Vivian Ejike is a prolific producer
who has seen it all. She was once
a banker too, but she left the
lucrative hustle and bustle of
banking for acting just because of
sheer interest and of course after
she consulted her mother who is
her very influential confidant. She
has acted scripts she chose herself
and she didn’t have to sleep her
way through, hence she has a lot
of harsh words for a certain breed
of budding actresses. In this
interview she reveals her ups and
downs and her determination to
succeed.
Excerpts:
What are your criteria for
selecting scripts?
I get a lot of scripts and most of
them have good concepts. I just
select those that are witty,
colourful and with rich language. I
am still looking for more though I
have found one or two people late
last year who caught my attention
with the diction in their scripts.
Producing isn’t an easy job. Some
who want to produce more might
not have the time to write and
get suitable diction, and some
might even pay someone to write
for them or they buy from other
people. I get maximum
satisfaction when I write my own
scripts and in my own diction,
though it takes time but what’s
worth doing is worth doing well.
Your movies have rich
storylines and this is evident
in Private Storm. What’s your
inspiration for such stories?
Actually, the film is very close to
my heart and it was inspired by a
true life story which was partly
mine and others from close friends
back in school. It was a
commentary on domestic violence
and abuse which is so rampant
and we just had to talk about it.
As I was writing it, I knew that
many people would relate to it.
Women and children are mostly
the victims though some men also
are victims.
How did the film do in the
market?
I thank God, I’m still reaping
bountifully from it.
What challenges do you face
during production?
I have learnt that I should be able
to consider commercial viability
and professionalism, casting and
being able to balance all other
factors.
Most actors are now going into
producing. What’s their
motivation?
It’s good for the industry. Creative
people are very optimistic and
many don’t feel okay being told
how to act another person’s
scripts. It makes people eager in
the sense that they want to do
their own thing and they think
about it whether in writing or
acting. Also if you have the
financial strength to face it, you
can venture into it. It’s a better
way of telling your own stories the
way you want it.
Many claim that these
actresses-turned-producers do
not make their money after
producing films initially. Was
that your experience ?
It is really quite possible. I made
my first film in 1996 and to be
honest, I’ve been there, but good
things come to those who wait.
New comers make a lot of
mistakes but with persistence,
courage and patience, they’ll make
it.
I didn’t make my money on the
first movie I made, though I made
it for somebody. I was cheated
despite putting all my effort. Then
later, I left for banking and later
returned to producing. I made a
film with a friend but we lost our
money.
How did that make you feel?
It was bad and discouraging and
my friend left but business is
about profit making and things
may get really discouraging but
we don’t have to be pessimistic. I
wasn’t prepared to go back to
banking though it was okay, but I
felt that I had something which I
wanted to explore. When I went
back to acting that vacuum was
filled . My family and especially
my parents even criticized me for
leaving banking for movie
production. I just thank God for
my mother who supports
anything I do as long as it makes
me happy and it’s godly. I’ll
always cherish my mother. She is
a devout catholic and I love her
for that.
Which has been more
rewarding for you, banking or
film production?
I enjoyed banking as I bought a
car and a house as a young girl. I
was living big until I started
thinking about production and
then things changed. I even
borrowed money to start
production and I lost money on
my first film. I still thank God for
my mother who was there for me
even when I was no more a big
girl but a borrower. When I had
little money, I still used it to make
a film. I didn’t make any profit
because I received what I gave
out to make the film. So, I paid
back my debts though it wasn’t
easy. When I made my first real
movie, I then made my first real
profit and I concluded that there
was light at the end of the tunnel
and since then I’ve been upward
bound.
What’s your greatest
achievement?
I haven’t really done anything, I
am still striving for more. This
year is the beginning of many
things, and I haven’t achieved
anything.
What is your most surprising or
embarrassing moment as a
producer?
I haven’t really had one. I feel I
am a very different person. The
only bad thing is that when we
rent big houses, we think it’s the
owners that we met until we see
the real owners of the house who
chase us out with guns or dogs
and we run leaving our cameras.
It’s very bad, because the location
manager probably hadn’t talked
to the owners but the security
guard or caretaker who they just
paid N5,000 and they say it is
settled. This is fun though because
it comes like challenges.
Which movie was more
challenging to produce?
I can’t really say except the ones
that will come in future.
Why haven’t you tried other
locations like Asaba and Enugu
instead of sticking to Lagos?
It’s just who I am. I am not a
band wagon person, I am me. I
don’t move with the crowd, I
want to see how I can control my
movie and I don’t think that going
to Asaba or Jalingo can make me
achieve that. I don’t think I can
have posh cars and accessories in
remote areas, but it’s not as if I
don’t like good and classy
traditional movies. In Lagos, I
have access to upper class
lifestyle and it can’t be achieved in
remote areas. I like good things.
Lagos is full of noise, how do
you manage the noise in Lagos?
We have sophisticated equipment
that can edit background noise.
Which of your achievements
has excited you the most?
I love all my movies. When I
reflect over them I laugh and
smile as I wasn’t expecting the
movies to be as successful as they
turned out.
