Currently enjoying high viewership on Nigerian television stations is Season One of The Next Titan, a proudly Nigerian Entrepreneurial Reality TV Show, created by a young Nigerian known as Mide Kunle Akinlaja. He tells ADETUTU AUDU how reality shows are affecting in the lifestyle of youths and the economy in general.
THE Next Titan is now in our faces as we watch week in and week out. Tell us more about the show.
As you have noticed on television, every week, the contestants work in two teams, each under the guidance of a project manager gotten by balloting, to compete in business-driven tasks around Lagos, Nigeria. Apart from working as teams, each of the contestants displays his/her creativity on their personal business ideas in the Academy.
They use their ideas and creativity, along with their business acumen, to win challenges. Contestants are subjected to long hours, gruelling deadlines, intellectual challenges, personality clashes and intense scrutiny under the careful watch of their supervisors and judges of the show. We are expecting that the last person standing will win N5 million investment for his business with a brand new car and business supports. The other contestants will also go back home with prizes depending on the stages which they are evicted. Apart from these prizes, they will go home with new inspiration and ‘I can do attitude’ that can turn their dreams into reality. After each task, contestants must account for their actions and be examined by the top judges. The viewers are allowed to participate by expressing their views about the contestants. The contestants have an opportunity of interaction with a selected top CEOs and successful entrepreneurs for advice and inspiration. This brings the reality of the pains and gains of entrepreneurial journey into the living rooms of the millions of viewers.
What led you into creating the show?
I am from Ekiti State, I grew up in Ado Ekiti, and attended Christ School, an elitist school ‘where very important Nigerians attended. I am a graduate of Business Administration and I also studied Financial Management from Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma. It was during my National Youth Service Corps period that I worked with Lion Bank Plc now Diamond Bank after which I worked with Family advancement Economic Programme during the late General Sani Abacha regime. And that was where I grounded my entrepreneurial spirit. After I left Diamond Bank, I decided to set up my business. I started with publishing a magazine focusing on financial institutions in Nigeria. I had to change the name to Financial International because the former did not accommodate insurance companies which felt left out by the magazine title. So, I rebranded to Financial International, a glossy magazine before moving to television to produce a programme called ‘Dialogue of
Leaders,’ presented by Celine Loader, who is currently a consultant to Central Bank of Nigeria. She anchored the show. We were hosting business leaders in Nigeria on the show, and it was an interesting talk show.
Later, I started thinking of doing something that can improve the youths, especially in the area of entrepreneurship, because I discovered that I didn’t spend much time being an employee before I started doing my own thing. It occurred to me that every year, thousands of graduates emerge into the labour market, with each having the potential within to create and start a business. But what they lacked was the motivating spirit. It is because of this that many fail to take up entrepreneurial challenges. In my case, I was motivated by books because I was reading lots of motivational books even then. Perhaps if I had not been opportune to read the books that I read, I would not have been pushed into entrepreneurship. It also occurred to me that young graduates need something to push them into leadership and entrepreneurial positions in life.
That was how I came up with an entrepreneurial reality show to motivate and better the youths who do not know how to start their businesses. I thought that instead of them waiting endlessly for government to provide jobs, they could do it themselves. We understand the present day unemployment situation in the country. If people are well-trained and equipped with the right knowledge, there is a high probability that they will be more propelled to work in the right direction of growth. So this reality show is basically to ignite the entrepreneurial spirit in young Nigerians.
Were you in anyway influenced by other reality shows?
Yes, I believe so. In recent times, there have been musical reality shows, cooking reality show and a couple of such. If you look at the entertainment industry in recent times, you will notice that a lot of young people have moved in, and they are exhibiting various kinds of talents. Even people in other professions have somehow found themselves in the music industry: doctors, even lawyers, this is partly because of the popularity of the music reality shows. Most young people now see it as a route to fame, creativity and wealth. They have looked inward and searched to discover the talent within. And more and more people are realising that they can sing, or that they have a singing talent within.
The same thing goes for young people who have business ideas that they can develop. So The Next Titan has created a forum and an opportunity for such youths to come out and exhibit their creativity and business idea. This reality show now ignites other youths, who will be watching from home, to realise that they too can come up with creative business ideas, participate, get mentored and use in their private lives to excel in business. That is the major objective of The Next Titan, a reality business show.
This is the season one of The Next Titan, and we are seeing a world class show. We have shopped for the best of judges, the best of business mentors to work with the participants in the house, and they are mostly home-based. This is because we believe that Nigeria has the best of people and talent in all fields of human endeavour. Even in the area of technical production, we sourced that locally too, we have Tade Ogidan who is directing the show with lots of drama and making the show exciting. The judges are top CEOs in the country who will also make themselves available to mentor the winner in his new line of business.
But for a show experiencing its first season, what would you say has generated its huge popularity?
The judges of the show created the element of business professionalism that is attracting purposeful youths. Tonye Cole, who is the Managing Director of Sahara Energy Resource Limited, is one of such judges. He has brought his expertise into the show. So also is Chris Parke from England who has over 35 years experience in the advertising and marketing industry, eight years in the UK with top agencies, plus his own partnership in London, with clients including American Express International Dollar Card & TC’s, MasterCard, Securicor Granley and Browning. There is also Dr. Jumoke, an international lawyer who lectures at the University of Lagos, who is also passionate about development issues in Africa and has worked or consulted on policy projects in the areas of development and national planning, tax reform, corruption, public health, and urban housing in Nigeria. The guest judges like Professor Pat Utomi, Foluso Phillips, the Chairman, Economic Summit Group, and others, have all made the show exciting, bringing business education to people and orientating young graduates on how to get self-employed in the over saturated unemployment market.
Though the last person standing is going to take home the cash prize, all of them are already winners because, to stay in the house under the mentoring and tutelage of the business gurus that are with them, is a lot to inspire any young person to growth and productivity. Their lives will never remain the same. That will be a major achievement for these youths, because the saying goes that if you give a man N50,000 he may blow it up sooner than you think, but if you give somebody education worth the same amount, the person will go ahead to use it, to generate more money over the years. A wise man may have nothing, but with his knowledge, he will turn out things. And more importantly, it will teach everyone that will watch.
Are reality shows in Nigeria making that much impact?
Firstly, reality shows are a great avenue for companies to showcase and re-affirm their brands to the public. It is an effective way to sell brands because the most watched programmes on screen these days across the world are reality shows. The attraction is that, once a reality show starts, the public is involved, they want to know who will be the eventual winner. It is now the most effective way for companies to showcase their products to the public. And that is why the telecommunications companies are not joking with it. They understand the power of being visible in the mind of the public every day. Even breweries now have reality shows. They are gradually affecting the economy. For instance, Iyanya’s life has changed for the better. He won a musical reality show and now he is paying people’s salary. The focus of each reality show enhances a particular part of population that it influences. If it is a musical show, for instance, it influences those who watch and tilts their minds towards becoming a star too. So, even when they do not have the opportunity to be part of the house mates, they learn from what is being taught in the house. Not all young music stars who break through go through reality shows, but watching it could influence the talent within. In The Next Titan, the judges are indirectly influencing the mind set of viewers at home on ways and means of positively running businesses, through the various corrections and guidance that are being given out to the housemates. So, reality shows have advantage for the sponsors, viewers and the housemates, and even the economy.
So what next after this season?
