Showbiz
Taking Aspiring Filmmakers From the Classroom to Prime-Time
For many aspiring filmmakers, the ultimate culmination of their cinematic dreams is to be able to live through the art form they love.
Filmmakers don’t just want to make a film. They want to build a career doing it. To achieve that, they need training that equips them with industry-relevant skills of the highest standard.
For the MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF), this understanding is integral to all of its programmes. Academy graduates are equipped with the precise skills required by their industry, empowering them to become prime-time TV professionals.
Since MTF is a MultiChoice initiative, its three academies – in Lusaka, Nairobi and Lagos – provide training in the specific, high-demand technical skills needed by the industry-leading content producer.
MultiChoice, a Canal+ company, is the largest producer of authentic, original content on the African continent. “Africa’s most-loved storyteller” produced 5 340 hours of world-class local content in 2025.
MTF students are trained to these exacting MultiChoice standards. This leaves them well placed to excel in the industry once they graduate.
And excel, they do. MTF graduates speak with pride of the success they have found since leaving the highly respected hub of African film and television training.
Technical skills
Actor, producer, writer and storyteller Myde Glover went on from MTF West Africa Academy to host film festivals and win Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (AMVCAs).
He credits much of his success to the storytelling skills he learned at MTF, as well as the technical standards the MTF Academy sets.
“The storytelling skills I gained at MTF helped me become a better actor, producer and director. It helps me put the story first,” he says. “However, I was also taught the technical and delivery requirements for submitting projects to platforms like DStv, GOtv, and Showmax. I approach every project with those standards in mind, understanding that quality matters in every aspect.”
Glover says the three most important things for aspiring filmmakers to remember are teamwork, being open to constructive criticism, and staying focused on their goal.
“Strong collaboration improves the quality of any production, feedback helps you grow creatively, and focus ensures you see projects through without losing sight of why you started,” he says.
Lifetime network
Graduating from MTF provides filmmakers with a network that can last a lifetime. Alumni often hire each other as they evolve through their working lives, creating a self-sustaining ecosystem of skilled professionals.
Bahati Kajigi Benjamin from DRC found that MTF gave him the network he needed to tell stories close to his heart.
“My experience with MTF was incredible,” says Benjamin. “I formed a family with my fellow students, and we bonded deeply. We collaborated on numerous films and wrote one that is particularly meaningful to me, illustrating the struggles of my people.”
That film was titled The Canvas, a Zee World project.
Benjamin currently works as a camera operator and editor at Sauti Media Hub in Uganda, producing Kampala Creme, one of the top East African reality shows. He says he secured the position through a recommendation from a fellow MTF alumnus.
Benjamin says his time at MTF was invaluable in honing his skills in cinematography and colour grading.
“I gained extensive knowledge about camera techniques, lighting, and colour harmony in film, which I am currently applying in my role at Kampala Creme.
Benjamin appreciates the importance of paying opportunities forward. He recently shared his cinematography expertise on a three-month online platform called Film Chat, aimed at empowering up-and-coming African creatives.
His advice to young creatives is to never overlook the importance of marketing themselves, and to remember that filmmaking is a business.
“Funders want to understand more than just the script or story,” he says. “You should spend time discussing the financial aspects and the impact the film will create. This is what appeals to investors. Ultimately, it’s an investment for a return.”
Career transformation
MTF West Africa graduate Allen Onyige pursued his passion for human behaviour and storytelling at MTF after leaving university and working in live broadcasting. He describes his time at MTF West Africa as “transformative”.
“MTF refined my creative vision, strengthened my technical skills, and played a pivotal role in shaping my journey as a filmmaker,” he says. “The experience changed my life and set me on the path toward meaningful visual storytelling.”
He says understanding the business side of broadcasting was just as important as the creative skills he gained.
After he left MTF, his production company was commissioned by Africa Magic to produce several series and feature films, including Ikenna’s Trial, Sikiru, Elenini, Kadara, and Dear Future Me.
