Diversify Your Art– From comedian, to producer & record holder. AY was known to many as just a comedian for a long time. For years he’s hosted an annual comedy show tagged ‘AY Live’. Now, he is known as an actor and a film producer. In 2013, he launched a TV sitcom called “AY’s Crib” which he also starred in. Today, he is known as more than just a comedian.
In 2014, he went big with his debut self-produced movie “30 Days in Atlanta”. This movie went on to break records as the highest grossing cinema movie of all time in Nigeria, after it earned N76million in seven weeks of showing on cinema screens across Nigeria. “30 Days In Atlanta” was also listed in the 2017 Guinness Book of World Records. Following this he produced another comedy drama “A Trip to Jamaica”.
Take risks– During his interview, AY revealed he took proceeds from his comedy shows and invested this into his movies.
“I am more of a risk taker. I take risks in the sense that I have other comedy platforms. If I’m doing stand-up, maybe the proceeds from stand-up would proceed into this new line of business which is movie making”, he said.
If you’ve got a dream, put together a plan and invest in yourself. This was what he did using personal funds for his first blockbuster movie.
Reach for the stars– In 2017, his movie “30 Days in Atlanta” was recognized by the Guinness World Records as one of the films with the highest domestic gross in the territories of Bollywood, Nollywood and Hollywood.
Collaborate- From stage to screen, AY collaborates with many other creative talents from the entertainment sector with regards to his skits and his comedy sold out shows.
Promote your business on Social Media– People only know about your brand if you continuously talk about it and promote it as well.
“My voice is my social media platform. Anytime I do a film, the very first port of call is to visit my social media platforms and tell the people what is coming up. The anticipation is always there. That’s why it’s always easy to see that opening week for our films are usually the highest,” AY revealed on the show.
