ABOUT US
"🎬 Where Stories Impact, Empower, and Transform
De Shell Pictures is a Social Impact Entertainment (SIE) start-up dedicated to transforming lives through the art of impact storytelling. We weave together engaging narratives with a purpose, producing films, series, and documentaries that entertain, inspire, and spark meaningful conversations. Our productions tackle critical issues such as appearance positivity, psychosocial (social, emotional, and mental) well-being, cultural identity, inclusion, and social justice. By showcasing authentic African stories, we challenge biases, amplify underrepresented voices, and foster emotional resilience within our communities of Visible Differences, Appearance Challenges, and Cultural Identities .
What Makes Us Different
We celebrate Africa’s rich appearance diversity by telling bold and genuine stories that reflect its challenges, beauty, and resilience. Each film project not only aims to entertain but also inspires action and drives significant social change regarding inclusion and representation.
How We Work
We are committed to developing an innovative, sustainable business model that allows us to produce high-quality films, generate revenue, and amplify our social impact. Through strategic partnerships, leveraging creative distribution strategies, and prioritizing audience engagement, we aim to create & deliver films that entertain, impact, and drive meaningful, positive social change.
Why Our Stories Matter
Our impact productions go beyond mere entertainment; they foster transformative experiences. We shine a light on underrepresented real-world challenges and celebrate triumphs, we have a soft spot for individuals facing skin issues, visible differences, and questions of cultural identity, as well as those navigating psychosocial and intellectual disabilities. By encouraging authentic self-expression, we tackle crucial issues such as mental well-being, appearance discrimination, and low self-esteem, all while sparking meaningful societal change. We aim to shift perceptions and create a world where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued.
Join Us
Are you passionate about creating a more inclusive world? Whether you’re an investor, a partner, or a storyteller, we invite you to collaborate with us on this journey. Together, we can redefine narratives, empower communities, and inspire social change.
De Shell Pictures: Stories that Entertain, Impact that Lasts.
Statement of Purpose
At De Shell Pictures, we aim to ignite conversations around the unseen struggles many endure, breaking barriers and offering validation. By producing high-impact entertainment that blends business innovation with social impact, we foster an environment where open dialogue leads to personal freedom, collective understanding, and lasting societal change. Our mission is to create value in the market and the communities we serve, empowering individuals and transforming perceptions of diverse identities.
International Awards
Dedicater Volunteers
Successful Campaigns
Dedicater Volunteers
How it started
Ogo Maduewesi is a Vitiligo patient, who started a Vitiligo Support Group in 2007 and founded Vitiligo Support and Awareness Foundation VITSAF www.vitsaf.org in 2009. And in 2019, her activities evolved to a Social enterprise called Outer Shell Africa Communications OUTERSAC which was born out of a quest to include all others with any kind of Appearance Concerns.
And in 2020, Ogo and her brother Nnanyelu, a philanthropist, businessman who is passionately interested in entertainment and mainly filmmaking founded De Shell Pictures, a social impact entertainment SIE production company with a huge dream of using socially conscious storytelling for primarily building body confidence and psychosocial wellbeing.
How it started
Ogo Maduewesi’s journey is a testament to resilience, compassion, and the transformative power of storytelling. In 2005, Ogo faced the challenges of living with vitiligo, a skin condition that affects pigmentation and often leads to visible differences. Rather than allowing this to define her, she chose to turn her experience into a force for change.
Determined to create a supportive community for others facing similar issues, Ogo founded a Vitiligo Support Group. This pivotal step ignited her mission to positively impact the lives of those affected by vitiligo.
In 2009, her vision expanded with establishing the Vitiligo Support and Awareness Foundation (VITSAF). Through this platform, she worked tirelessly to raise awareness, challenge misconceptions, and foster acceptance for those living with the condition.
Ogo’s commitment to storytelling flourished in 2010 with her groundbreaking documentary, “More to Life” (2010) followed by the powerful short film series, “Tales of Vitiligo 1 – 5,”
Tales of Vitiligo 1, Tales of Vitiligo 2, Tales of Vitiligo 3, Tales of Vitiligo 4, Tales of Vitiligo 5
These works highlighted the diverse experiences of individuals with visible differences, celebrating their resilience and strength against societal challenges.
As needs evolved, Ogo recognized the call to support those with various skin conditions and founded Outer Shell Africa Communications (OUTERSAC) in 2019. This initiative allowed her to broaden her outreach but also presented personal challenges, including a severe mental health crisis that delayed its launch. The journey was difficult, and Ogo found herself struggling to move forward, but it was during this challenging time that the seeds for something bigger were planted.
