Akin Omotoso is a film director, writer, producer and actor whose work spans film and television across Africa and internationally.

He began his directing career with a series of short films before writing and directing his first feature film, God Is African. He has since directed acclaimed productions including Man on Ground, Tell Me Sweet Something, Vaya (distributed by Ava Duvernay’s ARRAY) and Disney’s Rise. His work has earned recognition including an Africa Movie Academy Award for Best Director for Vaya.

Akin is also the co-creator, showrunner and lead director of the Netflix series The Brave Ones and Marked and served as showrunner, creative producer and lead director on The Polygamist, adapted from Sue Nyathi’s novel. The series became one of Netflix’s leading non-English television titles following its release in 2026. He is Executive Producer of the ESPN docuseries Origin: The Story Of The Basketball Africa League and producer on the Amazon series Soul Power: The Legend of the American Basketball Association.

As an actor, his screen credits include Catching Feelings, Courting Anathi and Lord of War. He holds a Performer’s Diploma in Speech and Drama from the University of Cape Town and has worked in the film and television industry since the mid-1990s.

For the #IAmTheStory_ALX Masterclass, Akin will share practical insights into finding the heart of a story, shaping lived experience into a compelling narrative and creating stories that connect meaningfully with an audience.