Where Content is King
I got a new job. Selling doovde
No, not like that, more like THIS. Me and my couch potato ways have found ourselves in a respectable hustle - to convert the rest of the world to couch potatoes. Truly awesome stuff!
A few months ago, I reached out to Jason Njoku's iROKO Partners to talk about RSVP and #HowSheLeftMyBrother (both TatafoHQ shows) and see what use to society I could be. I walked out with a job offer to work with a company that people are now calling the Netflix of Africa.
I’m in charge of content acquisition, which means, if there are feature films or television programs that you would like to see on say iROKOtv+ for instance, I would be the one to holler at to acquire the rights to air said film/show on our platform so that you, a subscriber of iROKOtv, can watch it over and over again.
A store in Nairobi, Kenya selling Nollywood movies (Photo: Reuters)
It's been three weeks and being on this side of the table's certainly given me new perspective on how entertainment works. I’ve also met a number of people who see iROKOtv as being a solely Nollywood channel or refer to it as the Netflix of West Africa. My personal thoughts – iROKOtv is more than that. It is a portal for people who want premium content that portrays the diversity of Africa, her people, her various languages and cultures. My personal goal now is to give iROKOtv viewers a range of great content without borders.
There are stories of Africans in Africa and abroad that need to be told and more importantly, need to be shared. Personally, I’d love to see more people log on to iROKOtv because they know that is the only platform that will cater to their very special needs be it a documentary about Fundi Konde or a comedy sketch on how-to-make-it-in-Istanbul. Subscribers -be you Black British, African-American, of mixed heritage, only visited Africa once in your dreams or just ‘vaguely ethnic’, 40 generations removed, not black, never seen a black person and propaply never will– should on each login, get a real sense of what life would have been like if we were not restricted to viewing things via a traditional set top box.
I feel like I should make myself a sherrif’s badge: Oreka Godis, Content Acquisition (has an FBI ring to it, doesn't it?). And everytime I meet a producer, I’ll read them my Miranda rights: You have the right to hand over your content, you have the right to be paid as a content maker for your toil, you have the right to have people across the globe watch your creative genius and be inpired/happy/sad/insert-emotion-that-applies-here. You have the right to say NO to piracy and distribution drama. You have the right to accept that you are a part of the new world order. Content without boundaries where iROKOtv is King.
Maybe I should just squeeze that all on a shirt? I’ll holler at 10/10 Clothing, see what they can whip up for me.
Peace, Love & Endless Possibilities