Wale Bankole, creatively known as Walentino, is a 22-year-old Nigerian artist based in Virginia/NYC. His love for film-directing started as a child when he would make short skits with his little brothers with their shared tablet. In his early teenage years, he would focus his artistic attention on drawing, painting and video editing. His desire to explore filmmaking would then swing in again in his late teens, which led him to buy his first camera at 19 in summer 2023. By December of that same year, he posted a reel of his first 6 months which gained some traction and gave him the confirmation all beginners look for. Within 15 months of acquiring his first camera, Walentino was closing 2024 as an award-winning filmmaker with an impressive resume to his name.