Nairobi, Kenya - July 5, 2023: TonyWild Foundation, in collaboration with Buni Media, is pleased to announce their recent achievement of winning USD 10,000 for their groundbreaking project, Matata and Friends on Safari. This wildlife, climate change, and environmental conservation series has been recognized for its dedication to educating present and future generations about the importance of conservation.

The Wild Pitch Winner was selected during the prestigious Wildscreen Festival Nairobi, held from June 30th to July 1st, 2023 at Alliance Française. Matata and Friends on Safari stood out among a record-breaking 80 entries, securing its place as a top contender for its originality, fun approach, and likability that speaks to our children as expressed by the judges. Matata, a puppet, was indeed the star of the pitch.

Anthony Ochieng, founder TonyWild Foundation, expressed his excitement about the win, stating, "We are thrilled to be recognised by the judges at the Wildscreen Festival Nairobi for our efforts in creating Matata and Friends on Safari. This series entertains and educates, providing invaluable knowledge about wildlife, climate change, and environmental conservation to the young audience."

The Wild Pitch competition featured six filmmakers, each given four minutes to pitch their projects to a jury of leading international commissioners and senior executives; Head of Natural History, BBC Commissioning – BBC, Sreya Biswas, Sr. Vice President of Program Development and Production at National Geographic Janet Vissering and Head of BBC Studios Natural History Unit Jonny Keeling and Loise Mwikali, TV Programming at Royal Media Services Limited.  Matata and Friends on Safari captivated the jury and the audience with its engaging content and powerful message. The pitchees received immediate feedback from the judges, further highlighting the talent and potential of the projects. 

We also extend our heartfelt congratulations to Jigar Ganatra, who secured a remarkable USD 6,000 in support for his project "Between Two Worlds" and to Trishala Naidu and Devin Trull for their outstanding achievement of winning $3,000 for "Buoyant: A Turtle Tale."

Matata and Friends on Safari aims to bridge the gap between education and entertainment - illustrating the true definition of edutainment, by raising awareness about wildlife, climate change, and environmental conservation. Through captivating puppetry storytelling and interactive elements, the show will instill valuable lessons on the importance of protecting our planet.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Name: Victoria Wanjohi
Email: victoria@tonywild.co.ke
Phone: +254 715 845 128

About TonyWild Foundation:

TonyWild is an African youth-led conservation organization whose focus is to promote conservation action by creating awareness of wildlife through photography, film, and science. We envision a generation that will influence sustainable natural resource management. We work towards this by educating and showcasing the beauty and importance of nature and wildlife.

Learn more about TonyWild here https://www.tonywild.co.ke/  

To support our work click here https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=A8ZG4TXXJZF22  

About Buni Media:
Buni Media is a multimedia organization involved in the development, production, and distribution of video, audio, animation, digital, and print publication content; in the organization and curation of events; and training and capacity building.

Learn more about Buni Media here https://www.bunimedia.com/