Faith Adepoju a.k.a Faith History also known with the sobriquet, Mama Dexterity is a Radio and Television host. In this interview with Yetunde Oladeinde, she talks about her passion, memorable moments and more.
What or who inspired you to go into Talkshow and entertainment sector?
You can say that I have always been interested in media and entertainment for as long as I can remember – both in secondary and primary schools. I was a member of the press club as well as a member of the church choir. I was always on stage, dancing, singing, reading the news or miming to a song.
As I grew older, my father advised me to study communications in the university since he had observed that I loved to talk a lot, listen to people and settle quarrels between my siblings. So I did just that – but it actually took me another seven years to finally start hosting TV shows.
After graduation, I worked in marketing and also I worked in publishing. Also as event PR, stylist and photoshoot producer. Finally, I worked in advertising. My TV break came while I was living in New York; there was a major Nigerian awards event a friend wanted to cover and we needed a TV host and at the last minute the director looked at me and said: “you do it.” I said, “Well, I’ve never done hosting TV before.” She’s like “Look, I’m your friend, seen the things that you do, you can do this one too, just practice in front of a mirror.” That was the first time I hosted a TV show. The director was a friend of mine, she knew I had the talent although it was still very raw and unpolished and that’s how I started by jumping on an opportunity.
What are some of the things you have done?
In terms of TV work, I’ve produced and hosted my own magazine Talkshow: ‘RFH’ – Rolling with Faith History – that ran for seven seasons on all the African Magic channels. I also hosted a show on fashion mentorship in South Africa for Startimes called ‘Hi-Fashion Afrika’, as well as created a short mini-documentary series: ‘My country My Life’, that featured everyday-Nigerian and their stories on how they make a living – that was amazing! I produced a really cool TV series ‘Best of the web’ for Ebony Life TV. For a couple of years, I co-hosted a radio show called ‘The Dish’ on Lagostalks 91.3fm; that’s how I earned the nickname “Mama Dexterity”. I also co-hosted a TV show on women called “What Women Want” on STV. Currently, I produce and host a multimedia series … The ‘Everything Digital’ show which syndicates on Beatfm, Classic fm, Lagos Talks and TVC Entertainment, which is also available on YouTube and podcast. I’m super excited about that format because it’s so new, yet futuristic and it feels like it’s been years in the making. So, it’s the culmination of everything I’ve learned from my years in advertising, publishing, content production, radio and TV. We’ve built a youthful and dynamic content team around it that makes sure it stays fresh and relevant to today’s youth and empowers them to grow their digital footprint in positive ways!
What were the initial challenges you faced and how did you overcome them?
Oh my! The challenges came from everywhere. I had to learn so many skills and knock on so many doors to get in! I was desperate, plus I was already a mom and a wife and at some point, I realised I needed more training so I enrolled in a Radio/TV presenter course – this was in Johannesburg. But I couldn’t book any auditions because not only was I a Nigerian with an American accent, I couldn’t speak any of the 12 South African languages! I realised if I wanted to be a working TV presenter I would have to create my own show. In the famous words of the American comedienne Monique, “if they won’t let you play on their playground go create your own.” So after Presenting School, I still had no clue how to go about producing a show; only how to present. At this point, I sought the advice of a friend who was a TV producer on formatting. Another friend linked me with a camera crew and editor and that’s how I got started! The first couple of episodes were pilots and I dare say they had a lot of mistakes like jump cuts. I remember showing it to Uncle Taj Adepetu of OnTv and he was like ‘great idea, but too many jump cuts.’ I didn’t even know what that meant but he explained it to me. Then I started chasing the Channel and Content Acquisition Manager at African Magic. She was the busiest person I knew then because she was always on the go – she kept giving me edits “go back and fix this- I’m in Nairobi next week.” I would book a flight just to get to her, another edit, “I’m back in Lagos next week.” I would head back to studio to get my editor to fix the faults, meet her in Lagos, yet another edit – we did this back and forth for at least six months before she finally said yes! It’s ready – oh happy day! I finally got my show on Africa Magic but it was just the beginning!
