From a Filmmaker to Comic Book Author

Minalee simply has it all!

Minalee Madanayake is a remarkable 25-year-old whose efforts in the creative industry are creating a significant ripple effect. From having a passion for filmmaking to becoming a wildlife enthusiast and a photographer, Minalee has pushed the boundaries in a variety of male-dominated spheres. She has also produced several commercials for some major companies in Sri Lanka, one of which is Softlogic Life.

We were able to sit down and have a chat with this wonder woman about her journey thus far.

 

Q: For anyone who is unfamiliar with you, could you tell us a little bit about yourself?

A: I’m a filmmaker and I currently work at Viral Media LK, handling all of the pre-production side of things and directing most of the commercial shoots. Besides being a filmmaker, I am also a wildlife enthusiast and photographer. As of recently, I guess you could say I’m a comic book writer as well.

 

Q: What caused you to develop a passion for animals and become a wildlife enthusiast?

A: I would say that it is my dad because he is the reason I got into the field. Growing up, I used to hear stories from him every time he went to the jungle. Back in 2010 or maybe a little before that, he took me on my first jungle adventure with him and that’s how I fell in love with the wild.

 

Q: Could you tell us about your experience of working at National Geographic?

A: I was very lucky to be chosen to do work with them during my final year at university, as it was my dream job. I was a Personal Assistant for one of their shows called Secrets Of The Zoo in Tampa which was basically about conservation. The whole experience was very cool. We were able to film a tiger being operated on and how they look after the zoo and the animals that live there. I met with a lot of the NatGeo crew members and I still keep in touch with them. Later on, I was offered an editing position for the show but unfortunately, I didn’t get my visa on time so I had to fly back to Sri Lanka, which was very hard for me.

 

Q: How did you discover your passion for filmmaking? What was it like working as a videographer?

A: My dad took me to the jungle back in 2010 and then a year later, I went back with my dad and he usually uses a camera that was actually owned by my cousin who lent it to us. I started taking pictures and filming using that camera and that was kind of how I fell in love with wildlife photography. My cousin lent me his GoPro and that’s when I really got into film and I taught myself how to edit. I used to film videos with my friends during trips and such. I applied to study International Relations and I wanted to work at the UN. Later on, in the first semester, I realised that it wasn’t for me, and I switched my major to Film and Media Studies with a minor in Communications.

 

Q: What was the catalyst for you to begin writing the Tea Time Stories comic book series? How did the story of the white elephant come to be?

A: In 2019, after graduating in May, I landed in Sri Lanka and went to Kumana National Park with my dad and some friends for 7 days. One night, my dad was sharing jungle stories with my friends and I remember watching my friends’ reactions to my dad’s stories. The next day, I got to thinking that if these 20-year-olds were interested in these stories, I’m sure other people would love to hear them as well. I thought it would be awesome if I could turn my dad’s stories into an animated TV series. Since creating a TV series was difficult for me, I settled on doing a comic book series.

It was when I was listing down my dad’s stories that I picked The Tale of the White Elephant’s story. I didn’t want this comic book series to be in its typical sense but have more of an adventurous nature to it. Immediately, I knew that not many people in Sri Lanka would have seen a white elephant or heard that we have a white elephant. I knew that this story would be very unique and would catch people’s eye and that it would be a great first story.

 

Q: What is the message that you hope the readers would take away from your book?

A: I wanted each book to have a life lesson. Through the book The Tale of the White Elephant, I wanted to bring out the importance of having distance when you come to a sighting. According to all of my dad’s old jungle stories, people would actually track and find animals; they would look for footprints and alarm calls, whereas today, you’d get a phone call that there would be a sighting and everyone would arrive at the sighting. If we don’t take any action now, we might never get to experience what my dad got to experience.

 

Q: Do you have any advice for young and aspiring creative directors? 

A: I’m too young to give advice, but all I can say is if you have an idea and you want to pursue it, you can. Go for it. Another piece of advice I could give is to always keep an idea book, so you can write down an idea whenever you have it; write down the idea as well as the date. Whenever you have an idea, you just have to push yourself, and if you have the means to do it, just do it and don’t stop yourself.

 

Q: What are some of the challenges you’ve faced? And how did you overcome them?

A: I needed to find a contact for a comic book writer in Sri Lanka, and because there isn’t much information about comic books in Sri Lanka, it was a little challenging. I wish I had some help when it came to writing, but I had to figure it out on my own by browsing on online sources such as YouTube.

Besides that, I guess finding a publisher was a challenge. Printing the books TinTin style was also a challenge. I wanted them to feel wonderful.

 

Q: What would you say is the most rewarding part about being a creative director?

A: It makes me happy to know that my effort has had an impact, even if it’s only on one individual. I’ve already had several kids contact me to tell me how much they enjoy the book. Other people being able to recognise my name and knowing that my work has had a minor impact on the community is huge!

 

Q: Are there any future projects that we can look forward to?

A: Hopefully by the end of this year or towards September, I can release the next book. I’m currently working on a spin-off series based on a different character who is based in real-life. I am hoping that this would be more of an educational comic book. Apart from that, I’d like to publish jungle stories, not just those told by my father. We all have different experiences when we go to the jungle, and I’d love to be able to tell those stories. There’s an endless amount of content, and kids would be able to read stories about what happens in our jungles.

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