In 2024, Onyige won the Best Indigenous Language Series award at the AMVCAs for Irora Iya. He also served as director of photography on Grind, now on Amazon Prime. His documentary Sunset in Makoko was nominated for Best Documentary at the AMVCAs. He also worked as a cinematographer on the Emmy Award–winning documentary Mothers of Chibok.
Onyige says young people looking to build a career in film and TV should first look to learn the craft and business of filmmaking, but to master one specific skill. Secondly, he recommends being a team player who sets high standards.
“Be a man or a woman of excellence,” he says. “Integrity will get you jobs that talent alone may not be able to give you.”
-
To learn more about the MultiChoice Talent Factory and how to launch a career in African film and television, visit https://
multichoicetalentfactory.com -
Applications for the 2027 intake are still open, and the closing date is 27 May 2026.
What happens when one tragic event forces a family to confront secrets they’ve spent years trying to bury? In The Journal, the mysterious death of a family member brings five siblings back together, but instead of finding answers, they uncover hidden truths that threaten to change everything they thought they knew about each other. To catch The Journal, tune in on Africa Magic Showcase Ch 8 on Saturday at 7:15 PM.
Stories like this are what make Nollywood impossible to ignore. Whether you’re in the mood for emotional family drama, romance, suspense or stories packed with unexpected twists, GOtv has a lineup of Nollywood movies to keep you entertained all weekend.
If you’re looking for what to watch, here are some Nollywood movies to add to your watchlist this weekend.
Iya
Some battles don’t happen outside the home. In Iya, a mother is determined to drive a wedge between her son and his wife. She goes to great lengths to frustrate her daughter-in-law, hoping to push her back into the life she once lived, making money from her beauty. It’s an emotional story about family interference, manipulation and the lengths some people will go to get what they want.
Showing on Africa Magic Yoruba Ch 2 on Saturday at 8:25 PM.
One Man
Nkechi and Amara share a close bond as sisters, but poverty tears them apart while they are still young. Years later, fate brings them back together, but their reunion doesn’t go as expected. Instead, a shocking decision threatens to change both of their lives forever. It’s a touching story about family, sacrifice and the unexpected turns life can take.
Showing on Africa Magic Epic Ch 6 on Saturday at 11:05 AM.
Unlucky
Kenny and Nora’s relationship is already far from perfect, but things become even more complicated when Mabel, a brilliant tech enthusiast, moves in next door. What starts as a simple neighbourly connection soon turns into a complicated love triangle that leaves everyone questioning where their hearts truly belong.
Showing on Africa Magic Showcase Ch 8 on Sunday at 10:14 PM.
My Madam And I
Chief Donald and Jifeofor have spent years as rivals, but life has a funny way of changing the script. While the two men continue their feud, their children unexpectedly fall in love. Now they must decide whether love is strong enough to overcome pride, family rivalry and years of bad blood.
Showing on Africa Magic Family Ch 7 on Sunday at 11:05 PM.
Whether you’re in the mood for family drama, romance, suspense or stories packed with emotional twists, GOtv’s Nollywood lineup has you covered this weekend. So settle in and let these stories take over your screen.
To upgrade, subscribe or reconnect, download the MyGOtv App or dial *288#. For catch-up and on-the-go viewing, download the GOtv Stream App and enjoy your favourite shows anytime, anywhere.
As conversations around the “Olodo Uprising” trend continue to dominate social media, it has reopened an old debate about intelligence, education, and what it really means to learn in today’s Nigeria.
The memes and jokes surrounding the “Olodo Uprising” may be entertaining, but beneath the humour lies a more important question: where are Nigerians actually learning today?
For many people, education no longer begins and ends in classrooms or textbooks. Every day, millions of Nigerians spend hours consuming content across television, social media, streaming platforms, and digital communities. These spaces are increasingly shaping how people think about money, health, relationships, politics, and even citizenship.
This is where entertainment, advertising, and education have quietly begun to overlap.
The rise of learning through entertainment
Brands and organisations have gradually moved away from simply telling audiences what to think. Instead, they now invite people to participate.
Campaigns have become more interactive, relying on games, storytelling, influencer collaborations, audience participation, and competition to communicate ideas. Rather than presenting information in a lecture-style format, they build experiences that people can engage with and remember.
