Posted by By NKECHI DUR on
Nigeria's entertainment industry has continued to generate interest, not only at home but outside the country. One of such Nigerians.....
Nigeria's entertainment industry has continued to generate interest, not only at home but outside the country. One of such Nigerians who has been contributing to the development and growth of the industry is Mr. Frank Ikegwuonu, founder of Who's who in Nigerian Entertainment industry and CEO of Canada-based art and entertainment organisation, Urban Mingles.
Having monitored the steady growth of the entertainment sector in Nigeria, Frank has decided that it was time for the industry to boom hence his establishement of a website that would enable him market Nigerian arts across the globe.
Background
My name is Frank Ikegwuonu. I am from Anambra State. I am a member of the Black Enterprise Network, an organisation that promotes African culture and helps people with financial problem to do something about their business. It also promotes Africans in Canadian cultural exchange.
I am a member of International Website Masters Association of California. I am a member of Blacks in Government, an organisation based in Chicago. I had my Diploma in Advanced Computer Science, York University in Ontario Canada. I am a member of British Airways Executive Club and African Canadian Centre. I was once their PRO. I am also a member of Black Mingles-a cultural organisation which link singles together and allow them to mingle.
What Black Mingles do
We link people together especially black people from all walks of life in and outside Canada. We organise events. We source for sponsorship at times from government. People come there to interact, especially singles. We've helped thousands of people to get married through the organisation. So I would like, people to think towards that. Some people are shy, while some are busy especially in overseas to get a life partner. We've helped so many Nigerians to get their spouses from the club. There are so many people that have been living overseas for many years, who want to marry from their country. Through that avenue, people can see that something like that is happening. You can be in Canada but you can have access to people in Nigeria. 80 percent of the members are blacks, African Americans, Jamaicans and stuffs like that.
The project's aims
The aim of the project is to offer equal opportunities to all classes of artistes be they writers, models, actors, musicians and visual artists. We have millions of hidden talents. Some of them find it difficult to get roles in movies despite the fact that they have all the qualifications required.Who is who in Nigeria Entertainment Industry will be a gateway where you can know the truth about people.
Motivation
I initiated Who is who about two years ago when all these home video superstars were invited to the United States. Actually they were hosted in Washington by the Nigerian Ambassador to the U.S. People really appreciated Nigerian home videos and that actually motivated me. I started thinking that it would be good for them to see more of these people, not only on video. I made a couple of research and consultations before I came to Nigeria. I discovered we needed a publication that would provide more information on them.
Research
I sent questionnaires to all actors and actresses and I asked them to submit their biographies for inclusion in a database. A lot of them understood the concept and they completed the questionnaires. Then I will carry out my own research to make sure what you submitted is true.
Nigeria cannot empower the entertainment industry without empowering the upcoming artistes, our research is still going on. Therefore, we cannot make recommendations, however we promise that the nation will be satisfied with the outcome of our research. I also call on everyone in the entertainment world to visit our website www.urbanmingles.com/nigeria because we all want the outside world to have a different image of the Nigerian entertainment industry.