EXCLUSIVE: Uche Ikejimba, the producer behind the Nigerian model of Large Brother, has revealed a duo of upcoming scripted tasks as a part of her upcoming slate.
By means of her Blink Africa imprint, the Nollywood author, producer and showrunner has lined up drama sequence Lagos Love Stories and Africa Magic drama Alex From Oil & Gasoline, each of which look into wild tales of recent romance in Nigeria. She can also be working up a documentary about ladies known as Ashes for 2026, and long term is eyeing a debut movie challenge.
Ikejimba stated Lagos Love Tales will present a glimpse into “all of the loopy love experiences” of a significant West African metropolis, including, “Individuals say one of many worst locations you could find love is Lagos — and that is about their love tales.”
The ten-part, hour-long sequence will observe ten relationships within the Nigerian capital. It’s being billed as “Euphoria meets Insecure meets Gen Z meets Emily in Paris,” in accordance with Ikejimba, who counts Shonda Rhimes as her TV inspiration. “I’m such a stalker, god forgive me,” she laughed. “I’ve watched virtually all her reveals. She makes her reveals very human, and creates characters you’ll be able to see your self in.”
Lagos Love Tales will concentrate on comparable subjects, equivalent to resilience, heartbreak, lust, sacrifice, ache, deceit and betrayal. It would discover the “chaos and drama” of every relationship, in accordance with a improvement synopsis. “We’ll see the adventures and misadventures, humorous and never so humorous moments and the way every character tries to attach, grapples to outlive and hopefully thrive regardless of the ridiculous calls for and pressures of the town and its folks,” it provides.
Sequence continues to be at improvement part, however taking pictures is deliberate for June. Ikejimba, whose work has to this point been fully centered on Africa, has been increasing her work into the U.S. and a Lagos Love Tales neighborhood challenge in New York later this 12 months is offering a foot within the door, she advised Deadline.
Alex From Oil & Gasoline, in the meantime, will broadcast over three days this week on MultiChoice-owned DStv’s cable community Africa Magic and Showmax to tie in with Valentine’s Day (February 14). It tells the story of a high-flying working girl, Tonye, who meets Alex, a person who works on an oil rig. They start an intense relationship through social media. Nonetheless, when she mistakenly opens the laptop computer of her colleague, Nnamdi, she is shocked to see all of her communications with Alex and realizes she is being catfished. Regardless of the deceit, the possibility of affection stays and Ikejimba known as it a “feelgood rom-com.”
A veteran scripted producer, Ikejimba additionally counts Showmax’s first unique authorized drama, Agu, amongst her drama credentials. Final 12 months, she directed Africa Magic drama sequence Manfriend. She has been lauded for dramas equivalent to Single and Dilemma, and can also be lining up a 39-part thriller sequence that begins taking pictures subsequent month. An earlier sequence, Reality, received the Africa Magic Viewers Alternative Award (AMVCA) for Greatest TV Sequence in 2020.
Nonetheless, Ikejimba has confirmed one thing of a Swiss military knife producer, able to deftly flicking into completely different modes and tackling genres on the opposing ends of the programming spectrum. She is arguably finest generally known as certainly one of Nigeria’s most profitable actuality TV producers, by means of the likes of relationship present Shoot Your Shot, competitors sequence Come Play Naija, social taboos format What Will Individuals Say and Big Brother Naija, the Nigerian model of the Banijay competitors format.
Her work on an all-stars-themed Large Brother season helped the present document multiple billion on-line impressions throughout a ten-week run in 2023. She is a line producer on the primary present and producer on the reunion seasons. She has been nominated six occasions in a row for the AMVCAs for numerous reveals.
“I by no means wished to stay to 1 style, as a result of I get pleasure from drama and I get pleasure from actuality. I get pleasure from making TV,” stated Ikejimba. “I name myself fortunate as a result of as a normal supervisor of manufacturing, I managed completely different sorts of productions and constructed energy and technical know-how.”
“By means of that, I used to be capable of meet a number of individuals who suppose I’m good at every part,” she added, maybe solely half-joking. “Africa Magic and Showmax have been my hub. They suppose I’m nice at it, so why not do every part?”
Ikejimba lifted the lid of her new scripted reveals forward of an anticipated tenth season of Large Brother Naija. The favored actuality competitors is to return this 12 months, although there was no official affirmation from the broadcaster. Ikejimba, who produces the sequence, stated the present is “every part — a life-style” in Nigeria, uniting demographics and directing public dialog.
