Playback is providing a deep dive into the careers of our 2022 10 to Watch recipients. This year’s cohort were selected from 217 submissions and represent a wide array of film and TV talent as producers, writers, directors, and executives. Stay tuned for additional profiles over the next month.

Tope Babalola knows a thing or two about thinking outside of the box.

From creating visual effects and comedic skits on TikTok for his two million followers to his imaginative and charismatic drive as a creative executive at Toronto’s Little Engine Moving Pictures, the 24-year-old Winnipeg-born filmmaker is paving a unique path in the film industry through his mission to create more diverse content.

“Tope’s such a prolific, talented young man. He’s a changemaker and sees that diversity in children’s content is the way the world can be better,” Maria Kennedy, owner of Little Engine Moving Pictures, tells Playback Daily.

Babalola says he wants to showcase more of the cultural struggle children of immigrant parents may face on screens “the way that a young Nigerian-Canadian such as myself might grow up in terms of being a Canadian but still being tied to their Nigerian roots. It’s something I’m really passionate about, and I want kids to understand that struggle.”

He adds that people are craving new stories right now, and often, they can find those stories in the most unexpected places. “That’s the beauty of diversity – everyone has a story to tell,” says Babalola. “I’m glad I get to share mine and create films and shows that feature young, Black children in leading roles where they’re competent and intelligent.”

One of the stories he plans to tell is Benjamin Ojo: Junior High Private Eye, a kid-focused mystery series based on a film he created with students at a Winnipeg middle school. The series now has a Canadian broadcaster attached for pre-development and was recently named as a finalist for a TV market pitch competition in Europe, which will be publicly announced at a later date.

The original film version, titled Benjamin Bartlett, was Babalola’s first real dip into filmmaking. He created the film during his undergraduate years at the University of Manitoba, where he worked as a part-time educational assistant and film program coordinator at a local middle school.

“I introduced the students to the basics of filmmaking and scriptwriting by creating feature films with them filled with diverse characters and plotlines that present cultural struggles, and coming-of-age themes,” he says.

He wrote, edited, filmed and funded the projects on shoestring budgets, while using his personal camera and equipment. The school provided the facilities they shot at and students, teachers and parents donated the props and costumes.

Benjamin Bartlett won Best Family Film at the Winnipeg Reel to Real Film Festival in 2020 and was the project that inspired Babalola to go to film school in Toronto. He attended Sheridan College’s postgraduate television and film program in January 2021 after finishing his studies at the University of Manitoba.

It was also during that time that Babalola was building up his brand on TikTok, which he joined in April 2020. He says he found the writing component of his TikTok videos a natural fit for him as he has been writing since he was a kid. In middle school, he published his three novels which were sold locally at Chapters, Coles and small bookstores and were available online nationwide. “By high school, I shifted my focus to screenwriting because it helped to visually portray the things in my head,” he says.

When he graduated from Sheridan College, Little Engine Moving Pictures’ Kennedy found his TikTok page and immediately messaged him for an interview.

“I did a lot of comedic writing on my TikTok and created my own visual effects. At the time, Maria was looking for someone who can do visual effects, but she asked me during the interview if I had any projects I wanted to pitch and that’s when I told her about the series adaptation of Benjamin Bartlett called Benjamin Ojo: Junior High Private Eye,” says Babalola.

Kennedy, who also wanted more diversity represented on screen for children, found the series adaptation the perfect project for her prodco. She hired him as a creative executive, writer, and director in June 2022.

Babalola went to several conferences as a Black Screen Office (BSO) delegate, including the Kidscreen Summit in July and the 42nd edition of the Toronto International Film Festival for Benjamin Ojo: Junior High Private Eye to generate buzz on a domestic and international level.

In addition to his work in the kids industry, Babalola has built up his short film credits throughout 2022. He’s currently in post-production on the crowdfunded $5,000 short One Engaging Night; and he produced the short film Woke, directed by Dara Eshaghian and written by Riel Flack, which is currently on the film festival circuit; as well as the duo’s documentary short They Can’t. So I Must, which won Best Student Short Film at the Kingston International Film Festival.

Joan Jenkinson, executive director of the BSO, says at his young age, Tope has already amassed an impressive list of filmmaking credits. “He is a natural storyteller and has done the work to hone his skills. Combined with his entrepreneurial drive, he is unstoppable and definitely a talent to watch.”

She was first introduced to Babalola by Kennedy, who directed her to his TikTok page. “I was hooked. His videos are ridiculously funny and well-written. While Tope claims not to be an actor, his performance is a part of what makes his material so entertaining.”

Babalola says that on top of his TikTok page hitting the two million followers mark, the past year has also been his busiest yet for his film career. He was recently signed on as a director and writer for Tiny & Tall, a 3D-animated preschool series about two “different” creatures who learn about acceptance, friendship, diversity, and simple math concepts as they embark on adventures.

The series is created by Ben Mazzotta, head of creative at Little Engine Moving Pictures, and writer Madeleine Donohue. It is in pre-production with Little Engine and funded by the Canada Media Fund, TVOKids, Knowledge Kids, and the Shaw Rocket Fund. It is set for production in October, using motion capture technology.

“My highest achievement in my career so far has been the past year. It’s been hectic but rewarding simultaneously. There have been so many great opportunities that have come from pursuing my dreams and moving here and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he says.

Photo of Tope Babalola by Liam Cushing