We are taking entertainment to the market – Sam Onyemelukwe

The entertainment business has become more dynamic in recent times. The evolving consumer habit has left most entertainers and entertainment companies struggling to remain relevant. In the pre-Internet entertainment business, access to the public was everything.  There were a handful of gatekeepers who decided which media content people would have access to and which they may not have.

  Today, not only is it possible to get your music and films in front of millions of people, but the public is actually determining which creative works succeed.

However, there still remain endless opportunities in the entertainment business. according to the MD of Entertainment Management Company (EMC), Sam Onyemelukwe, “Today's technology makes creates distinct opportunities in the entertainment industry that only the insightful businessman can identify and exploit. This is the idea behind Entertainment Management Company (EMC), a brain child of Sam Onyemelukwe”, he says.

EMC is the exclusive representatives of Trace Urban, Trace Sports and FAB Media in Nigeria. The company is lead by the accomplished businessman who began his career at Walt Disney Television in Los Angeles, California.

The spirited entrepreneur who holds a dual Masters degree (MBA and MS Information Systems) from Boston University, spent over a decade between the worlds of fashion and music, producing and directing TV shows and events, grooming talents as well as crafting advertising campaigns. He most recently was Business Development Manager, for MTV Networks in Nigeria.

With his expansive global experience, Sam is bringing international expertise and standards into the local entertainment industry, by providing the much needed international exposure for Africa’s creative minds to thrive.

Sam’s rise to prominence in Nigeria began with the stint he shared with members of KUSH a popular R&B group that rocked Africa in the early 2000, as the head of the group’s record label, DKG. He often describes the group as the first Nigerian music group to really garner international acclaim. Today continues to provide winning platforms for Nigerian creative industry to reach the international community through EMC.

His business mission is simple – to harness and exploit entertainment industry across Africa. “The entertainment industry in Africa is growing” he says “However, there are numerous opportunities that are yet to be harnessed and fully maximised in the industry.

Africa is ready for this ideology but there is a vacuum that needs to be filled. The Nigerian entertainment industry needs companies that have the capacity to extensively maximise merchandise value of our creative works

One of the important services offered by the company is called Celebrity Management Service. “We are not the day-to-day manager for any given artiste; in fact our simple proposal to them, is to show them how to make more money apart from just doing shows or movies, thus maximising their potentials,” he said.   

He added that Nigeria needs companies that will take entertainment to the market and redefining the business of entertainment in Africa. The industry lacks a reliable structure that can help maximise the opportunities inherent in the industry. We are taking entertainment to the market and redefining the business of entertainment in Africa.

This is the reason for our partnership with the likes of Nokia for Nokia Don’t Break the Beat. Due to our representation of TRACE, we really have a solid pulse on what the youths want and what they are doing.