It is a response to today’s attention economy. People are far more likely to retain information when they are emotionally invested or actively involved.
Reality television has become one of the clearest examples of this shift, with Big Brother Naija standing out as perhaps the country’s biggest stage for this style of communication. But the idea of using entertainment to deliver social messages existed long before BBNaija became a cultural phenomenon.
Advocacy found its way into popular culture long before it became fashionable
Years before brands fully embraced reality TV, advocacy organisations were already experimenting with entertainment as a way to reach audiences.
ONE.org, for example, introduced advocacy-focused challenges that encouraged contestants to develop campaigns around healthcare, governance, and citizen participation. Rather than simply discussing social issues, participants were asked to propose solutions and communicate them in ways that mirrored real-world policy campaigns. Some winners later gained exposure through international advocacy platforms, including the UN General Assembly.
BBNaija explored this idea as far back as Season 2, See Gobe edition. Housemates took part in a girl-child education task in partnership with ONE Campaign, where they learnt about the challenges many girls face in accessing education and presented their ideas on how to address them. Bisola’s presentation was selected as the best, earning her the chance to represent the campaign at the United Nations General Assembly as a ONE Ambassador for girls’ education. The task showed that reality television could do more than entertain. It could help people learn about important issues, encourage meaningful conversations, and even create opportunities for real-world impact.
Looking back, these campaigns were early signs of a model that has since become common across Nigerian media.
When brand tasks became learning experiences
As BBNaija evolved, sponsored tasks became more ambitious. Instead of simply promoting products, many brands began building challenges that required contestants to learn new concepts, solve problems, work in teams, and communicate ideas under pressure.
During Season 6, Shine ya Eye edition, PiggyVest introduced a financial literacy challenge centred on saving, spending, and financial planning. Rather than delivering a traditional financial education campaign, the concepts were woven into competitive tasks that made them easier to understand and more engaging to watch.
SuperSport adopted a similar approach, designing challenges around teamwork, strategy, puzzles, and creative thinking.
Other sponsors followed suit.
Health-focused campaigns encouraged conversations around public wellbeing and civic responsibility. Airtel challenged housemates to interpret communication briefs and present marketing ideas. Cooking tasks sponsored by brands such as Munch It and Arla tested creativity, collaboration, and time management while introducing conversations around food and nutrition.
The common thread was never the prize money. It was the process. Contestants had to absorb new information quickly, apply it in real time, and explain their thinking in front of millions of viewers. That is a form of learning, even if it doesn’t resemble a classroom.
Health education moved to centre stage
Recent seasons have made the educational element even more deliberate.
In Season 10, 10/10 edition, Colgate’s oral health challenge required housemates to study information about dental hygiene before competing in games built around oral care, common myths, and healthy habits.
Carex adopted a similar approach with its hygiene challenge, combining entertainment with lessons around germs, handwashing, and infection prevention.
These tasks were designed to be memorable because audiences were watching people learn while being entertained. The products remained visible, but so did the message.
What the “Olodo Uprising” conversation reveals
The current online debate often assumes that young Nigerians are becoming less interested in learning. Yet the same people making that argument spend hours discussing content that regularly exposes audiences to financial literacy, health awareness, communication skills, teamwork, and civic issues.
Learning hasn’t disappeared. It has simply moved into places that don’t always look educational.
Reality television, brand campaigns, creator content, podcasts, and even viral social media conversations have become part of Nigeria’s informal learning ecosystem as they increasingly shape public knowledge and everyday behaviour.
The “Olodo Uprising” conversation reflects that shift. While people continue to debate who is intelligent and who isn’t, the ways Nigerians acquire knowledge have become far more diverse than they once were.
Learning has changed its address
The real lesson is not that reality television is educational by default. It is that education now travels through entertainment because that is where attention lives.
From advocacy campaigns and financial literacy challenges to health awareness initiatives and branded storytelling, Nigerian popular culture has become an unexpected classroom.
The platforms may be different, but the outcome is familiar: people encounter new ideas, engage with them, and carry parts of those lessons into everyday life.