In 2022, Ogo partnered with her brother Nnanyelu to create De Shell Pictures, a social impact entertainment SIE, an indie film company focused on impactful storytelling. The following year, 2023, she founded The Skin and Appearance Positive Hub (SKAPH), a social enterprise dedicated to championing appearance positivity and nurturing psychosocial well-being through Tech, Art, Storytelling, and Cultural Advocacy.
One of Ogo’s greatest inspirations and driving passions for filmmaking stems from her deep desire to share the powerful true stories entrusted to her over the years. These stories often come from individuals who hesitate to share their experiences publicly due to the fear of stigma and societal barriers. Recognizing the transformative potential of impact filmmaking, she views it as the ultimate medium to achieve multiple objectives: amplifying authentic voices, promoting appearance positivity, nurturing psychosocial well-being, empowering communities socioeconomically, building appearance confidence, fostering personal growth, reaching, supporting, and representing millions cost-effectively, and generating revenue.
Through her endeavors, Ogo aspires to offer absolute care, support, and guidance to millions who have been overlooked. This vision is echoed in her innovative, AI-powered well-being app, Appear+, a virtual companion designed to provide ongoing support to individuals with visible differences and appearance concerns as they awaken them through their impact films.
Ogo’s unwavering commitment to diverse storytelling spans various genres and formats, enabling her to expand creative outputs, engage wider audiences, and sustain impactful projects. By skillfully balancing factual storytelling, dramatized content, and pure entertainment, she strategically crafts productions that not only inspire cultural and social change but also ensure commercial viability—transforming narratives, breaking barriers, and fostering inclusion along the way.
Socio-economically empowering Lives, One Frame at a Time
We are working on building a team of passionate and enterprising impact filmmakers, writers, and creators, especially individuals from underrepresented communities, such as visible differences, appearance challenges, psychosocial and intellectual disability
Our Vision
To be a leading force in creating an Africa where diverse appearances are celebrated, inclusion is a way of life, mental well-being is prioritized by 2035
Our Team
Ogo Maduewesi
Meet Ogo Maduewesi, the co-founder and impact producer at De Shell Pictures, a passionate social entrepreneur and Indie impact filmmaker, a social impact entertainment enthusiast driven by a deep commitment to creating positive social change, with over 15 years in the social impact space.
A champion for Appearance Positivity, Ogo’s journey is deeply personal. Living with Vitiligo for 20 years, mild alopecia for 8 years, and everyday challenges of living with the burden of Appearance-Related Sensitivities”, she has spent 17 years as a patient leader, creating awareness and enlightenment, support, and advocating for inclusion, psychosocial well-being, socio-economic empowerment, and social justice. Her experience as a patient, and as the founder of Vitiligo Support and Awareness Foundation (VITSAF) inspired her groundbreaking documentary on living with Vitilgo, “More to Life” (2010), and followed by the compelling short series, “Tales of Vitiligo (1-5),” spotlighting diverse experiences with visible differences.
Ten years ago, in 2014, her passion for social impact entertainment deepened when she earned a scholarship to the Radio Netherlands Training Center, where she explored how media can drive social change, a certificate course in ‘Using Media for Development’. This transformative experience, combined with ongoing learning, has fueled her impact filmmaking journey.
In 2017, Ogo completed a Commonwealth Professional Fellowship at Sheffield University, where she worked with a leading expert in appearance-related psychology, and internships with Changing Faces UK further shaped her vision of using media to challenge appearance discrimination, lookism, and inclusion barriers.
Through a whirlwind of mental struggles and a disheartening production experience that left her reeling, she found her centre in the eye of the storm. In 2022, she transformed pain into purpose, co-founding De Shell Pictures. By 2023, her steps grew surer, her vision clearer, as she is leading the Social Impact Entertainment company into new horizons.
Her work focuses on impact Productions & content that promote appearance positivity, mental well-being, cultural identity, inclusion, the unrepresented, and social justice, while celebrating appearance diversity and resilience.
Ogo is driven by a mission to ignite transformative conversations and to create authentic entertainment through impactful storytelling, films, and creative solutions that catalyze lasting social change and empower communities across Sub-Saharan Africa. Ogo’s is an Ashoka Fellow, a certified Body Positive Facilitator. Mental Health First Aider. She continues to expand her knowledge through ongoing training in filmmaking.
Nnanyelu Maduewesi
Meet Nnanyelu Maduewesi, the visionary Co-founder and Executive Producer at our creative hub. A philanthropist and passionate fashion enthusiast, Nnanyelu is a dynamic businessman with an unwavering love for impactful storytelling through film. With his unique blend of business acumen and creative flair, he not only oversees the executive aspects of our ventures but also breathes life into captivating stories that leave a lasting impression.
Join us on this exhilarating journey as we bring his vision and passion to life through the power of impactful storytelling and cinema for change.