ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY’S TOP INVESTOR

Jane Maduegbuna is a trained lawyer and creative content enthusiast, who is currently venturing into the world of apps, entertainment and content distribution as the Executive Director, Legal and External Networks at the Afrinolly Creative Hub. The Afrinolly Creative Hub provides a platform for established and emerging filmmakers, content creators, app developers, screenwriters, animators (Graphics and VFX) and contemporary artists within the creative industry to create and promote compelling content.

Jane is an avid reader whose favourite genres are horror and thriller stories. She loves to travel and finds interacting with people very intriguing.

In the light of her various interests, especially her fascination with books and their ability to effect tangible change within the society in general, she co-founded the Afrinolly Creative Hub in partnership with her husband and some of the coolest young geniuses in the country. The goal was to run an organization that esteems its employees – equips and enables them to attain their utmost – while providing first-class interaction and bespoke services to clients and the entire creative ecosystem.

Before co-founding Afrinolly, Jane worked and interned at some of the country’s leading law firms and she also held various executive positions at Hardcover Books and Library Services Limited and FansConnect Limited – in addition to overseeing various successful projects. Jane finds the concept and practice of “self-employment” enriching, satisfying and most rewarding, and regards interactions with people and clients to be the most engaging and fulfilling aspect of her job.

Jane has a Masters in Production, Film Distribution and Marketing from Birmingham City University, a Certificate in Entrepreneurial Management, Entrepreneurial and Small Business Operations from Enterprise Development Centre as well as Bachelor of Laws (LLB and BL) degrees from the Nigeria Law School, and Edo State University, Ekpoma.

She loves and is continuously thankful for this awesome life she’s gifted to live and the huge possibilities it holds to affect change within her generation.

What is Afrinolly Creative Hub all about?

Afrinolly is a digital media company that seeks to facilitate the creative industry.
We also offer Production and post production services.
To help consolidate these services, we set up a Creative Hub – We believe in creative Ideas that command resources.

And so we encourage the following; Learn – Create – Collaborate, to foster creative idea development.

What exactly does the Afrinolly Creative Hub do and how does it achieve its objectives?

In one word : collaboration

We have collaborated with many organizations in partnerships, in addition to Afrinolly creative hub funded initiatives; to help bring certain opportunities to youth within the sector. For example with Ford Foundation; it was cinema for change, and our own initiative, the  Afrinolly short film competition (2 seasons) are some of the programs that readily come to mind..

One recently concluded was with Facebook, to which we were tasked with the training of 5,000 creatives across certain parts the country.
These trainings was geared towards helping Creatives and Journalism students (and journalists) better understand the Facebook and Instagram platform. And through this, build their brand, deepen engagement and reach towards their target audience. In addition, help them create strategies towards the monetization of their goods and services – having a better grasp of the full potential that social media avails to achieve all this.

What informed your going into this venture?

Afrinolly as an organization is founded on the idea of strategic partnership and ecosystem development. Based on these, we created a space that helps to develop creatives and gives them an enabling environment to flourish.

We believe in the hypothesis that by strategic empowerment, we could help in shaping the creative industry for the better. Afrinolly is basically one of the tools to achieve these goals; Capacity building, ecosystem development and empowerment.

Plus, it doesn’t hurt that we find rich fulfillment when we receive encouraging testimonies from Partners, trainees and participants of our various programs. [Laughs].

What are you doing to stay ahead?

We focus on innovative solutions and ideas creation to help shape our ecosystem.
These are by way of trainings, talent discovery, incubation and Co-production in collaboration with our strategic partners – Partners like Ford Foundation, Facebook, British Council to mention a few.

Who is the Hub open to and what can they achieve at the hub?

Afrinolly Creative hub is open to creative youths and entrepreneurs within the ecosystem.
We have a state of the art facility with training spaces, studios, production and post-production facilities, that would help make their creative processes a whole lot easier.

Where do you see Afrinolly Creative hub in the next five years?

I see us at the cutting edge of media, production and the entertainment industry.
Afrinolly creative hub looks to be in the forefront, having fostered exchange programs and knowledge transfer with international schools and organizations.

Before Afrinolly, what were you doing?

That’s a somewhat long story but an absolutely interesting journey.

We began our journey as a knowledge repository, named Hardcover Books and library services. At the heart of this, is our belief that knowledge is power and Hardcover Books was the result of that belief.

Thereafter, came FansConnect Online, a business service that was based on digital marketing.

Who is your role model?

This is from my head and heart. {Smiles}
I have my father, who was my first mentor. He shaped my world through the vast array of books and quotes that he surrounded me with as a child. I learnt a lot of valuable lessons from him – And it was a gift that still keeps on giving.

And then, my husband and Business partner (Chike Maduegbuna) and my Pastor, (Pastor Tunde Bakare) of the Latterrain Assembly. From these two, I learned each day Spiritual and Business principles that have shaped and continue to shape my life.
My husband in particular is very wonderfully encouraging as my Chief Cheerleader; as he pushes me to take on new challenges, bigger and more daring challenges as well as constantly reaffirming to me that I am more than enough and therefore has got that challenged licked.{laughing now, whilst mimicking him}.
He helped me grow into the woman I am today.

Will you consider politics in future?

“Never say Never.”

Away from business, how do you relax?

I love to read books and to spend time with my family. This helps me to unwind.
I also love movies, especially if they are of the horror and thriller genre. Somehow, I find them a relaxing watch. (I know, I’m all contrary – laughing again)

I am also a traveler at heart, so there’s another point of relief.
Especially since I hate heights, but I’m totally relaxed aboard a plane [laughs].
(I know, it’s sort of weird. Even I haven’t quite understood the contrariness)

How do you want to be remembered when you retired?

I’d want my Life song lyrics to read as follows:
One of those who helped shape Nigeria’s Creative ecosystem.
A helper, a nurturer and a recipient of great grace, who helped to rewrite the creative’s narrative for good.
An epitome of one “Greatly helped by God”.