The conversation sparked by “Olodo Uprising” will eventually fade, as most viral trends do. What is likely to remain is the growing recognition that learning today is shaped as much by culture and media as it is by classrooms.
One thing BBNaija has never struggled to deliver is premium entertainment. Every season has introduced new personalities, sparked conversations, created fan favourites and given Nigerians moments that live far beyond the finale. From iconic fights and unforgettable ships to underdog victories and shocking twists, every edition has added something to the show’s legacy.
With Season 11 around the corner, we are taking a trip down memory lane to revisit five seasons that gave us some of the franchise’s most unforgettable moments, and why we are excited to see what the next housemates will bring.
Double Wahala (Season 3)
For many fans, this was the season that defined modern BBNaija.
Cee-C and Tobi’s complicated relationship had viewers emotionally invested from start to finish, while Bambam and Teddy A gave us a love story that would continue outside the house. Alex wore her heart on her sleeve, Nina and Miracle became one of the season’s biggest ships, and Anto and Khloe’s return after eviction remains one of the twists fans still talk about.
In the middle of all the drama, Miracle quietly played one of the smartest games in BBNaija history. While louder personalities dominated conversations, he focused on the competition, won crucial tasks and walked away with the grand prize, proving that strategy could be just as powerful as popularity.
Pepper Dem (Season 4)
If any season understood the meaning of premium entertainment, it was Pepper Dem.
Mercy, Mike, Frodd, Omashola, Seyi and Diane all brought something different to the house, but it was the rivalry between Mercy and Tacha that became the defining story of the season. Their clash, which ended with Tacha’s disqualification, remains one of the most talked-about moments in BBNaija history.
Mercy went on to become the first female winner of the show, while Tacha built one of the biggest fan communities the franchise has ever seen. Years later, both names are still impossible to leave out of any BBNaija conversation.
Lockdown (Season 5)
When Nigerians needed an escape in 2020, Lockdown delivered.
Laycon’s journey from underestimated housemate to overwhelming winner is still one of the greatest underdog stories the show has produced. Erica’s disqualification changed the course of the game overnight, while her relationship with Kiddwaya kept viewers glued to their screens.
Then there was Ozo’s relentless pursuit of Nengi, a storyline that sparked endless debates, and Dorathy, whose honesty and resilience earned her fans across the country. It was a season full of memorable personalities, and many of them remain household names today.
All Stars (Season 8)
Bringing back former housemates was always going to be risky, but All Stars proved the gamble was worth it.
Old friendships were tested, rivalries resurfaced and experienced players quickly realised that reputation alone couldn’t win the game. Mercy, Cee-C, Alex, Pere, Cross, Angel and Neo all returned with something to prove, but it was Ilebaye who ended up writing the biggest story.
Often underestimated in the early weeks, she quietly navigated the game, survived nominations and completed one of the biggest comeback stories in BBNaija history with her win.
10/10 (Season 10)
A decade in, BBNaija showed it could still surprise us.
Season 10 introduced a fresh cast that wasted no time creating memorable moments. Imisi’s eventual win capped off an impressive run that included some of the season’s biggest talking points, especially her rivalry with Faith. Isabella and Thelma also had viewers talking after their heated exchanges, reminding everyone that no BBNaija season is complete without a little gbas gbos.
The romance wasn’t in short supply either. Mide and Bright Morgan quickly became one of the season’s favourite couples, while Denari and Doris kept fans invested in their relationship. Dede added a lighter twist to the season with her famous “three fishes” Kola, Jason Jae and Koyin, all competing for her attention, even as she and Koyin insisted they were nothing more than friends.
The season took another dramatic turn when Faith was disqualified after his clash with Sultana, a moment that completely changed the dynamics in the house and show. By the finale, Imisi had earned her place as winner, closing out a milestone season with plenty of memorable moments.
And that’s the thing about BBNaija. Every season leaves us with stories we’ll reference for years, while introducing new personalities who become part of the culture.
Season 11 now has its own opportunity to do the same. New housemates, new twists, new alliances, new rivalries and moments nobody can predict. If history has taught us anything, it’s that by the time the finale rolls around, we’ll already be talking about the moments that defined another unforgettable season.
