Tag Archives: MTV Shuga

MTV Shuga S4 cast revealed

The cast of the fourth season of MTV’s African drama series Shuga has been revealed.

MTV Shuga will return in September

Featuring in the new season are Nollywood actors Richard Mofe-Damijo, Funsho Adeolu, Osas Ighodaro, Omowunmi Dada and Belinda Yanga, plus Big Brother Naija 2018 finalist Tobi Bakre .

The returning cast includes Timini Egbuson, Rahama Sadau, Funlola Raimi Aofiyebi, Yakubu Mohammed, Bukola Oladipupo, Uzoamaka Aniunoh, Amal Umar, Alvin Abayomi, Helena Nelson and Ruby Akubueze.

Egbuson said: “I am so excited to be back on MTV Shuga Naija. This is my fourth series of MTV Shuga, and not only have I learnt so much from being involved, but I’m sure that our fans have grown with us too. MTV Shuga Naija continues to make a positive change in Nigeria, and I’m thrilled to be back on set again and to meet the new cast.”

MTV Shuga Naija is a multi-sectoral partnership involving the MTV Staying Alive Foundation and is supported by MTV Base Africa, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the United Nations Population Fund. It aims to encourage responsible sexual behaviour and tolerance.

Producer Tope Oshin said: “I’m elated to be producing the new season of MTV Shuga. We have so many issues in the world and while we entertain our audience, we also talk about serious issues raised in our communities. MTV Shuga is entertaining, witty and fun but also effects change within communities and inspire the next generation of young people to serve the world better.”

Georgia Arnold, executive director of the MTV Staying Alive Foundation, which produces Shuga in association with MTV Networks Africa, added: “The new series of MTV Shuga Naija has so many stories to tell: we’ll see characters dealing with family planning, contraception and gender-based violence among other issues – all of which are so relevant to our audience.

“The cast of the series are such an integral part of the work of MTV Shuga – they are not only brilliant actors but actors and ambassadors who work so hard to ensure that our messages are reaching and positively impacting young Nigerians across the country.”

Season four of MTV Shuga is set to premiere on MTV Base and BET in September. Past seasons of the show have been broadcast in more than 61 countries across the world, airing on more than 179 channels and reaching over 720 million households.

 

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MTV Shuga drama returns to Nigeria

Drama series MTV Shuga, which recently premiered its new season in South Africa, is making its way to Nigeria and is in search of new talent.

Produced by award-winning producer Tope Oshin, MTV Shuga addresses issues affecting young people such as sexual health, gender-based violence, contraception, family planning and other social issues. In the show, participants who will be judged based on their originality and acting skills.

Auditions will be held on April 4 at the Classique Event Centre, Ikeja, Lagos and registration can be done here. Interested people must be Nigerian, aged over 18 and be ready to provide a valid photo identification and a headshot photo.

Georgia Arnold, executive director of the MTV Staying Alive Foundation, said: “We are excited to bring back the public auditions for the new season of MTV Shuga Naija.

“Our aim is to continue using relatable storytelling to educate and empower young people about social issues like contraception, sexual health, family planning and gender-based violence. We can’t wait to discover amazing new talent to join the MTV Shuga family.”

Over the years, youths have been able to make more informed decisions based on the viewing of this drama series, according to Alex Okosi, executive VP and MD at Viacom International Media Networks and BET International.

“MTV Shuga provides an important narrative for our African youth with socially relevant content that resonates globally. This call for auditions is a platform for young talent on the continent to open up the industry with diverse storytelling.”

Talent that has come out of MTV Shuga includes Timini Egbuson, Emmanuel Ikubese, Bukola Oladipupo, Helena Nelson and Jemima Osunde.

MTV Shuga, a long-running drama series and multimedia campaign that was pioneered in Kenya in 2009, is a multi-sectorial partnership led by the MTV Staying Alive Foundation and is supported by MTV Base Africa, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the United Nations Population Fund and other NGOs.

