What Is The Reward Of Nigeria Entertainment? Those Who Are Making It, How Do They Do It

Nigeria’s media and entertainment industry, “Nollywood,” originated in the 1960s. Even as the origin has been unclear; the term was traced to its earliest usage in a 2002 article by Matt Steinglass in the New York Times, where it was used to describe Nigerian cinema. The term continues to be used in the media to refer to the Nigerian film industry, with its definition later assumed to be a portmanteau of the words “Nigeria” and “Hollywood”.

According to my research, I figured out that those who are well established in the entertainment industry are either consistent with the work they put out there or they multi-task to generate multiple streams of income.

Nigeria’s entertainment industry (including live entertainment, film, music, publishing, advertising, broadcasting etc.) has witnessed rapid development over the years and recent trends show that the industry has the potential to revolutionise the nation’s economy.

Business opportunities in the Nollywood industry include opening of cinemas in underserved cities, use of digital distribution, training, and capacity building for cinematography, scriptwriting, directing, and movie production equipment.

READ ALSO: Veteran Nollywood Actress, Oluwasolamipe Onayiga Is Dead

Despite various opportunities in the industry, Nigerian entertainment stakeholders face the challenge of copyright piracy which poses some difficulty in monetizing services in the industry.

Below are the lists of successful Entertainers, Many of them who also have global recognition. In this write-up, you will be informed about the most successful of all the Entertainers in Nigeria (Nollywood – Film & Music)

RITA DOMINIC

Born as Rita Uchenna Dominic into a Royal family from Abo Mbaise in Imo State, Nigeria, began her acting career right from the time she was a kid. Till date.

Asides from being very popular and successful, she is also one of the richest actresses in the Nigerian movie industry.  This is not surprising, considering the fact that she is the highest paid of all the actresses in Nollywood.  One of the movies that pushed her to the limelight was the movie titled “The Meeting”, which is a romantic comedy drama.

GENEVIEVE NNAJI

She is the second most successful actress in Nollywood today. She may not be a frequent face in movies these days like before, but her influence is still very glaring and her success are still beyond what many other actresses can attain or overshadow.

She won the Africa Movie Academy Award for best actress in Leading Role, 2005 in the movie “Games Women Play”.  Genevieve is equally a Member of the Order of the Federal Republic, an honour conferred on her due to her immense contribution to Nollywood. she also has sponsorship deals with the likes of Jumia, Etisalat, Amstel Malta and so on.

OMOTOLA JOLADE EKEINDE

She is popularly called OmoSexy and she is undoubtedly a very successful actress. Her successes go beyond the coast of Africa. To state she is an internationally recognized actress is to state the fact.  She is equally rich in her acting days, she featured in so many movies. Also, she had won so many awards. Omotola won the Africa Movie Academy Awards (AMAA) Best Actress in Supporting Role, 2005 in “Games Women Play”.  Asides from this, she had also won several other awards.  Her social media followership is also massive.

Let’s talk about the successful male Nollywood Actors in Nigeria

RICHARD MOFE DAMIJO

Richard Mofe Damijo is popularly known as RMD. He has been in the film industry for some time. Richard is very hard-working and has received praise and accolades for his performance. In addition, he entered politics and was appointed by the Delta State Governor as commissioner of culture and tourism.

JIM IYKE

Jim Iyke tops the list of the richest Nollywood actors. He was born James Ikechukwu Esomugha on September 25, 1971. He is the only male child in his family amongst eight children. He has grown to be one of the best actors who has won various awards. Other than his earnings from being an actor, he has earned much as a producer and in other businesses. Jim Iyke made his debut in the film industry through the film, “Last Flight to Abuja”. He is considered one of the richest in Nollywood.

RAMSEY NOUAH

Ramsey Nouah is an actor who has gained a reputation as a lover boy as a result of his roles in various romance films. He was born on December 19, 1970, in Edo State, Nigeria.

His father is from Israel, while his mother is from Owo, Ondo State, Nigeria.

DESMOND ELLIOT

Desmond Elliot is a well-known actor, director, and film producer. He has appeared in various productions, including movies, television shows, and soap operas.

Not long ago, he towed the field of politics; however, he is still featured in some movies and other productions.

Let’s talk about success in the music industry which is also considered entertainment.

It is the dream of every musician to be successful and leave their marks in the sands of time. But only a few get to live out this dream.  Being successful as a musician is not only about album sales but also about influence and the lives your music impacted.

WIZKID

Ayodeji Ibrahim Balogun popularly known as Wizkid grew up passionate about music. His song “Holla at your boy” launched him into the limelight and he hasn’t looked back. He constantly delivered hit songs back to back to his Nigerian and African audience until he collaborated with American musician, Drake on his song “One Dance” which shot him into the international limelight. The song made it to the Guinness book of world records making Wizkid the first Afrobeat musician to appear in this book.  This led to more collaboration with foreign artistes like Beyonce, H.E.R, and others.

DAVIDO

David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido, is another force to be reckoned with in the Nigerian Afrobeat scene. He came into the limelight with the song “Emadami Duro”.  He is one of the most influential musicians in Africa. With back-to-back hits and several endorsements, the sky is his beginning.

Davido got international recognition after the release of his song “Fall” in 2017.  The South African recording industry certified “Fall” platinum. It was also the most searched song on Shazam and the longest-charting Nigerian pop song in Billboard history. He went ahead to collaborate with foreign musicians like Chris Brown, Nicki Minaj, and so many others.

BURNA BOY

Damini Ebunoluwa Ogulu is known as Burna boy and recognized in the global scene as the ‘African Giant’ is one of the most successful and influential artiste in Africa. After he came into the limelight with his 2012 song “Like to party” there has been no looking back.  He is a two-time Grammy award nominee and one-time Grammy Award Winner and with several endorsements, he is a force to be reckoned with. He has collaborated with a lot of foreign musicians like Sam Smith, Sia, Beyonce, and many others.

TIWA SAVAGE

Tiwa Savage is one of the most influential female artists in Africa. She started her career by backing-up for famous musicians like George Michael, Mary J. Blige, and others. She came into the Nigerian music industry after she released “Kele Kele Love”.  She became the first woman to win the “Best African Act” at the MTV Europe Music Awards held in 2018.  She has featured in international collaborations with the likes of Beyonce and had been engaged in several endorsements, she is truly a force to be reckoned with.

The reward of Nigeria Entertainment is Consistency and Generating Multiple Streams Of Income