Ogopogo Studios is a studio I co-founded with filmmaker Amit Ashraf in 2019 — Bangladesh’s first stop-motion animation studio. The name comes from Ogopogo, a sea monster from Canadian folklore, chosen for its “perfect balance of quirkiness and fun.”
The studio grew out of a shared belief that the most compelling stories are built by hand. Amit and I bonded over a preference for practical, analog craft over purely digital work — the tactile process of shaping clay puppets, setting miniature scenes, and shooting frame by frame. That synergy between a filmmaker and a motion graphics designer became the foundation of everything we make.
Today Ogopogo operates as a 360° animation and marketing agency, handling everything from concept to creation to campaign launch. We work in stop-motion, 2D and 3D animation, build miniatures and props, and make brand films, music videos, and documentaries. Our clients include Unilever, Nestlé, BRAC, UNDP, and Sony. Our Nakshi project — an ode to Bangladesh’s centuries-old nakshi kantha embroidery tradition — was stitched together from 2,500 hand-crafted frames made by 80 artists.
We’ve also launched an animation school, running workshops for adults and children, to grow the craft in Bangladesh and train the next generation of animators.
Ogopogo Studios has been operng since 2018 as the first stop motion animation studio in Bangladesh. Founded by Amit Ashraf and Saiq’a Chowdhury, the studio specialises in creating quality stop motion videos for home and abroad.
The journey started out when Amit and Saiq’a got together to start “building” stories using their hands. One attracted to craft making and the other drawn to analogue, hand-made processess – it took no time for this film-maker and designer duo to find a common love in stop motion animation. Thus began a journey, which continues today as they venture into the unknown to fine tune and polish their craft and bring quality animated stories to the Bangladeshi people and of course, the world.