Set to be on screens in September 2019, the show is aired on Viacom international channels around the world. The content is also offered rights-free to third-party broadcasters and content platforms, and used as a teaching aid by educators, healthcare workers and grassroots HIV/AIDS organisations around the world.

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How the story goes

Tolulope Ajayi, head of branded content at Lagos ad agency Insight Communications, discusses the importance of storytelling.

Tolulope Ajayi

Scriptwriting and development of TV series are among the most important aspects of the media industry, according to one of the experts in the field, Tolulope Ajayi, head of branded content at Lagos ad agency Insight Communications.

Ajayi was present at last week’s Creative Nigeria Summit (CNS), where he taught two masterclasses on the role of writing an original script and how to create telenovelas for the local audience.

For him, creativity is key and sometimes one needs to learn how to be a disruptive writer and seek inspiration from different sources to come up with originality.

He has directed a number of TV productions, including Tinsel, MTV Shuga (season three) and A New You. In this interview, Ajayi shares some of his industry knowledge and experience.

In one of your CNS masterclass you said that an original script does not necessarily have to be high-concept. What did you mean by this?
Yes, it’s true. This is because high-concept movies are done to grab audience attention, they are often very exciting and possess highly visual story ideas. They are usually audience favourites because of their predictability.

However, low-concept ideas could also make for good films as they involve more of each character’s journey, good plots and engaging dialogue. If you notice, most Oscar-winning films are low-concept premises. Originality just comes in two packages: high- and low-concept.

What’s your take on the evolution of Nigerian telenovelas?
During my masterclass on telenovelas at CNS, I spoke about our history with public broadcaster NTA as television storytellers. I also spoke about our audience’s acceptance of this world-acclaimed television format.

In my opinion, to improve Nigerian telenovelas we could synthesise our storytelling traditions and blend in the telenovela structure. We may have proved this possible when we produced our versions of the telenovela within M-Net productions Hush and Hotel Majestic.

What are the challenges in scriptwriting and soap opera production in Nigeria?
I can’t speak empirically for all the country, but I believe that funding poses a major challenge for independent producers, as well as finding TV channels and platforms that commission fresh productions.

How would you say the CNS is contributing to the Nigerian media industry?
It’s a great opportunity. It serves as a platform to bring together large swathes of the industry and address critical areas for growth opportunities. It’s also an avenue to witness the best in the field sharing insights and to network and share your skill with prospects. In all, we also get to see government’s initiatives in the media sector and ways in which they can be explored.

As head of branded content at Insights Communications, what more would you like to see done in the media industry?
Personally, I would like to see more mini content summits that follow up and address key questions raised, before the bigger summits. Meanwhile, I believe the active participation of TV networks and media buyers would also do well from these summits.

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LFA stages first writing masterclasses

The Lagos Film Academy (LFA) has concluded its first TV writing masterclasses, which featured scribe Chris Ihidero (Fuji House of Commotion, Hush) sharing his wisdom about the TV business.

Chris Ihidero

According to the writer/director/producer, being a TV scriptwriter entails more than just talent. “In TV, there’s never enough time or money. What is crucial is to know, as a writer, when to compromise and when not to. Learn not to give excuses,” he said.

Other coaches at the masterclasses included script editor Ijeoma Ogwuegbu-Uduma and TV producer and director Olufemi Ogunsanwo.

Ogwuegbu-Uduma has edited scripts for various TV shows, including Tinsel and MTV Shuga. Ogunsanwo is one of the directors of Africa Magic’s Ajoche.

The masterclasses were concluded with First Fridays, an event that provides a platform for Nollywood professionals to network.

The LFA aims to equip aspiring scriptwriters with the necessary skills and information to succeed in the TV industry.

Ihidero has directed over 100 hours of TV, including Fuji House of Commotion, Shuga, Now We Are Married, VIP and Hush.

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