Last year November, the Fidelity International Trade & Creative Connect (FITCC) created a panel of Nigerian creatives, to discuss:
-Exploring Co-creation and Partnerships with Nigeria-Diaspora Creatives
-Tapping the Diaspora Resource Pool to Unlock Opportunities in the Nigerian Creative Economy
These are seven important lessons we learnt during both sessions:
Continue to put yourself out there
Promote yourself, shoot your shot, share your work everywhere you go etc. According to Oreka Godis, “It’s important that people are aware of you.”
Don’t underestimate the power of partnerships
With partnerships, you get the opportunity to collaborate with people that’ll introduce you to new skills, new resources and new perceptions. Many opportunities exist for Nigerians to collaborate with people in the diaspora. You just need to find the right one.
Conversations on royalties are very important in the creative industry
If you’re planning to work with any person or brand, make sure to have important conversations such as how much you get paid, who owns what, and who gets to do what. These details have to be ironed out, written down and signed by all relevant parties before any partnerships and collaborations happen. If not, one creative may end up getting ripped off.
Continue re-inventing yourself
There was a time when people were listening to music on cassettes and CDs and the only way to make money was by selling these CDs. Now we have multiple music streaming platforms where musicians can share their songs with millions of people across the world. Find out how your industry is changing and change with it, if not you’ll be left behind.
Social media is an important distribution tool
Social media is one of the fastest ways for your work to be distributed. During the panel session, Brenda Fashugba emphasised the importance of creatives putting their content online. The internet is basically the new “word of mouth for creatives,” and that’s why you should consistently post your work. Every share counts.
Information is power
A lot of the things we achieve today aren’t just because of the talents we have but also because of the information we’ve acquired. Adedotun Soyebi said there need to be more platforms like FITCC which bring together creatives from Nigeria and the diaspora. You need to be part of these types of platforms so you can get the chance to exchange ideas, learn new skills and network with people that’ll be essential to your growth.
Create value in the way you understand
As an artist, writer, filmmaker, musician, video producer etc., how do you create value in your industry? This is what will make you unique and get people to notice you. What’s different about your work that’ll people want to engage with it?