Tell us about the experience and high points
TV production is a lot of work, and it’s teamwork. I was blessed to be able to build up a small team with a production assistant/ booker, researcher/ writer, and editor/camera and sound engineer. We got to do a lot of great work and travelled and filmed episodes on a luxury cruise, on a luxury train; the ‘Blue Train’, the ‘MTV Mama Awards’, AMCVAs, and so much more! I got to meet and interview celebrities, both musicians and Nollywood actors, such as my favourites: Dakore Akande, Yemi Alade, Lira, Burna Boy, A.K.A, as well as some really interesting people in Nigeria, South Africa, Ghana, and the US!
What are some of the other things that occupy your time?
I’m currently building a digital skills training brand called ‘Let’s Go Digital’ that aims to upskill the next generation of teens and young adults. Other things I work on quite a bit – I host live events as an MC /Hype woman and I also like to work out at the gym and ride my bike. Of course, being a mom of two and wife also keeps me quite busy.
What are some of the achievements?
I would say moving back to Nigeria with my young family, rolling up my sleeves and rebuilding the Faith History brand around various media platforms including radio, TV, podcast, and YouTube. Last year, I added being a ‘hype woman’ to my repertoire and started a bespoke digital agency ‘EDigital Africa Media’ catering to businesses and brands. Going digital was a major accomplishment! There’s still so much work to be done! I thank God for continually providing the best opportunities to achieve even more for myself, my family, my team and my people.
What are the new areas that you would like to explore?
Filmmaking – I have some stories to tell, so I’ve enrolled in directing and producing classes. Also, acting is something I’ve wanted to explore for a while but the timing was never quite right, so that’s another growth area for me, having mastered TV and radio both as an on-air talent and content producer. Acting in movies, plays and on TV is going to be a natural progression but also challenging because I’ll be moving from ‘just being myself’ and selling my personality to becoming other people and telling their stories from those perspectives. That will be an exciting challenge, I tell you!
Let’s compare working in Nigeria and the developed countries like America
Where do we start from? I’ve worked in many sectors overseas; advertising, training, production, publishing, entertainment and other than better equipment, training and advanced business processes. I think the main differences are culture and work ethic. Nigeria is more culture- focused so it’s ‘Oga’ this and ‘Ma’ that… before the work. Being on time is also something everyone seems to struggle with especially in entertainment and production – traffic is always the culprit. I’m guilty too but I believe the opportunities to thrive here are endless if you work hard and are willing to own your own growth, learn and master new skills.
What are some of the changes that you would like to see in the sector?
I would love to see more training and funding opportunities for new content creators, creatives and talent. Also, more thoughtful stories that explore our culture construct and open up new ideas on how to thrive and evolve beyond that for the next generation of Nigerians without losing our core values.
What are your thoughts about the entertainment sector in Nigeria?
It’s growing in leaps and bounds, especially in music and film. Our creatives and artists are reaping internationally and we need to position for more growth in other media. For instance, podcasts – made for web films so that those areas can also enjoy the attention and earn from a global market.
If you had to advise the government about the challenges that we are experiencing, what would it be?
We need more film and TV commission; not necessarily just a censors board – but an actual agency that provides training, funding, discounts, international co-production opportunities, as well as policies that require 70% of the content on our stations are homegrown.
What is your definition of style?
Being able to look like a million dollars on a hundred dollar budget.
What are some of the things that you treasure most in life?
Birthdays are special to me – I learned that from my father who always made it a point to celebrate us on our birthdays. Even as adults, he would always write a check and send a card – he never, ever forgot. So I try to pass on that tradition with my family. My kids know we celebrate – no matter what.
What lessons have you learned about life?
Be kind to everyone, you never know when you will meet again. The Yorubas say ‘Omi Leyan’, which means people are like water, they flow and meet over and over in different locations. Don’t hold grudges, be quick to forgive, it keeps you happier and younger-looking. Bitterness ages the soul. No skill or time spent learning anything of value is wasted; you will be called to use it sometime in the future, so learn new skills whenever possible, and stay open to new opportunities.
If you had to advise women who would like to go into the sector, what would you tell them?
Be ready to work harder than you’ve ever worked before. There’s a lot of long hours involved. Read a lot. You’ll need to be well-read to be able to think quickly on your feet. Be kind but firm with your team and colleagues. Media presenting and producing is serious work and when you make mistakes (which you will), it can be very costly to fix, so be quick to come up with a solution and a fix and keep it moving.
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