Odalo was nurtured in the arts since a young age, studying various mediums of art and theories over the years. Odalo graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Film/Video – Experimental Animation in 2001 from the California Institute of the Arts (Cal Arts), and a Masters of Arts Management Degree in Arts, Entertainment, and Media Management in 2008 from Columbia College Chicago. Upon graduating CalArts with a BFA degree, Odalo began his professional career in the entertainment industry working closely with the creators of The Proud Family, Bruce Smith and Ralph Farquhar. He continued to work projects and with the studio, eventually leading to a host of other productions such as MTV and Paramount, etc. Odalo has worked in animation and film production since 2001, including on the set of hit productions such as MTV’s Pimp My Ride, Disney Channel’s The Proud Family and That’s So Raven, CBS’s Jerry Lewis Telethon for MDA, MTV’s Kids Choice Awards, and PBS’s Hip Hop Harry. While working in Hollywood in the entertainment industry, Odalo also taught and counseled in after-school programs, for elementary school students in the arts.

It wasn’t until 2005, while working with a group of elementary students at Emerson Elementary in Madison, WI when he realized the severity of America’s illiteracy problem amongst elementary school children, particularly the African-American youth. He noticed that many of the 4th and 5th grade African-American children could not read or write, though they could recite songs and lyrics at an instant. He then began to seek ways in which to work toward resolving this problem of illiteracy among the elementary youth. One solution is his book series, Adventures with Bobby Little, combining rhyme and rhythmic tempos like that of music with deeply detailed and colorfully attractive artwork attracting the child’s attention. Moreover, a parent can retain the attention of a young child, while the child hears (or reads) and observes what s/he is reading. If one captures a child’s attention at an early age, and stimulates him/her creatively and intellectually in the area of education, that child, he believes, has increased chances for success in life. “This is the aim of all my books,” states Odalo, “to reach children long before they reach 4th or 5th grade.”