I did not have good assistant
directors in shooting some films
but I also looked at the bad sides
in the films and I re-edited and
cleaned up. It’s also part of the
excitement. Nothing good comes
easy and this especially made me
acquire sophisticated equipment
to deal with logistics.
When I released one of these
movies, I sent 30,000 copies to
Ghana by 8:00am and then by
12:00pm, I was told they were
exhausted. That was during last
Christmas, so it wasn’t easy to
get people to work for me. I then
had to manage and release
another 30,000 and within five
days, they were sold out. I was
amazed at the movies’
acceptance, because there were
technical errors.
Though I didn’t expect much
from the movie, I recovered the
money I used to make it in less
than two weeks and when I
released it in Nigeria, I made a
huge profit. I don’t brag about my
movies because I am humble but
I am still in shock that I am still
selling it till date.
What’s it like being a female
producer in a male dominated
industry?
I can never envy a male
producer. I enjoy myself as a
female producer and I don’t think
gender has anything to do with
success. What a man can do, a
woman can do better. I can never
change that. I am proud to be me
and I think that female producers
are making it more than the male
producers.
What are you currently working
on?
I am working on a movie at full
throttle and I don’t have much
time for myself. Lately, we were
fortunate to get a federal
government brand to help us
market our distribution network.
This has made me very confident
and effective in sales and
production.
A lot of good actors are
gradually fading out of
Nollywood. Is there a problem
in trying to replace the likes of
Genevieve Nnaji and Ramsey
Nuoah?
It breaks my heart whenever I
think about it. I can’t blame
anybody but the producers
because if we set out to do what
Ghanaians do, we will be better
off. Producers are star makers; we
train these celebs and in a way,
make a name for them. Some
producers don’t want to use new
faces and this discourages budding
actors. In Ghana for instance, they
started with the likes of Van Vicker
and Jackie Appiah but now, they
have new faces that are up to the
task. This should be encouraged in
Nigeria. The Nigerian market isn’t
even helping because we do not
want to watch films made by new
casts, we just want regular faces
and this will not help new actors
to come up. Therefore, the
Nigerian market receives 80% of
the blame. We really need to
change our mindset about new
and already established actors.
Did you undergo any formal
production training?
No, I didn’t , but I will say due to
my inquisitive nature, competitive
and restless nature, I have
grabbed many opportunities to be
trained and I have been a
successful producer.
What’s your fashion sense?
I am just me, I am old school and
old fashioned. My style is unique
and I’m not trendy. I like what
makes me nice and comfortable.
Like now, I’m disregarding the
Brazilian hair stuffs, I am now
wearing an all black hair. I am not
a crowd pleaser, I am unique.
How do you spend your leisure ?
I love reading and watching
movies even though these days, I
have become very busy. I work
with my eyes and ears open and I
watch TV with my ears open.
How do you manage being a
mother and a producer?
It hasn’t really been easy, but I
thank God for giving me support
and strength. It’s meant to be
challenging but now, it is not. I
am like an open book; I’ve no
secrets. This has made it possible
for everyone around me to help
me and my child sometimes after
school comes to my location and
we have fun. So, my family comes
to location to be with me.
If your daughter is
impregnated by an unknown
person, what will be your
reaction?
Being a minor, I’ll first ask if she
was raped and if she truly was, I
might be unreasonable enough to
kill the rapist and it’s either I die
or the rapist dies. However, for an
adult daughter, it’s better for the
man or boy to relocate, else if I
catch him, it will be tough for
him. She’s still a young girl and
too young to live with such shame
and stigma. I teach her morals. At
certain levels, I introduce some
critical topics. I can’t start
teaching her sex education at the
age of 7. I watch and monitor her
growth so as to know when to.
What’s your advice for young
women who want to produce
films?
My advice is that they should not
allow anybody to discourage them
and they have to enjoy it. It
should come from within them.
Consistence, hard work and
enthusiasm should also be their
watchwords. They should not
believe that they have to do
unpalatable things like sleeping
with men to make a name. People
claim that it happens but it is very
rare. Only girls that do not have
what it takes use their bodies
when their talents cannot carry
them.
Are you trying to vindicate
Nigerian producers who have
harassed budding celebs?
I don’t know, I hear about it but I
mind my own business. I rather
feel that some budding celebs are
to blame because some think that
it is only when they expose their
breasts and private parts that
they are given work or roles to
play. I am quick to scold people
like that. I hate that kind of thing.
Many male producers easily fall
prey to girls who come for
auditioning because of their
indecent dressing. In foreign
countries, you must dress
professionally for auditioning. As
a woman, my watch word is
‘decency’ and all budding women
should also try to imbibe that.
Some producers are now going
into pornographic movies…
I am not just in support of it. As
an African, our cultures do not
encourage that, unlike in America
where a porn industry exists.
What’s the Censors Board doing
to check pornography?
If I were an official, I will strongly
oppose it because they are not
leaving any good legacy for the
kids and the younger generation
and this is bad.
Are you saying any producer
can just produce films without
some form of censorship?
Yes, to an extent, but now the
body should have some
regulations to control what people
produce
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