tansali paparazzi

A recent phenomenon has been taking over people in the entertainment field.  As a way of interacting with their fans and communicating with the outside world, they set up first, websites then Facebook accounts and now Fanbook sites when they exceed the 5,000 ‘friend’ limit. You see stars with websites like Genevievennaji.fanbook.ning.com, omonioboli.fanbook.ning.com etc
I have always wanted to know the brain behind this ingenious development and a name keeps popping up… Ope Banwo.  Just who is Ope Banwo? Where does he come from? Why is he in entertainment?  What exactly does he do in entertainment? Well, you know the saying, ‘be careful what you ask for because you just might get it?’ Well, its too true because I recently checked my email and there sitting in the inbox was a mail, inviting me to attend a seminar organized by … you guessed it! Ope Banwo.  I attended and after it was over, on behalf of nollwooduncut.com, I had a chat with him… a very enlightening and fulfilling one and I left, convinced I had met next great entrepreneur to take over the business world in the 21^st century! You think that’s too high a praise for him? Read, judge for yourself and see why I have dubbed him ‘Entrepreneur Extraordinaire!’

NWU:  Hello Sir.  It’s a pleasure to meet you.

OB:  Same here Bola, how are you?

NWU:  Fine thank you.  You’re the man behind the fanbook.ning.com which is said to be Nigeria’s alternative Facebook for the stars. Can you tell us more about that?

OB:  Fanbook.ning.com are a series of websites set up by me for several of our Nigerian entertainers specifically in the music and film industry.  Stars such as Genevieve nnaji, Omoni Oboli, Susan Peters, Fred Amata, Obesere ….all have fanbook websites built and maintained by me.

NWU:  How many do you have in all?

OB: fifty seven.

NWU: I beg your pardon? Fifty seven websites?

OB:  yes …. for the entertainers.

NWU:  You must be a very rich man!

OB:  That’s what people say but contrary to what you think, its all free!

NWU:  No way!

OB:  Its true!  Go and ask them.  They didn’t pay a dime to me.  I build and maintain the site and pay hosting fees for all the sites.

NWU:  You must be a great philanthropist!  How do you make your money?

OB:  Philanthropist? My dear, I’m one of the shrewdest, capitalist you can think of!  (general laughter)

NWU: So how are you making your money from all this?

OB:  Good question.  Through leverage.  Each of these sites has thousands of members. For example, Genevieve has over 9000 signed up members and growing… that’s just one fanbook site. Not to mention the other 56.  Overall, I have access to about 70,000 people who are members of the various websites, so I can market whatever I’m selling to them. Even if just a fraction of that number respond, then its okay with me.
 

NWU:  Now I see….

OB:  Facebook should be an addendum to fanbook.ning.com because Facebook allows only 5,000 members unlike your own site which is limitless.  Another point is that those that sign up are core fans and not just ‘friends’ who don’t really care about you, the Star. The Stars also get the opportunity to chat with their core fans, interact and both parties are pleased with that.

NWU: You wear many hats…so just who is Ope Banwo? I heard you were into films at one time….

OB: Im Ope Banwo, a lawyer by training and an entertainment marketer by design.  I studied law at the University of Ife, graduated in 1985.  I was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1986 and the American Bar in 1997.  I have worked for over 20 years as a lawyer in Nigeria and over 15years as an immigration lawyer in the United States of America where I have a thriving practice.  I’m happily married with children.

NWU:  From law why go into entertainment?

OB:  Why not entertainment?  Which professionals do you see servicing that industry?

NWU:  So you are a lawyer to the entertainers?

OB: That as well as into artiste management and promotion. I also broker deals and get endorsements for them. Along the line I also run a music outfit called Stingomania  Entertainment.

NWU:  When are you going into film production? I know there was a time you ran Dove Media, the film/radio/internet arm of the Redeemed Church of God.

OB:  I will go back into film but not just yet.  Right now, I’m concentrating on promoting my artistes on Stingomania Records.

NWU:  How many are they?

OB: Sixteen in all.  We have finished shooting some videos and very soon the public will feel their impact.

NWU: Right now we are at a seminar you organized on immigration.  Tell us more about that?

OB:  Though I’m into entertainment, I’m a lawyer by profession. An aspect of my law firm handles immigration.  So far in Nigeria, I have not seen anyone specializing in that even though there is a great need for it.  I have noticed Nigerians would rather give a Tout, N400,000 to procure fake visas for him than give a qualified immigration  lawyer N100,000 to process genuine visas.  I don’t know why.  I hope to change that.

