What It’s Like To...Manage Content Creators in Nigeria
In the last decade, Olufemi “Penzaar” Oguntamu has been a driving force in the Nigerian content creation scene, orchestrating success behind the scenes. He has not only propelled individuals to stardom, but also nurtured their careers and often facilitated their reinventions along the way.
“Before skit making and content creation gained prominence, I worked as an influencer marketer and collaborated with various influencers,” Oguntamu tells OkayAfrica in an interview. “Penzaarville (Oguntamu’s company) was the go-to agency for influencer marketing, handling [a major bank’s] influencer engagement during [their product] launch, and partnering with Microsoft, Google, YouTube, Taxify (now Bolt) and others.”
Photo by Ogunz Shot.
Olufemi Oguntamu likens talent management to parenting.
The entertainment entrepreneur oversees and advises some of the country’s most prominent content creators, including recent AMVCA winnerLayi Wasabi, travel content creator Tayo Aina, actor and event host Kiekie, comedian and actor Mr Macaroni, and skit maker and two-time AMVCA winner Broda Shaggi.
Transitioning from influencer marketing, Oguntamu’s media agency forged partnerships with prominent figures in the skit making and content creation scene. At times, he facilitated deals and passed them on to content creators. On other occasions, they independently secured contracts but always sought his expertise afterward. “They’d secure huge deals and call to ask, ‘What do you think about this campaign?’ ‘What do you think I should charge for this gig?’”
From that point, Oguntamu started consulting for them, establishing himself as an expert in negotiating deals and fostering fruitful partnerships, and ultimately evolving into a full-time talent manager. “They’d tell me, ‘You know what? I call you everyday, I’m always asking you for advice. Just take on the job of my manager.’ That’s how it all started.” Since then, it’s been a rollercoaster ride for Oguntamu, who likens talent management to parenting. “It’s a career path that promises very little sleep. When they’re sick, you’re sick. When they’re happy you’re happy. When they’re broke, you’re broke too.”
Photo by Ogunz Shot.
Olufemi Oguntamu likens talent management to parenting.
In this interview, condensed for length and clarity, Oguntamu discusses the distinctive experience of overseeing content creators in the Nigerian scene. He shares insights into the criteria he considers when signing talent, the essential qualities for success and his aspirations for the content creation industry.
Olufemi Oguntamu: When I’m signing a talent, I ensure that I can see a future with them for the next five years. It’s not just, ‘Oh this person is buzzing and making money and has some followership, let me get a slice of that.’ I like being able to track growth, being able to look back and see the impact that the agency has had over a talent’s career. I like to catch them young and enjoy authentic success stories. Last year, I asked Layi [Wasabi], who was previously based in Osogbo, to move to Lagos. You can see how we took him from point A to point B, and to the glory of God, he’s going to be a year at Penzaarville next month. He’s doing even far better than imagined. Those are the kind of success stories I aim for.
It’s also important to sign talents who will listen to you. After they sign brand deals, after they get paid for gigs, you still have to enforce and ensure that they see their commitments through. That doesn’t happen if your talent doesn’t pay heed to you. Talent management is a job that requires both brokering deals and managing people.
For each talent we have at Penzaarville, we also have an account manager. Some talent management agencies have one account manager handling five talents, but we don’t operate that way. We assign one account manager to one talent, and that person oversees schedule, timelines, correspondence, rate cards, bookings, all of that. We’re managing talents, but we’re also managing clients. The job is to ensure everyone’s happy at the end of the day, but also that your talent does their job.
Photo courtesy of Olufemi Oguntamu.
OlufemiOguntamu behind the scenes of the Dubai Tourism Campaign shoot with Broda Shaggi.
What I enjoy most about being a talent manager is brokering deals. I like a conversation that starts with doing one post and then leads to being brand ambassador. The talent gets more money, the brand gets more engagement. Awards and accolades are won, everyone’s happy. This happens often at Penzaarville, and it’s a testament to talent growth, a testament that we’re doing the right thing. I like measuring growth. I like evidence. I started managing [Broda] Shaggi when he had 2,000 followers. Today, he has over 12 million [on Instagram alone]. It’s hard work, but it’s rewarding.
Still on hard work, I want to see more people take content creation more seriously. The world, but more specifically Nigerians, don’t take it seriously. Not everyone can do what content creators do, and not every content creator is going to be a comic creator, or tech creator, or food or travel creator, or a dancer. There’s a whole world of niches out there. It’s not as easy as people like to think it is.
It’s also crucial for talents and aspiring talents to know that it’s one thing to put in the work, and another to sustain the results of your hard work. There’s a lot of pressure in the industry, but don’t add to that for yourself. Content creation is not a get-rich-quick scheme. Keep showing up. You’re in this for the long run, and as time goes on, you’d have to constantly reinvent yourself to keep ahead of the curve. Broda [Shaggi] did a U.S. tour last year, at the time when it was not commonplace for content creators to do tours. But I spoke to a U.S. promoter and Shaggi did club tours. In July this year, he’s going to tour in Canada. As a manager, that’s my job, to help talents reinvent themselves and stay relevant.
Photo by Michael Tubes Creations.
Comic actor and creator, Broda Shaggi, under Olufemi Oguntamu’s management, has done tours in the U.S. and is planning another in Canada.
Before, we had Facebook and Twitter (now X). Now we have Instagram, Snapchat, Tiktok, YouTube TV. There will always be more demographics to cater to, more spaces to break into. Every day, things change. You have to evolve with the times. I have to constantly seek opportunities for my talents, keep them in the spotlight, and foster avenues for them to expand. Because if you’re going to thrive, you need to explore and extend into other parts of the industry. Acting, standup, hosting gigs — Kiekie is fantastic with hosting events. Those are things that’ll keep you in the game for a long time.
In order to thrive in the content creation industry, you need a team. As manager, you also need to be present and active in the lives and career of your talents. It’s not enough for them to have account managers. Are you on ground? You’re everyone’s parent – you can’t be an absentee parent. You can’t play favorites either. You have to support them, to show up for them. They’re in it for the long run, but so are you. And because this is a mandate that we stand by and live by, our talents are better for it. They’re all thriving because of it.
A successful talent manager plans ahead, thinks big, and is a visionary. That’s how you get further. You’re making things happen behind the scenes, but you’re not the celebrity, you’re not the star. Your talent is. It’s your job to ensure that they shine. That’s what I do. It’s what gives me joy.