Kemi Adetiba, Broadcast Whizkid

Kemi Adetiba

Nigeria's broadcast whizkid on continental pedestal

From a showbiz family, Kemi Adetiba was studying law at the University of Lagos when her career in the entertainment industry began with Rhythm FM. Thanks to her talent; she is host of three shows namely, Sunday at the Seaside, Dance Party and Sold Out on the station. Kemi, who joined Studio 53, M-Net’s Afrocentric lifestyle program as presenter in August 2005, opened up on her life before and after becoming Studio 53 presenter. Excerpts.

You studied law in the university, what prepared you for a career in broadcasting?I have always been exposed to the entertainment business. My dad was on television and radio before he went on to Lintas. I am used to being in radio and television studios ever since I was little. I had actually been in some adverts but broadcasting is my calling. Law was something I wanted to do, just in case. The entertainment business is fluid. You never know, I just thought it fantastic that I have a blanket; I never knew I was going to MNet. If anything goes wrong tomorrow, I can dust up my certificate and dump the arts. I love the fact that I read law, but I don’t have a passion for it. I am doing what I have a passion for right now, that is presenting and entertainment.

The studio 53 job, how did you come about?It is the weirdest thing. I never saw the call for the open auditions being aired on Mnet. I never ever saw it. People that saw it were calling me. I got calls from South Africa, they were just like, Kemi you should go for this. I was like, no, I will not. I had nothing less than twenty people call me. People I knew, people I didn’t know and people that just met me once. They were like Kemi, you need to go for this audition and I made up my mind actually the night before. I went there and actually wanted to leave because I saw so many people. I saw actors and people that have been in the game for about twenty years, ten years. I said, people you see on television are the ones seated next to you, what’s your chance? I am leaving. The ironic thing was that it was Dare Art Alade that said, Kemi stay. This is your business. This is what you are used to. You are an entertainer. So, I stayed and funny enough I am seating on the air.

Before now, what were you doing for Rhythm FM?I work for Rhythm FM. I had shows on Rhythm. When I started up with them, I was still running my law degree. Of course, I am done now. I actually have three shows: the Sold Out show, Dance Party and Sunday at the Seaside, which is quite big. From next week I have other shows coming in during primetime. I am a full member of the Rhythm FM family. Also, they have given me as much luxury as I can have to have this MNet thing on the side.

Have you been to law school?I am actually supposed to go when the M-Net thing came. So, it became a matter of priorities. I mean, the thing about it is that I love to go to law school eventually, I have a law degree. Also, I love to have an MBA because I love to branch out and make a business out of what I am doing.

Are you not considering a formal training in broadcasting?Yes, most definitely. I actually thought of doing a masters degree in journalism when I found out that this was my calling. But when we got chosen for MNet, we actually had to fly down to South Africa for intensive training. We actually went through lots of training from MNet. I mean, I have been working for Rhythm FM for two years. I am a sort of veteran. One of the oldest people there and you tend to think you know a lot, but when you get to South Africa, you realize that you don’t really know anything at all. At the end of the day, the producer tells you, there is a reason you were chosen. Everything here is just to sharpen the skill you already have. There is something we like, we don’t want y you to lose it, don’t think you don’t know anything. We just want you to learn new things.

Working for Studio 53 is certainly a step higher than working for Rhythm FM. So, how do you intend to handle the publicity and fame that will come with it?

Don’t forget that Silverbird has a television and radio station, so, there is quite a lot of publicity there. To a certain extent, I have been used to it. But this is a different ball game. I have to pray because it is easy to sidetrack and go out of the rail. But this is a business I want to be in. I enjoy what I do and I have absolute passion for it. It is so easy to just go out of track, go the wrong way and disadvantages come with it. So, I am just trying to be focused at this point in time. I am taking it one step at a time.

Given the pan African nature of the Studio 53 job, are you going to be based here in Nigeria?They could send us anywhere. We did a show that is going to air on Thursday. They could send us to Ethiopia today, Malawi tomorrow, but ninety percent of what we do will be in Nigeria.

You were exposed to the South African broadcasting industry. How would you rate the quality of its manpower?Broadcasting is a different ball game in South Africa. They are very particular about little things, things I don’t even know. The entertainment industry here is picking up. I don’t think they compare. Getting down there, honestly, I had a complex. I think Nigerians need to be able to learn more. I think we need to have more training, seminars and workshops.

I would have thought that our broadcasters fare better. If you listen or watch presenters on Channel O for instance, you get to hear their accents and sometimes you don’t know whether they are speaking English or their native language?Let me tell something really funny. While we were in training, we had a lady we were training with, fantastic lady. She is like, a lot of Nigerians actually come in for her to teach them, but she doesn’t understand what they say. It is still the same thing. What you are saying, they still say the same thing about us. It is true that the South African accent is quite heavy. I.K and I went there and they were like, are you sure you guys are Nigerians? We let them realize that we have a lot of Nigerians that speak the same way too. With that, they started looking at Nigeria, in a fantastic light.

So, a typical studio in South Africa and say Rhythm FM here, do they compare?When we first got to South Africa, we had a tour of Mnet; it is huge. It is like a city. Almost like a tenth of Victoria Island. Within MNet, we have the Channel O section; five large studios and a lot of other segments, it is huge. Studios in South Africa are far ahead.