NWU:  So what services does your firm offer Nigerians?

OB:  Our immigration and emigration services include visa documentation and processing, visa appeal and petition for re-consideration, international recruitment and placement to name a few.  We have braches in Lagos and Nebraska, USA.

NWU:  Hmm… I wish we could go on but let me stop here.  Thank you so much for having this chat with me.

OB:  It’s my pleasure. 

  used with permission from www.nollywooduncut.com

If there is anyone that deserves an award for the Artiste-that-has-most-reinvented herself’ it has got to be Uche Jombo!  Uche has systematically worked her way up the hard, arduous road of fame and stardom, improving on her craft and losing a whole lot of weight in the process.  This multi-faceted actress is also a writer and has recently delved into producing films.  She is a Glo Ambassador and recently returned from Zimbabwe where she was a guest of the Zimbabwean Government.  www.nollywooduncut.com (NWU) tracked down this hard working star (where else?) on location and this was how it all went! Enjoy!

  NWU: Hi there Uche!

UJ:      Hi Bola! How’re you doing?

NWU: Very well thank you..let me first of all congratulate you on your weight loss!

(General laughter)

UJ:      Thank you!

NWU:  And youre looking va-va-voom! Care to spill the beans on why and how that happened?

UJ:  Well, I always knew I was a bit on the big side especially around the hips and when we would shoot I would look even bigger on screen so I took the decision to lose weight.  That apart, I also lost weight to be in character for a role in a movie where I play a cancer patient.

NWU: Oh really?  We’ll come to that later…. Word has gone out that you have been going behind the camera executive producing and co-producing movies..would you clear the air on that?

UJ:  Yes, I have executive-produced two movies to date..one is ‘Nollywood Hustler’ which we shot last year and is due for release very soon.  The other is the one we are shooting right now, ‘Holding Hope’ but Im doing that in collaboration with my colleagues, Emem Isong and Desmond Elliot.

NWU:  That’s the one where you play a cancer patient right?

UJ:   Yes.

NWU:  What’s the difference between producing and executive producing?

UJ: Executive producing merely means you are the one bankrolling the film and producing is when you actually get things done like hire the director, cast, crew and generally make sure the production is going on.

NWU:  There seems to be a new trend with actors and actresses these days executive producing films… first there was Stephanie Okereke with her film ‘Through the Glass’ Desmond Elliot co-producing ‘Reloaded’, ‘Before the Light’ and ‘Guilty Pleasures’ and even this film you’re shooting and Ini Edo producing her yet-unreleased film ‘Memories of my heart’.  What is going on?

(General laughter)

UJ:   Well, I can’t speak for my colleagues but I can say that it’s more about me evolving and wanting to empower myself.  Apart from being an actress, I also write scripts and when I would write and sell to some producers, may be due to financial constraints or plain not understanding the story they would end up spoiling it…at least my vision for it so I decided that the next time I have a story close to my heart, I would bank-roll and produce it.

NWU:  And what has the experience been like?

UJ:  Hectic as you can see!

NWU:  Tell us about this film you’re currently shooting… ‘Holding Hope’.

UJ:  It’s a beautiful story…a story about love, one’s faith, life and about cancer.

NWU:  Why cancer?

UJ:  Hmm… I was recently on a flight from Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) to Harare (Zimbabwe) and I met a cancer survivor.  We got talking and she told me her story about surviving breast cancer.  Of all the things she said, what stood out for me was how she was able to live and face life with just one breast. She said she knew her husband loved her but she was apprehensive because he was a man that like physical beauty too but they were able to cope with that.

NWU:  So did you shoot the movie about her life?

UJ:  No..but it was part of the inspiration for the film.  I say this is a lucky script because all the elements that were favourable to it, came together. Coincidentally, when I got back to Lagos and was chatting with my friend (Producer) Emem Isong she said she had just read a sad story about a lady with cancer and wanted to combine it with a script she had had for ages on domestic violence. So I came over to her place and she, her sister Uduak Isong Oguamanam and I plotted the story for this film which we titled ‘Holding Hope’.  When we finished we knew we had a winner. Infact Emem said if people don’t scream, laugh and cry during this film that it is pointless.  You definately leave with something having touched you.

NWU:  So it’s a tear-jerker?

UJ: Absolutely!

For the rest of the interview go to www.nollywooduncut.com