வென் ச்ரியடிவிட்டி மீட்ஸ் Oppourtunity

Where Creativity Meets Opportunity

Enterprise Creative organised ‘Nigeria’s 1st Creative Careers Fair’ where Creative companies, stakeholders, personas and prospective recruits were at the Lagos City Hall to showcase their products and to engage in business interaction.
By Femi Morgan
The 1st Annual Creative Careers Fair was organised by Enterprise Creative, a limited liability company founded by Nkiru Asika held between July 15 and July 16, 2010. It was a two-day gathering of creative giants, industry big wigs, personalities, clients and aspiring employees who were at the Lagos City Mall, Onikan, Lagos, Lagos State. 50 Companies in the creative industries participated in this year’s Creative Careers Fair with their interests ranging from Advertising , Marketing, consulting, Human Relations and Public Relations firms, Film, Television, Visual Arts, Graphics, Mobile Media, Digital Photography, Branding, Music, Radio, Web Design, Publishing, Literature and Publishing.
The Formal Opening of the event featured people like Richard Sandall and Chioma Nwagboso, both investment and Finance Specialists of the World Bank, Pat Utomi, Politician, professor and Business person, Professor Emevwo Biakolo, Professor and Dean, School of Media and Communications, Pan African Univesity, Joke Silva, veteran actress and other corporate business owners like John Obi Asika, CEO Storm Records, Bibi Bakare Yusuf, Publisher, Cassava Republic, Audu Makore, CEO Chocolate City and Olisa Adibua, CEO Beat FM and Master of Ceremony for the event.
Richard Sandall spoke on the viability of the creative industry which he described as one of Nigeria’s untapped resource that is sure to provide more employment and revenue than crude oil. He gave kudus to the Nigerian Music and Film industry which has strived amidst harrowing economic and structural conditions. Sandall also said that the Creative Careers Fair is meant to solve the problem of window shopping by bringing about relations between corporate organisation, personalities, and prospective recruits. ‘When people don’t know what is out there, there will be no transaction, that means a promising job seeker is going to settle for less, meanwhile getting the right business success is about getting the right people’, he said. He also revealed to the audience the reason the World Bank is interested the fair, which he described as a ground breaking initiative for the Nigerian creative industry. Sandall said ‘It is clearly linked to the goal of poverty reduction of the world bank’. Sandall afterwards asserted that countries with high unemployment rates have a commensurate high crime rate but he believes that the creative industry can provide jobs. He disagreed with business analyst who say that Nigeria has a talent crises saying ‘It is not Africa Magic that we actually watch but Nigeria Magic, It is the Nigerian talent in photography, fashion and a drive to make a living amidst the grave structural challenges’. He said that proper distribution and intellectual property frameworks is capable of improving the capacity of the creative industry, so much that it can have the ability to create one million jobs.
Chioma Nwagboso, a co-specialist at the World Bank informed the public of the World Bank’s willingness to grow the creative industry. With a new World Bank initiative called Growth and Employment in Marketing States (GEMS), The world bank is prepared to help access finance through loans. In order to counter piracy, she said It is also poised to contribute in the creation of a profitable distribution and marketing channels by partnering with the Nigerian Films and Video Censors Board, Nigerian Copyright Commission and the Nigerian Customs. The World Bank also recognised the importance of Private Sector initiatives and Capacity building. Nwagboso also called on the government to speed up the implementation of World Banks recommendations. In her words ‘We are working with government who are a little too slow.
In the keynote address by Emevwo Biakolo, he lauded the founder of the organisation for bringing diverse business interests together under the same roof. He said that while Britain’s Creative economy produces 20% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product, Nigeria still largely neglects her own creative industry and its potentials. Biakolo further describes the creative industry as ‘transmitters of cultural values and the soul of cultural mindsets’, he therefore urged the ‘knowledge industry’ to help recreate the values of Nigerians. The professor described the crises in the educational sector and creativity as ‘the failure of recognition’. Nevertheless, he posited that because of these crises the Nigerian creative industries are more into quantity than quality as most of the industry men are artisans. He said the Pan African University recognises the importance of the creative industry and is presently a partner with the British Council and Samsung Technologies.
Nkiru Askia, Founder and CEO, Enterprise Creative said at the opening that Nigeria has a large pool of raw talents that needs to be developed for the 21 st century. For Asika, there is also an apparent contradiction in the country’s lack of competent personnel and the availability of talents, therefore there is a need to work closely with the educational sector in other to resolve the confusion. She urged creative companies to commit time and money to training their staff for optimum service delivery. She said that the initiative will make sure new business relationships are formed and people are hired.
Dr Adebambo Adewopo, Director General, Nigerian Copyright Commision declared the occasion open. Nevertheless the short timing he said that the occasion was long overdue and that the Commission promises to support Enterprise Creative in its subsequent initiatives. In a later briefing with the magazine, Adewopo said that piracy has several problems springing out of the structure, production and distribution channels. Adewepo said there is a need to effectively harness the creative industry and enlighten the general populace against the cankerworm of piracy. The opening ceremony did not end without musical performances by GT, the Guitarman and Kayode Ironsanya.
In a brief interview with the Magazine Nkiru Asika said the event is meant to build capacity in the creative industries. She said although it may not change the industry, it will open up new opportunities for all the participants. She also predicated the birth of the Enterprise Creative on her passion to see people succeed in their creative careers. She assured the magazine that there is a room for continuity because of the events supporters are ready to lend their support again while other business persons and organisations are prepared to take a leap at the initiative.
The Magazine also spoke to many members of the creative industry who came to showcase their goods and services. One of them, Olabosipo Daniel of Intergral, a sponsorship and experimental marketing firm she said it afforded Intergral the opportunity to garner more than 50 promising and prospective clients. She further explains that the company has also used the pool of business persons to inform more people about its business interests.
In order to afford Young and promising creative persons the opportunity to garner experience from established ones and to create an avenue to connect with like minds different sessions were made available for the 2day event. The Radio and TV session was graced with Olateru Olagbegi of Beat FM and Andre Blaze of Nigezie. While the publishing session features Simi Dosekun of Farafina, Bankole Olayebi of Bookcraft, Bibi Bakare Yusuf of Cassava Republic and Adaobi Nwabuani, author of the novel, I do not Come to You by Chance, other sessions were Music Demo/audio practicals. The second day featured sessions that concern Acting and Audition Practicals, Getting Sponsorship, Fashion, Advertising, PR and Marketing Communications, Print and Broadcast Journalism, Public Relations, TV/Film Production.