The atmosphere inside the BAT Hackathon Arena feels charged tonight. Screens pulse with prototype demos, teams huddle over last minute refinements, and the hum of anticipation sits across the hall like a current waiting to discharge. The judging panel for this year’s competition has just been announced, and one name is drawing immediate attention. Bryan Anoruo, a globally recognised motion designer and product experience specialist, has been confirmed as one of the official judges for the BAT Hackathon 2023. The announcement landed with the kind of excitement reserved for people whose work is both respected and widely studied across digital media, product design, and the fast evolving world of visual communication.
It is easy to understand the reaction. BAT’s hackathon is built on innovation, clarity of thinking, and the ability to shape ideas into functional products. Bryan’s career embodies that mix of creativity and technical maturity. His presence signals that this year’s edition is serious about excellence.
A Career Built on Craft, Clarity, and Visual Intelligence
Bryan’s work spans more than a decade of motion design, interaction design, visual effects, and high level creative direction. His approach to storytelling is simple. Turn complex ideas into visuals people can understand at a glance. It is the kind of skill that cannot be faked, and his portfolio reflects that consistency.
His professional journey has taken him through some of the most influential media and digital companies in the world. At Nickelodeon, he created still and motion advertising materials and supervised visual effects across campaigns for both broadcast and digital media. His time at Paramount saw him serve as Lead Motion Designer and Creative Art Director, managing a full team and producing content for advertising, linear channels, and digital platforms. He later joined MTV Base as Motion and Product Design Lead, where he worked on channel rebrands, motion graphics, and digital interaction design for music driven experiences.
His career expanded even further with roles at Popcentral, Netflix, and Raven Bank. At Netflix, he delivered high level motion design concepts for advertising and product growth. At Popcentral, he contributed to creative strategy for campaigns targeting both local and global markets. At Raven Bank, he served as Creative and UI or UX Director, guiding product direction and digital experience design. Most professionals build careers that specialise in either motion or product. Bryan built a career that blends both with a level of fluency that places him in rare company.
Bryan is also the Founder and Product Director of SpencerZill Studio, where he oversees branding, UI and UX development, product direction, and narrative driven motion systems. His studio work reflects his personal philosophy, which is rooted in clarity, experimentation, and the careful balance of design and technical execution.
Bryan also serves as the Co-founder and Chief Product Officer of Rayna UI, where he led the charge to build a popular platform that makes building interfaces easier for everyone, while constantly teaching the community the best ways to design and code. His work on Rayna UI is guided by his belief in sharing knowledge, working together smartly, and simply making digital products better for users.
His recognitions reinforce his impact. He has won Promax Global Awards for Best Motion Design Without Footage and Best Visual Effects Animation. He was celebrated on Design Rush and featured in Best of Behance for promotional print design. These recognitions matter not because they decorate a CV, but because they show that experts in the field consistently acknowledge his craft.
This foundation is supported by strong academic training, including a Bachelor of Science in Computer Technology from Babcock University and a Master’s Degree in Advanced Visual Effects from Teesside University. His studies strengthened his grasp of compositing, VR, asset creation, and visual effects pipelines, which explains the technical confidence visible across his work.
Why He Is the Right Choice for the BAT Hackathon 2023 Panel
Selecting judges for BAT’s annual hackathon is never a symbolic gesture. It is a strategic decision. Judges are expected to see beyond prototypes and evaluate the deeper principles of design, function, creativity, and usability. Bryan’s skill set fits perfectly across three core judging categories.
1. Digital Product Design and User Experience Innovation
Many hackathon projects rise or fall on one principle. How easy is it for people to use the product. Bryan has spent his career designing and refining user experiences for global audiences across streaming, broadcast, advertising, and fintech. His understanding of interface flow, motion systems, visual guidance, and user centered design allows him to see more than surface level beauty. It allows him to judge whether a product truly understands its users. His background ensures that teams will be evaluated on usability, clarity, and the grace of interaction.
2. Creative Media, Branding, and Visual Communication
In a digital world crowded with messages, the ability to communicate with precision is a competitive advantage. Bryan’s work in motion design, VFX, channel branding, advertising, and campaign development makes him an ideal evaluator of media centric ideas. He knows what strong identity looks like. He knows how narrative clarity works. He has supervised design teams and delivered global campaigns, so he can quickly see if a project is telling a story with intention or simply adding decoration. Hackathon teams working in media, content, marketing tech, and digital storytelling will be tested by someone who understands the language of visuals in its purest form.
3. Interactive Technology and Immersive Content Development
One of Bryan’s strongest skills is his ability to merge art, animation, interaction, and technical processes. His experience covers 2D and 3D animation, visual effects, interface motion, spatial design, digital simulations, and even virtual reality elements from his graduate studies. This positions him perfectly to judge immersive tools, VR or AR concepts, interactive storytelling platforms, and any product that blends creativity with engineering. Judges in this category must recognise both imagination and feasibility. Bryan fits that responsibility well.
What His Appointment Means for BAT
Having Bryan on the BAT Hackathon panel is a signal. It tells participants that this competition values depth. It tells the industry that the judging process will consider more than functionality. It will consider experience, communication, aesthetic intelligence, and product scalability. His multidisciplinary perspective strengthens the panel, bringing together design, media, technology, and storytelling.
For BAT, judges like Bryan elevate the entire event. They help shape a culture where every participant feels challenged to think clearly, design intentionally, and aim for work that meets international standards. He brings the kind of experience young innovators can learn from, simply by watching how he analyzes a product.
A Forward Looking Call to the BAT Community
The announcement of Bryan’s appointment should energise creators across Nigeria and beyond. This year’s hackathon welcomes developers, designers, media teams, and emerging innovators who are ready to solve real problems with real ideas. With judges like Bryan on the panel, the standard is higher. The feedback is sharper. The expectations are clearer.
For participants preparing to showcase their projects, this is the moment to refine your ideas, sharpen your presentations, and bring your best work forward. BAT continues to create a space where brilliance is not only displayed, but also guided by the very people shaping global digital experiences.
Registration remains open, and the door is wide for those ready to step into a community where innovation meets expertise. The BAT Hackathon 2023 is here, and with Bryan Anoruo joining the judging panel, the stage is set for an unforgettable experience.