Thank you for taking time to talk to us. Please tell us about yourself. Who is ………….?
I am a 26 year old music video/film director. I have been directing since I was 19, 6 of those years were in Canada, I came back to Ghana last year. I directed 2 movies in Canada named Souls Of Strife (2007) and EVOL (2010). I directed 17 music videos in Canada and about 12 in Ghana so far which includes - EL "Obuu Mo", EL "Turn The Lights Down", and "Bossu Kena" by 5five, Tic Tac "Gallo" and more.
Did you have any role models when you were younger and do you have any now?
As controversial as it may be to some people, apart from God and my father, The King Of Pop Michael Jackson has always been my number one inspiration. The discipline and passion he put in his art is unparalleled, if you also pay attention a little, with his lyrics he at least tried to stimulate a positive moral in his global audience. Entertain and inspire, that's what I want to do, and he did it better than any other human being.
What traits or values drive your personality?
Humility, and the constant refusal to be surrounded by negative energy. The day I decided that I was going to make my first movie, regardless of the fact that I was a full-time university student, I said to myself 'I'm going to try and do something in my life, and for once I will try to do it with nothing but positive attitude, no depression, no disappointment, nothing but joy, discipline and positive drive". I ended up doing the most difficult thing I've ever done in my 20 year old life back then, but now, it's so easy for me, you just have to be brave to cross that bridge, then eventually it becomes second nature.
What are some of the challenges you face on daily basis?
Apart from traffic, dealing with messages from random people who claim they have a script and want to act.
What will you say are your motivators?
I really love the feeling of being exhausted from working hard on a shoot, you're barely conscious but you're looking at amazing footage. I also get motivated from fans positive responses to the videos.
What makes you unique as an individual?
try to be as unselfish as I can. I was watching the hollywood movie Immortals today and I was glowing with joy when I saw my stunt actors that I worked with for 6 years, they are all now living their dream and working as stuntmen full-time. I also try to be as multi-cultural as possible and not be ignorant about the
Can you please tell us about some of your personal achievements and future aspirations?
I didn't realize how valuable my degree in Film Studies was until I came back to Ghana last year, not many people have one. My last movie in Canada EVOL won the "Audience Choice" award at the Action On Film Festival in California in 2010. It received 5 nominations. I don't count and list my achievements but if I had to pick one, it would be the time I was hired to film Barrack Obama in Canada during his first international visit as President. About 40 press people were screened and chosen to film the Air Force One Landing etc, it was a very high security procedure with snipers, swat team and pentagon personnel surveilling us… and I am quite sure I was the youngest guy there at 23, but I was the only black guy, and Obama himself noticed it and yelled "Hi, how are you doing" when he walked passed us.
What sacrifices have you had to make to be a successful entrepreneur?
What my father always taught me was "Do not work with your heart, work with your mind". It may seem a bit harsh but I believe he is right, your brain is what is needed to build your business, your heart can make and break you at the same time, so that organ should be reserved to God, family and loved ones. I've been digitally murdered by hackers last year, 80+ videos of my work that I build for about 5 years have been deleted, my entire social media and more online material all erased, therefore less things come up when you google my name or my previous company, if I invested a big portion of my heart in my work, it would have been an emotional disaster. Therefore instead of my heart causing me to be blind to see an opportunity, I used my brain to be blind to see the problem.
Where do you see yourself and your business in 10 years?
I am seriously going for the Oscars, Sundance and Cannes, so help me God. If my team in Canada and myself were able to make a feature movie for 6000 dollars, compete with a 15million dollar film and win an award, then it must mean that at least there is some potential. Now that I am in Ghana I feel the time is right to build an entire new system of filmmaking, casting and using subtle indirect marketing techniques to train the local audience to be used to a certain level of cinema. At the same time, what would be ideal for a filmmaker like me would be to keep the international audience.
What three pieces of advice would you give to an entrepreneur starting out today?
Be ready to be criticized, discouraged and ridiculed by your peers when you're starting out. Building a brand or a professional identity is just like a farm, you have to begin by being buried in the dirt in order for your tree to grow. Once your tree is grown, the little pieces of crumbs and seeds that fall from it will fall to the ground and from that, more trees will grow. What it means is that once you are grown, you can easily inspire and give back to the community. At the end of the day, you always need to have the big picture in mind, the whole of Ghana and your community, not just yourself.
