Please, kindly take your time to click any of the links above. The best way to get result from the video is click the play button; allow it to start playing then click the pause button. After a while, you will see the stream signal; allow it to stream till the end then you can click the play button again. This allows you to watch this 17.35 minutes talk without any interruption.
This video is a must-watch for entrepreneurs, especially the ones from Africa.
The video is a talk from Franco Sacchi, an Italian documentary film maker, who highlighted the pluses of Nollywood. For my readers in Norway, who do not have a faint idea about Nollywood, you will really need to watch the video above or you may read about it by clicking HERE. From the video above, I was able to highlight 3 important elements Africans should consider before going entrepreneurial in any venture:
Appreciation: In order to be a successful entrepreneur, you must appreciate your talent. You must discover and appreciate your strength and leverage on it to give you a competitive edge. It is also important that when you appreciate yourself, others are likely to appreciate you. Though there is a high percentage of Nigerians that do not appreciate Nollywood (or feign not to appreciate it), the strong demand for it in Africa is amazing. It asserts the old saying that; a prophet is not honored in his own country. If you do not appreciate your resources and your talents, a smart capitalist would appreciate it for you by paying you peanuts to utilize it. South African DSTV pays Nigerian producers 700 US Dollars to own the rights to air their films and make hundreds of millions of US Dollars from it.
Uniqueness: In life, if you are not unique, you will neither be celebrated nor will you make impact on your generation. It is important to be remarkable in order to succeed as an entrepreneur. Remarkable does not mean the best product/service; it only means the product/service that people talk about. Nollywood is sure not the best in terms of quality but it is highly spoken about even by those that claim to despise it. I have a personal experience about the remark ability of a product; JOBFinder Manual is a book of 900 pages. Youths complain that the book was too big for their reading consumption but I am amazed how the same youths that criticize the book buy it. In fact, I am shocked that with little advert cost, I am able to make such revenue in 5 months from Nigerians that people say do not read books. It is all about remarkable!
Low Budget: I have heard so many Nigerians complain of lack of capital; you really do not need huge capital to start your business. For more on how to use the capital you have, to start small, read my interview with an Indian entrepreneur or read my articles on Small Money. In the talk above, you can imagine the shock on everyone’s face when they said the budget to make a 180 minutes film (mostly divided into two parts) for ten thousand US Dollars. The funny part is that it is produced in a week. Whenever I am advising entrepreneurs, I tell them that it is not the product/service that matters, it is the mix that makes the product/service successful. The product/service must have the right price and must be sold at the right place and must be promoted to the right audience. Nollywood practitioners were able to understand this mix very well, thus their success.
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December 22, 2008 at 7:24 am (UTC 1)
SPECIAL APPRECIATION
I WILL LIKE TO USE THIS MEDIUM TO SAY A VERY BIG THANK YOU FOR THE TICKET TO VISIT THE NAIJAAZZZ FESTIVAL.
i had the opportunity to meet with all the who is who in the jazz community. beautiful nubia was exceptional so also was bright gain.
once again thank you.
i look forward to meeting you in person….very soon
December 24, 2008 at 11:08 am (UTC 1)
Dipo, compliments of the season!
A wise man once counseled, “know thyself”. Discover and appreciate what you have and the world would come seeking.
The case of DSTV and nollywood reminds me of indonesia, palm tree and Nigeria.
Many thanks! Its over two years since i started following your blog and i have every reason to be grateful to God for it.
Luv U!
December 28, 2008 at 10:40 pm (UTC 1)
Dipo, thanks for stating the facts and truth about Nollywood, this is one industry that is indeed a money making industry in Nigeria but has been ignored by many, I am happy at the recognition we are getting outside, as i like to tell people, after Hollywood-America and Bollywood-India, the next biggest film industry is Nollywood-Nigeria, despite the financial constrain, the Nollywood practitioners have kept faith and continue to improve the production of Nigerian films, kudos to people like Amaka Igwe,Tunde Kilani,Tade Ogidan,Lancelot-Oduwa Imaseun,Chidi Chikere, Tajudeen Adepetu, Izu Ojukwu and the likes of them that have directed amazing movies/soaps that are enjoyed all over the world.Am also happy that companies in Nigeria are now associating with the industry by using some of the key players for endorsing their products i.e, Genevieve Nnaji was used by Unilever for Lux beauty product, Promasidor used Kate Henshew-Nuttal for their Onga seasoner&Nigeria Breweries through Amstel Malta also used Dakore Egbuson for their commercial and they have also supported the industry with the Amstel Malta Box Office platform where new Nollywood talents are recruited in a talent hunt show and later the winner gets to showcase his/her talent in a sponsored film, two from the stables of Amstel malta-Sitanda and White water have turned out to be award winning films.I believe that with time and a little extra work from the practitioners in Nollywood, very soon, the industry will be the talk of the whole world just like Hollywood!
Dipo, thanks for being a blessing and for all your amazing posts, may 2009 be a more fruitful year for you and yours. http://www.bridgetelesinspeaks.blogspot.com
December 29, 2008 at 1:15 pm (UTC 1)
my apologies, i meant malaysia and not indonesia.