JJC Skillz’s Shares His Journey From Music To Nollywood

JJC Skillz, a well-known filmmaker and former singer, has disclosed why he left the music business to work in Nollywood. Channels TV featured JJC Skillz in an interview.

He claims that he made the decision to go to Nollywood after realizing he wasn’t growing any younger. He went on to say that he had to start over in Nigeria and deal with gatekeeping in the film industry, even though he had achieved success in the UK music scene with groups like Big Brovaz and JJC & the 419 Squad.

“As far back as I can remember, I have been shooting music videos for years. Even my ‘We Are Africans’ video, I shot that myself.

“But after doing African Gang in 2011, I realised I was getting too old for the young scene, so I knew it was time to evolve. I packed my bags and moved into Nollywood. I was very passionate about telling stories.

“I wouldn’t say normal life when you’re starting again. I was a JJC (newbie). I didn’t grow up with most of the filmmakers in Nigeria, so it was like, ‘You want to enter our space?’ Some doors were closed. There are gatekeepers at all levels”, he said.

He stated that the situation is dire, with cinemas taking a significant percentage of ticket sales and taxes further reducing filmmakers’ earnings.

“It’s a situation of monkey dey work, baboon dey chop. We put in a lot of work. Sometimes, the cinemas take 70 per cent, other times 60 per cent, and after paying 22 per cent tax, we’re left with nothing. We have to make the film and also sell it because distribution companies aren’t out there selling. We are stuck in a horrible place,” he said.

The exit of streaming platforms from Nigeria has also left filmmakers uncertain about recouping their investments.

“The hope for a better day was with streaming companies, but they’ve left. So now we’re back to asking, ‘if we put our money into it, will we get it back?’ At the end of the day, it’s a business, and creativity is getting killed”, he added.

JJC Skillz emphasises the need for filmmakers to give audiences value for money and notes that the harsh business environment is stifling creativity.

“Nigerian filmmakers need to improve to give the people value. I’ve even had to market my film with a promise of refunds if viewers weren’t satisfied”, he said.

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