Close-up on Ace Filmmaker - FEMI ODUGBEMI

FEMI ODUGBEMI is an award-winning filmmaker, writer and photographer. A Film & TV Production graduate from Montana State University, Bozeman, United States, is the Managing Director/CEO DVWORX Studio. He worked initially at KUSM Channel 9 TV station in Bozeman, Montana. Upon his return to Nigeria, he worked as Film & Radio Producer at Lintas Advertising and later as Associate Creative Director at STB-McCann, Lagos. His screen credits include “Like father, like son” (a TV sitcom) “Who do you Love?” (SFH talk-show) “Who wants to be a Millionaire?” (Nigeria’s most popular TV game-show), “Lagos Lottery Game-show” “Life in Lagos” an international documentary for CFI in France, “Oui Voodoo”(a cultural documentary) “Metamorphosis” (a musical documentary on the life of the legendary Nigerian conductor Steve Rhodes) “Bar Beach Blues” a multiple-awards winning film, and “Maroko” a political full-length feature. In the last few years he has also produced “Mama Put” a New Direction short film and the critically-acclaimed documentary “Ibadan – Cradle of Literati.”

A founding Content Producer of “TINSEL,” MNET’s acclaimed soap-opera. His new work includes multiple award-winning documentaries “Bariga Boy” and the culture expose “ORIKI.” Between 2002 and 2006, Odugbemi was the President of the Independent Television Producers Association of Nigeria (ITPAN). In that capacity he also chaired the Lagos International Forum on Cinema, Motion Picture and Video in Africa, an international film festival that attracted participants and professionals from across the world.  He served as well on the Steering Committee of the Motion Picture Council of Nigeria, (MOPICON) appointed by the Honourable Minister of Information and Communication. He is a member of the Advisory Board of the School of Media and Communications (SMC), Pan African University, Lagos, Nigeria.  He is on the Board of Lufodo Academy of Performing Arts (LAPA) and he is International Advisor/Consultant of the Orange Academy, Lagos.

He speaks about his growing up days, causes of the lack of respect for Nigeria culture rampant among the youths of this generation and the platform his organization create for young people amongst other motivating issues.

Excerpt.

How was growing up like for you?

I grew up in Fadeyi area of Lagos, there weren’t many conveniences in life as they were now, I grew up doing house chores a lot, and sold things at the railway station in Mushin with my mother. I attended Government Demonstrated School, Surulere and I remembered I used to trick to school then. I grew up at a time where it was really big sin to lie, I grew up in a society where education and respect for elders were taken seriously, I grew up at a time where they kind of music we hear are so meaningful, and they had in them values and teachings that you could learn from. Though technology, mobility wasn’t available, we had something then that I think is missing now; we had great respect for life, the loss of lives wasn’t high and in these recent times we have lost a lot of things. It was scandalous to hear that someone had died or there is shooting or armed robbery, that Nigeria society then in the 70s’ and 80s’ might not have been technologically advanced as what we have now; but it was safer, saner and it was the kind of society you become someone by your diligence hard work and creativity. People got rewarded for the work that they did. I am not saying that there were no injustices, corruption, just that it’s not what we have now.  I think I got best of growing up days, because the period I was growing helped shaped my thinking and who I have become. By the time I was ready to go to the university, I travelled out of the country and I took with me some of our cultural values and I did my best not to lose them. And when you combine that with the solid education, vision and the capacity to be all that you can get from that exposure abroad, I think I got the best from the two worlds.

What do you see as the reason for the loss of our traditional values in this present day?

Personally I think we haven’t taken our culture seriously, we have lost lots of the cultural norms, value, and traditional norms, things like respect, honesty, faith, sincerity, and the community. Then people didn’t do things that will put their family name to shame. A lot of us then were scared about our actions as to how it will affect the entire family. I remember that whenever my mother sends me a letter she always ends it with “ranti omo eni ti e won si” To a certain level we have become a society that has become free for all; we have lost connection to our roots, now our children are imbibing the culture of America in dressing, speech, thinking, even change their names to funky American ones. The only time people want to talk about culture is when they want to use it to cheat in politics, to create opportunities to enter offices. Dressing up to represent a particular ethnic group without following the values, norms and culture embedded in that cultural group amounts to nothing. Our nation is now going through what I call ‘Cultural Colonialism’ where we lose our culture to imbibe theirs, except that it’s now voluntary, through the use of the television.   

What can be done to recover the loss of our true value and culture?  

Firstly we need to have a change of pattern, most of the young people I see today are angry with the country because they think that things were better before and are worse now, and they see it as the fault of the generation before them, they keep on asking the question; what has Nigeria ever done for me? And not a question what have I done for Nigeria yet? Since that is the essence of citizenship is not what you take out of the country; but what you bring into the country.  You very presence in the country is your first investment into the country. The country actually functions on the talent of the people in it. If all of us begin to look inward and create a difference in the space we occupy. There are some things we do wrong, such as going to a university without a purpose because all we want is the certificate. They do what they are accepted for; not what they want to do or interested in doing or have talent for. Why do we have medical doctors, architect and the rest working in a bank? All because we are so focused on what we will get, money. No space in our mind to build new things. They poverty driven mentality has shifted us way from what we can actually achieve. We need parents who will stop putting people under pressure to bring money rather than value. It starts from how we are educated, religion and spiritual life, so all we need basically is a change of paradigm. We need a certain commitment to bringing our talent to the table. We are the most religious people, but yet the most confused. [Laughing…] 

What are your most memorable experiences in the university?

