been on the other side of the camera before, I’ve always been the behind-the-scenes guy but it just showed that there are actually hidden talents that I never knew I had. 😅 Of course the video helped us pass the message across and helped our users see that we can be trusted.
Streetwise
This was my second project after I resumed Cowrywise. The idea came from Alma who thought sometimes money lessons are not just from the juggernauts of the industry, the CEOs of conglomerates, the oil and gas moguls, but also from Iya Basirat who sells puff-puff under Ikeja bridge, Muftau the vulcanizer, Lekan the security guard and many other random people living and working on the streets.
We kicked off the project with a few episodes interviewing these people and it was good and eye-opening.
Other worthy mentions: Money Duo relaunch, Halal.
Future Plans
The interesting thing about videography, video editing, and motion design is that there are always new ways to interpret something visually. I started at Cowrywise as a motion designer but now I’ve grown into a media manager. I have some interesting projects lined up and I can’t wait for you to see them.
A few of them are ‘Boardroom series’ [a video series that showcases the strength of Cowrywise leaders as thought leaders in their industry], Lifestyle videos [a fun way to look at money], ‘Wealth Support series’ [a new way to learn how wealth from top to bottom] and so many others.
While doing this, I plan to keep doing more research, take courses on cinematography and media, and essentially keep finding better ways to convey Cowrywise’s message through visual content. I have great confidence in the collective expertise of my team and I can’t wait to see the wonders we will create together.
Connect with Olayeni Adenuga on LinkedIn and Twitter.
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I am inspired!😌😌