Allan Gitau is irked by the inability of upcoming creative writers to acquire adequate exposure to curve a niche for themselves in the industry.
To fill the gap, he has founded Andika, a digital platform that links up creative writers with content producers and eases their interactions.
“Most times you find that young upcoming writers author content but do not know where to take it. It ends up gathering dust on their shelves while it could turn out to be premium work if it was spotted by the right eyes. This is what Andika is seeking to fix, providing exposure and making writers discoverable,” says Gitau.
Having started off as a creative writer himself and being part of the team that scripted a popular local drama comedy dubbed 'Gumbaru School', Mr Gitau says his Andika platform is the first ever of its kind in Kenya.
So, how does the platform work?
“Once you visit the Andika website, you’ll be required to sign up either as a writer or as a publisher. We have made the account registration free for creative writers,” explains Mr Gitau.
Once you have signed up and input all the required details including your full name, country, city, telephone contact, date of birth and email address, you’ll be able to log in using your newly created password.
“The platform gives you the leeway to submit a maximum of 10 projects so you’d be well advised to use your 10 slots wisely by uploading your most premium content,” states Mr Gitau.
Andika platform founder Allan Gitau. PHOTO | COURTESY
“Every single project uploaded by a writer will have to bear a copyright mark.”
On the platform, writers will only be able to view their own projects and not those of their peers.
Individuals who sign up as publishers will be able to access a review button and can then rate the works that they come across.
“The highly rated projects will be placed on the landing page of the website,” says Mr Gitau.
Once a project has been bought by a producer/publisher, the writer will be required to pull it down.
“Publishers will have to sign terms upon registration requiring that they don’t advance or develop the ideas they come across on the site before they settle an agreement with the concerned writer,” states Mr Gitau.
400 registrations
Andika has so far grown to attract 400 registrations for writers and 10 for publishers. Mr Gitau insists that the platform is a writer-first avenue that will go a long way in bringing out a whole lot of sleeping creative talents.
“The key goal from the onset was to create a pool where creative ideas meet and mix with forces that can actualise them.”
