It was a night of glamour as YouTube hosted top Nigerian YouTube content creators at a dinner to mark 10 years of wonderful video sharing experiences.
The event, which took place at the Intercontinental Hotel and Resort on Victoria Island, Lagos, saw the likes of Olisa Adibua, Toke Makinwa and Ariyike Akinbobola among others.
Speaking at the event, veteran Broadcaster Adibua recounted how he got inspired while growing up in the United Kingdom (UK) and how he got a contract job with the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA 5) at the age of 17 when he arrived Nigeria.
He further noted that he contributed to the success stories of many Nigerian star artistes, naming popular musicians like Eldee, StyPlus, D-Banj among those he helped to boost their careers, especially through Big Brother Nigeria.
The co-founder of Storm Records and one of the chief brains behind Big Brother Nigeria however, advised young broadcast on-air-personalities (OAP) thus: “When you are on radio for instance, you have an instant power. I’ve several times paid fines to the National Broadcasting Commission. But why do I have to pay this much to them, when they are richer than me.
“I tell young people to read a lot, because not reading wide is their problem. They don’t read. They believe presentation is just all about sitting in front of the camera. If you must succeed in this business especially in the global scale, you have to read about different things going on within your locality and around the world.
“If you want to interview a person, it is just wise for you to do a background check about the person. So you need to read to be ahead of your interviewee.”
For Toke Makinwa (of TokeMoment) her passion for what she does has been the backbone of her continuity.
On TokeMoment, she runs a regular monologue on everything from self-improvement to relationship issues in a loose and funny manner.
“When I stated out on YouTube, I was not aware of the financial benefits of using YouTube. I would just upload videos and be happy that they get good number of views. It was much later in 2013 that I got to know that I could monetize my contents to earn money.
“I find joy when I run into ladies at shopping malls outside the country and they identify me and can easily relate their issues with me. It gives me a lot of joy. You know, usually, people like to talk to someone who does not know them about the issues, TokeMoment has filled that space.
“Uploading a new video every Wednesday has not been easy for me but I also know that the key thing about YouTube is consistence and I have kept at it. I must confess that YouTube has been a huge source of blessing to my life,” she recounted.
Meanwhile, for Akinbobola, lawyer and mother of two, YouTube is an avenue for people to gather a lot of experiences and remain loyal to who they are.
“On YouTube, I talk about relationship dynamics. I have in the past done videos on YouTube on how to spy on your nannies, I have also done videos on parenting.
“But you know what, the views I get on my channel aren’t up to 5, 000. But when I don’t box myself, and do freestyle videos, amazingly, I get over 100,000 views.” She stated.
Akinbobola, who does videos on sex and relationship, further said that her contents had been greeted with stream of criticisms, stressing: “Well, my channel is not for babies, but for adults.
“Most times when I talk about sex, people tend to look at me as if it’s a no-go-area, But as a married woman, this is something I do, even, people who are not married do this. So, why do we shy away discussing it?”
Speaking on the event, Taiwo Kola-Ogunlade, West Africa Communication and Public Affairs Manager said the event was aimed at leveraging the 10th anniversary of YouTube to spotlight Nigerians who in spite of all odds are constantly sharing content, and by so doing, are building their own fan bases.
“Some people still think only highly trained individuals or people with access to funds can create content and run YouTube channels. it is our hope that by showcasing the inspiring work that these individual creators are doing, we are able to help inspire more Nigerians to begin to share more video content. With you need little or no start-up capital.
“Since the launch of the Nigeria domain of YouTube, in December 2011, YouTube has grown to become one of the top online destinations for Nigerians looking for inspiration and creative expression.
“Nigerian creators have also taken advantage of the power of large number of local and global viewers getting on the platform on a daily basis.
“Today, Nigeria entertainment content like Nollywood movies and music videos by local Nigerian artists are being consumed across the world, and are thus generating tens of millions of views.
“There are now more than one million channels earning revenue through the YouTube Partnership Program, in more than 30 countries, and it’s exciting to see more Partners coming on board in Nigeria too.
“Globally, partner revenue across YouTube has increased by 60% over the past year and partner revenue from mobile ad sales has tripled,” he maintained.
It would be recalled that in 2014, YouTube views in Nigeria increased by 78%, while views of Nigerian content increased by 95% – a testament of the role YouTube is playing in the export of Nigerian content.
The video-sharing website headquartered in San Bruno, California, United States has become the go-to destination for video footage on the web. The volume of content unites people from all walks of life through video.
The night tagged: “YouTube & the Stars event” also had group content creators on YouTube like Naija’s Craziest and TechCityNG.