I attended Montana State University, Bozeman, United States; my biggest experience was that there was a huge University TV station that serviced the city of Bozeman. And from my .in year2, I was opportune to work in a TV station that ran a live programming, that served the audience of the city so effectively it was a kind of education that gave me a hands on experience in production from very young, it was a defining experience, but in our country it’s very difficult for a TV station to give a 17 or 18 year old transmission authority. Over where I went to study it’s possible. This experience makes one responsible and mature faster, it was laboratory for what I wanted to do. It’s something that is interesting. School then wasn’t about handouts, getting your hands on experience professionally. Personally I had to mix school with work, in order for us to pay school fees. This made us diligent and determined because you have to pay your school fees.

After your university education, what did you do, before you started your own business?

I worked in KUSM channel 9, for 2 years. I later returned to Nigeria and served at NTA Kaduna in 1986-87. I worked in the news and current affairs. I read news, did documentaries on diseases. After youth corps, I stayed in Kaduna for one more year. Then came to Lagos, and worked briefly at LTV8. And then I joined Lintas Advertising as a script writer, producer and I was there for three years and joined STB McCann as it was starting, I was there for 8 years, and started audio visual first and now I am in DV WORX. 

 What motivated you to start your own business?

As we grow professionally, we want bigger challenges, and the feeling of being responsible as a Chief Executive of a company is a nice challenge. Also the vision to become a job creator, when you start a company other people get to work in the same vision you are directing, they get a chance to express themselves and contribute to your vision with their individual specific skills. I love working with young people and there are a lot of them who has passed through my system in my company, and the growth of the company now is, a direct result of their talents, there is no way you can start a company and run it all by yourself. Another interesting thing about running a company is that you get a chance to assess talents, select talents, leverage talents and inspire talents and I think for me that is the beautiful part, so my job as a CEO is not to do the work but to get people to do the job, so I get the people stretch their skills to a level where they are matured enough to go out and create jobs for other people and that’s how we build wealth in the economy. There is a certain joy in watching a young person grow under your mentoring to becoming a formidable talent and that’s what a company like mine provides opportunity for.

So what are the criteria you look for in a young person?

Focus, for my company I need people who are focus. When you are focus it takes over the whole of you, when you are doing it to pass the time or make money, you won’t pay attention to detail. But I think the devil is always in the detail, while you find somebody who writes an application letter and it is filled with a lot of spelling errors, for me that person is not who I am looking for, because the ability of that person to write an email and stop to review it before they send it; it doesn’t mean that person cannot spell, but they are not just focused enough, careful enough about detail. For me because of the kind of business I do I need people who are careful enough about details, so it doesn’t matter who the person is, I am not excited to see them. For me, it starts from what you application looks like, and if you get through and come to the interview, I want the person to understand that all business is relationships; how you present yourself, how you speak, how prepared you are when you came to the interview for me is big marks, because there is no way no matter how good you are at what you do, if your presentation is poor, people will not know the depth of your talent; because they are turned off when they see you, and they don’t get the chance to make a first impression twice. Another is how globally situated is the person, we live in a knowledge economy; the industrial economy is long gone. You don’t come to DV WORX because we have big equipment; you may come because we may have creativity. Anybody can buy equipment but it is the people that will create things. I want to know there is something in terms of knowledge that we can sell, the more skills you have the more you are useful.

 Who are your mentors?

I have lots of them, but the ones I think have shaped my thinking the most; Jimi Odumosun, one of Nigeria’s best director, when I came to Nigeria earlier on he was able to take me away from the big American thinking and bring me to terms on how work are done here, he thought me how to do more with less in terms of creativity, his attention to details and stern on quality. In advertising I have someone like Uncle Kemi Koro, Tony Ogunlana they helped in understanding storytelling in advertising form. Later on people like Sir Steve Omojafor, was in terms of vision, inspiration and starting big thing out of nothing. I saw STB start with just ten people and grow to have more than 100 people as staffers. So I can see what diligence, hard work and faith in God can help one achieve with the grace of God.  Nelson Mandela is also a mentor in a way because for someone to stick to a principle for 27 years is something that only a few of us can do. So these people have in a way shaped my thinking.

What is your advice for young business starter?

Have something unique to sell, don’t replicate other people’s models, and bring to the table something unique. There are so many people starting business today, I think that is where the salvation of Nigeria will be. So Nigeria is now ready for this kind of innovation, because it is a virgin landscape but you must come to it with something new. You don’t always need money to start a business but a fresh idea. Don’t join the bandwagon of any business that is in vogue. So we must not all do the same thing because we hear that people are making money from it. You also do not need an office because your laptop and telephone can serve as your office.

What is your philosophy about life?

Try to be a game changer, take time to think and commit yourself to giving not getting, it has more blessings in it, so whether for your country, family or people you don’t know. Try to give off yourself because that is the only thing that will not make you to be a mere number when you die, commit yourself to an understanding that there is God and that he is involve in the affairs of men, and at the end of the day life comes at end; and you have to consider how you’ll report back to him. So your life cannot not just about how rich you are, the position you acquired, how competitive you are with somebody else. You also need to have a spiritual dimension when you understand that except the Lord builds a house; those who labour work in vain.