Your beauty can take you to the table, but to…
By Elizabeth Ikegima
The African Foundation for Young Media Professionals (AFYMP) organized a 2-day workshop on Media Entrepreneurship at Leadwort Hotel in Port-Harcourt, Rivers, Nigeria, hosting about 13 young student journalists from 9 different universities across the country.
The universities included; University of Port-Harcourt (UNIPORT), University of Calabar (UNICAL), University Of Uyo (UNIUYO), University of Cross River (UNICROSS), Nnamdi Azikiwe University (UNIZIK), University of Benin (UNIBEN), University of Nigeria, Nsukka (UNN), Federal University of Technology – Owerri (FUTO), and Niger Delta University (NDU).
The Executive Director of AFYMP who also served as the programs coordinator, Mr Yinka Olaito in his address to participants said, “We are organizing this training because we believe that young people need help. We believe that they have the energy but needs to channel it into something. And, that is why AFYMP wants to help you channel that energy into something productive.”
The Director also told participants that to be successful as a media entrepreneur, they must be individual brands. “You must create a niche through anything you do,” he said. He further emphasised that that the media industry is dynamic and there is the need to keep understanding the dynamics in order not to have your cheese moved.
The 48hrs workshop took the selected finalist through a rigorous but very educating and inspiring ride into the Fundamentals of the Media Space.
The facilitators took participants through an unforgettable ride on the various topics; Strategy for building Media business in a volatile age, which was handled by Mr Chris Fergus. He told the participants that as media entrepreneurs, content is key because the media industry is constantly changing.
The workshop also taught about Digital Fund raising for media industry. Emphases were made on how media start-ups generate revenue and this session was facilitated by Dr Suraj Olunifesi.
Participants were also educated on “Rethinking Leadership in the media industry.” This topic was handled by Dr Rachel Onah. Other topics inclided “Community and collaborative journalism” by Dr Hannah Aman and “Cross Cultural Collaboration on investigative journalism” by Mr Klem Ofoukwu.
Participants were not just taught but also given tasks for each class in order to make them well-grounded in the new found knowledge. Furthermore, as disclosed by the Director, Mr Yinka, ” the foundation will be willing to sponsor any participants who goes ahead to start-up a media business after this workshop. As this is one of the main reason for organizing this training. So that, young people are mentored to start up their own media businesses, after been equipped with the relevant skills.”
Mr Yinka also gave a breakdown of rewards offered by AFYMP. They include;
1. Best Story in the platform on quarterly performance wins a sum price of #15,000 naira.
2. Best Story of the year, wins a sum price of #40,000 naira.
3. Best Media business entrepreneur.
4. A legend award.
5. A continuous support through virtual and mentoring and in plant courses.
In his concluding remark, he said “your beauty can take you to the table but to stay in the room you will need more than just beauty. So, the question is; what would you be known for?, what are you bringing to the table?
Lastly, he said, “Can you be the person we are looking for?”
To wrap up, participants were awarded certificates and funded back to their various destinations. It is no doubt that the participants had a 48hrs experience that cannot be hastily forgotten.
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