While the Nigerian creative industry is adjudged the best on the African continent going by the flourishing talents, the vast market and the many opportunities it offers. The talents, who are the core focus and major players in the industry, have not had it all good in terms of management over the years due to the lack of efficient talent management firms.
As such, most Nigerian talents find it difficult to compete properly with their international counterparts, hence missing out on good deals, global fame, among other feats.
Concerned with the negative impact of lack of professionalism in talent management in Nigeria, and Africa at large, Temple Management Company (TMC), a leading African talent and event management outfit, berthed in the Nigerian creative industry scene in March this year, with a 360 degree solution to talent management, hence ushering a new dawn in the industry.
However, to effectively deliver on its mission of continuous improvement on content, bridging the gap between local talents and their foreign counterparts in line with international best practices, among others, TMC parades a formidable team led by Idris Olorunnimbe, the founder of the company, and who doubles as a serial investor and art aficionado.
Beyond Olorunnimbe, there are some bright young professionals in entertainment, fashion, arts, finance, law and media whose skills and personalities combine to make TMC thick, different and ready to deliver the change they are bringing to the table.
One of such bright professionals is Fela Oke, head, commercial, TMC. Oke, who is a lawyer with over 15 years experience in media, advertising and technology within an executive corporate landscape, is also highly experienced in Digital and Traditional Media, Mobile Strategy, Television and Entertainment, Sports and Communications.
In a recent interview at TMC corporate office in Victoria Island Lagos, Oke says that TMC is bringing structure to the industry: “Nigeria is a vast market and the opportunities are huge in the entertainment, sport, arts, media, film, among others, but the structure is faint with plenty of people who manage talents. We come to bring all these together under one roof. But our core focus in the industry is to bring a-360 degree solution to the talent, from financial management, brand development, legal services, among other services that make us a -360 shop.”
Explaining further TMC’s focus, Oke notes, “As a talent management company, we cut across different verticals: entertainment comprising music, media, TV and film. We have sports comprising all sports: tennis, athletics, soccer, and in arts we have visual artists. We also have experiential event management side to our business where we take on and manage big events.”
While TMC is looking out for opportunities to manage and help build brands and businesses, Oke says the company is out to set standards in the industry and hence is after talents with growth potential and can also point others in the right directions.
“A lot of young people who think they can sing, believe they will be a star. But that is not true. We are not trying to damage anybody’s ambition, but we will point them in the right direction, we will be honest on how successful you can be. If we genuinely believe in a talent, we get committed to growing and developing the talent, no matter the background. We do it in sports. Right now we have signed Mary Lovett who is 11 years old because we have seen her talent and potential that under the right management she can be developed to become a sport super star,” Oke says.
Part of the difference TMC is bringing to table is reviewing the revenue opportunity for a talent and marshalling strategies on building that talent’s brand.
“When we are building the talents we are signing, we also understand where they fit in. This idea that every artiste fits every event does not really work. It is time to structure the industry, and it is time for the artistes to start thinking where do they best fit in. For instance, a Dare Art Alade fits into a certain class of event, Waje, Korede Bello all fit into a certain class of event. Our aim is to ensure that the talents we sign are being seen at the right events.”
As head of commercial, Oke explains that TMC has criteria for signing or managing a talent. “My job is to look for the commercial viability of the talent to ascertain if the talent is going to cost me money or make money. We also look at the marketability of the talent; how we can grow and build the brand, and how accessible that talent will be.
“The longevity of the talent matters too because we do not want to continually invest in a talent and see no returns. Then, there is no point being in business because our business is commission based. We want to be sure that the talents we are signing are able to generate the revenue we think they can command,” he says.
Yet, TMC offers a win-win model, investment services and watertight agreement that protect both the talent and the manager. “We work on percentage. But for that percentage, we manage every other aspect so that a talent can focus being an artiste. We put a team behind you to deal with your administration, and financials. We ensure that you are not wasting your money. We have a wealth management team under our finance division. We teach you about investments, where to put your money.”
Beyond brand development, marketing, financial/investment advice, TMC also handles crisis and reputation management for its clients. “When there is scandal, it is the management company that has to clean up the scandal as fast as possible.”
Another offering from TMC, especially in the face of economic recession when corporates are cutting down on endorsements, is the opening of other streams of income for its talents.
“The strategy for my side is to build a deeper brand connections and relationships. What that means is that we are not solely looking for it endorsements, we are looking for long-term partnerships to market brands. There are other opportunities to make money, we are looking at helping our talents to create revenue streams from different facets.”
Barely six months in business, TMC has signed top talents such as Mavin Records including all the artistes under the record. Funmi Iyanda, a TV personality, Jimi Jatt, a DJ, and some others.
“TMC is best positioned with the right team, and we have the best leadership to build the kind of company that will be the envy of our counterparts. In commercial, I am not looking over my shoulder to see who my competitor is. My focus is to build the right kind of revenue to take the company forward and our talents as well,” Oke says.
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