“For various demographics, it serves one thing completely different: It’s a social experiment for the younger, and for another demographics, it’s leisure. On the core, it concerning the the dynamics of individuals in a home, appearing nevertheless they select to.”
As for her strategy to the present, “It’s important to be certain that the following season isn’t repeat of the final one,” she stated. “What’s trending? What are folks watching, what’s the slang of the day and what’s the music they listening to? With that, you’ll be able to adapt to the nuances and get to the thoughts house of the place they’re. You additionally keep in mind it isn’t damaged, so that you don’t want to repair it.”
‘Tv addict’
Ikejimba got here into the trade below the wing of African TV champion Mo Abudu. She had initially deliberate to concentrate on writing for magazines and papers, however started producing syndicated every day talkshow Moments with Mo after responding to an advert after which joined a TV maker firm managing productions earlier than touchdown her personal commissions and organising Blink Africa. “I grew up a tv addict,” she stated. “I watched every part, and today I’ve watched nearly every part on the streaming providers. Rising up in my neighborhood, I used to arrange performances and dances, and it made me understand I by no means need to be in entrance of the digital camera. I wished to make the factor for the others and allow them to run with it.”
Her first sequence, the 360-part cleaning soap Hustle for Africa Magic, was properly obtained and Large Brother got here calling quickly after. She is now thought of amongst Nigeria’s prime showrunners, writers and producers, with a formidable monitor document over a decade-long run. Her first function movie co-production, Phantom, was properly obtained in 2023, and she or he reveals she is engaged on her first full function challenge, which might be two years away from fruition. Coaching up a brand new era of filmmakers is one other precedence.
These new filmmakers will probably be essential to the way forward for Nollywood, Nigeria’s leisure market the place, in Ikejimba’s phrases, “there isn’t a template as a result of we wish to freestyle, in every part from music in tv.” Given the shortage of funding in Nigerian leisure when put next with Hollywood or Bollywood, its champions present nice satisfaction in its improvement, and Ikejimba recalled how its producers “constructed this trade” by means of grit and willpower. “We raised the funds for it and we have been in search of work for it. I understand how exhausting it’s to outlive. Korea has some huge cash behind it; I owe my mum and pop cash. You get the funds collectively how one can, however we’re very bold and that’s the reason Nollywood isn’t going anyplace.”
The TV market has been below pressure, for certain. South Africa-based Showmax can depend of backing from the likes of NBCUniversal and Canal+, and its MultiChoice stablemate Africa Magic stays very lively, however international some streamers have did not observe by means of on preliminary promise. Prime Video’s exit from the unique market, which we revealed final 12 months, was significantly damaging to native creatives. On the brighter facet, Netflix not too long ago named Kaye-Ann Williams as its new scripted content material chief, whereas Ben Adamasun used the current MIP Africa to unveil a trio of recent films together with a Blood Legacy sequence from Blood & Water producer Gambit Movies and actuality present Love By no means Lies: South Africa.
“When Amazon pulled out, it was an issue,” stated Ikejimba. “We have been making a degree taking part in discipline with different gamers world wide after which swiftly they have been gone. Nonetheless, that for me is the one hitch that has affected this journey, and as resilient folks, we discovered different avenues to promote our merchandise. There’s all the time a door open someplace. It is extremely exhausting to guide a great actor proper now as a result of they’re all working. There was information saying Netflix was pulling out, however they’ve stated that’s unfaithful, and reveals are nonetheless going to be licensed. They’re nonetheless partaking, reveals are popping out every day and persons are engaged on their reveals.”
Citing her TV hero, Bridgerton creator Rhimes, she identified the variations between Nollywood and mature markets such because the U.S. and UK, the place “the following 5 years are fastened, and “the following ten” are mapped out with a sure diploma of readability. “Right here, we’re pitching,” she stated. “I get up usually and I don’t know what the futures maintain. I’m hoping, wishing and praying for a gathering. One individual known as me who had 4 TV reveals, however the financial dynamics of the world modified and all of that was cancelled. It set me again.”
Nonetheless, Ikejimba’s capability to rapidly flip productions round has grow to be important to a number of channels and producers, and stored her in constant work. “In a 12 months, I by no means know what’s going to occur, besides the issues I deliberate to shoot myself,” she added. “Yearly for the previous ten years has been busy. I’ve labored each month of the previous decade.”
Ikejimba’s future will probably be all about opening doorways world wide, bringing by means of new native expertise and persevering with to make hits in Nigeria. “My group in Africa can run my enterprise whether or not I’m there or not today,” she stated. “I simply must get used to handing off now.”
