Back in 2004, I launched my creative journey under the name AKAMA — a pseudonym inspired by the hakama, the traditional garment worn by experienced aikidokas. Each fold represents a virtue, and only those who’ve earned it can wear it.
I liked the philosophy. I also liked the symmetry with my real name, ADA — starting and ending with an A.
At the time, I was a solo director–designer, doing everything myself — writing, designing, animating, finishing. As projects grew, it became obvious I needed to structure things.
So I built my first studio, Akama Studio — a tool to create more ambitious films, faster, better, and with more creative control.
We took risks. With my producer at the time, we invested energy — and sometimes money — into bold projects with small budgets but big potential.
Some of them won awards. Others became industry references.
We got lucky — twice. And luck works better when the team is good.
But over time, a confusion emerged between AKAMA the director and AKAMA Studio the company.
It became necessary to make a clear distinction.
So Akama Studio officially became NKI : a simple name change to clarify things, but it remained the exact same company, same team, same mindset, just a clearer message.
We moved into a custom-designed studio in Paris: three floors, two terraces, a small Japanese garden, even a gym. It became our creative home for the next ten years.
Under the name NKI, we collaborated with exceptional talents, crossed storms, produced iconic work, and grew as people and professionals.
Over two decades, we collected more than 65 international awards — Grand Prix, Craft, Directing — and built a body of work that still resonates today.
Some projects made people laugh, some became case studies, some were simply unforgettable.
But more than the trophies, what matters is what we built:
A resilience. A way of working. A way of seeing things.
Today, I’m opening a new chapter with 2WICE.
Born from everything I’ve learned — the successes, the failures, the people — 2WICE is a new kind of production setup.
Lighter, faster, fully cloud-based.
No borders, no limits.
Just great people, working together wherever they are, brought together like a custom-built LEGO team.
Because in the end, what matters is not having everyone under the same roof.
What matters is having people who speak the same language.
And for us, that language is image.
2WICE is not a restart.
It’s a logical next step.
