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UK Based Lawyer, OYEJOKE OKE
The Nigerian movie industry popularly known as NOLLYWOOD has no doubt grown to prominence. It ranks among the very best across the globe. Its greatness has cut the attention of many Nigerians in the Diaspora and this is why many of them have started considering returning home in order to invest in the industrious sector. Among the very wise entrepreneurs who have taken the bull by its horns and have started investing big in Nollywood is Oyejoke Oke, an accomplished senior lawyer based in the UK with over 20 years experience working for some of the biggest global investment banks, hedge funds and brokerage houses. She is the founder and CEO of Black Thread Media (BTM), a pan-African film production company. She ventures into producing, writing and running Black Thread Media. The company has done greatly by producing its debut movie titled; “Love, Lies & Lasgidi”. It has also gone steps further by hosting a debut TV Reality Show called “BTM Spotlight” where movie talents are identified and groomed to stardom.
Oke in an interview with City People Reporter, JAMIU ABUBAKAR revealed a lot about her love for the industry and why she has decided to come home to contribute to the Nigerian movie industry. Below are excerpts:
Why did you decide to venture into movie production?
My mother tells me that from the age of 3 years old, I was watching a movie with her and there was a lady, I said I wanted to be just like her. I have also had 2 passions; entertainment and law. And I gravitate more towards law because it was a set path. You go to school, you get your B.Sc., you get your LPC, you get your training contract and you start working. So that was a set path to my very organised and methodical nature. The media and entertainment world never left me. All throughout school, all throughout my life, I write prose, I write poetry and I write script. So that never left me. I have always loved film and I have had passion for it. it has always been part of me. More recently, I thought if I don’t do it now, I might just never do it. So, I decided to give it a shot.
When exactly did you conceive the idea of Black Thread Media Production?
The concept of Black Thread Media has been on my mind for years. It has been growing for years. It was formed by people that I was influenced by, particularly the likes of Oprah Winfrey, Mo Abudu, Kemi Adetiba. I always feel great, I look up to them. And there is something wonderful about seeing people who look like you, doing what you would like to do. You know representation really matters. If you can see, you can believe; you can do it. And there’s so many wonderful, passionate, graceful, poised and generous women in the industry like Funke Akindele coming in, making a space and trying to widen the space for people to enter and do their own thing. Nigeria has so much talent and I really just think we are scratching the surface. Nollywood right now is in a transformative process. It’s on the world stage. There’s nowhere in the diaspora that you don’t know about Nollywood. It’s on Netflix, it’s on Prime or even on Showmax, DSTV. There’s a lot going right for us. We are really stepping up to the mark and I just want to come into the industry and help with that; collaborate with as many people as possible and just let this great thing that we call Nollywood be showcased to the world.
What new things would you be bringing into the industry?
I will be bringing great enthusiasm to the art and a general kind of passion for talented creators. I love working with people, I love helping people on earth bring the best out of them. I really love bringing out people’s passion, helping them become whoever they feel that they are created to be. Everybody has something in them that can be brought out. I also love working with people to harness their skills and bring out their talents.
And I guess that’s what brought out your movie talent hunt reality show called Spotlight?
Absolutely!
Can you talk more about the “BTM Spotlight” show?
One of the first things we did at Black Thread Media producing a movie called “Love, Lies & Lasgidi. In the process of producing the movie, we learnt a lot of things. What we realised is that making a great movie is one thing, bringing it out to the world stage is quite another thing. And thank God, our first movie was very well received. So we’ve had quite a few festivals, selections, nominations and also wins. We’ve won more recently the Toronto International Awards Films Festival, and the New York … So we are now looking at the fact that there are really great actors and actresses in Nigeria. For each role we advertised, we had so many applications. And I thought that would it have been great if we had a platform where all these talents could come on? But there is so much that we as one movie production can do, shining a spotlight on all these people. Other people can come on board. Other production companies, other talent management agencies like screenwriters and filmmakers can come on board and see how we can work together to help. Our tag line is we are a platform where your talent meets opportunity. Because there’s no lack of talent, it’s just an opportunity. And we are striving to do, widen access and create a credible pipeline of talent into the industry.
How will Spotlight be helping people grow their talents?
That is the goal as well. Not just acting for acting sake. Not just acting for fame but actually learning the business behind Nollywood. And it’s a very lucrative business. There’s not only acting in it. There are screenwriters, there are directors, there are make-up artists. You see the set is actually bustling with people and not all of them are actors. This is to show people that there’s a lot of industry here that you can get involved in, that you can actually create a career out of a part of being in front of the camera. And that’s what we are going to teach. We are taking a holistic approach to filmmaking and all the industry it feeds.
Do you plan training talents in those aspects too?
Definitely, so we are beginning with just only the actors because that’s what first pulled us into this. But the goal is to expand it because there is Black Thread Media Academy. So, the goal is to expand it to include set, cast and crew, directing, photography, project management and producing. We are training in the whole infrastructure of film making. We will teach that in the academy.
Why did you come home to invest in film production?
Home; that’s the thing. No matter where we are in the world, I believe it’s a shared pool by everybody in the diaspora that Africa is the motherland. Home is home. And no matter where you go, you just want to make sure that home is home not just for you, but for your children and your children’s children to come home to. And if you don’t in your own personal capacity invest in that home, you have no right to expect an inheritance for your children in your home. To me, I feel like it’s one of my duties and obligations to invest in the home I would want my children and my children’s children to be able to come to and thrive in.
Since you came on board, what has been your relationship with your colleagues in the industry?
BTM is still very young in the process and we are an independent company. We are open to working with other producers, other directors and working with other people that are already here that have paved the way in the industry. Right now, we’ve got a couple of collaborations in the works for our next production with some well-known directors which we would talk about later on.
