It took a Village.

This is a streamlined version of the production timeline of #InnovatingAfricaDocumentary and all the people who supported this project.

But first. Your invite:

On the 20th of December 2023, a documentary that I executive produced and directed will premiere for the first time in public. It will be available to watch on my YouTube channel from 7 pm WAT on that day. This is your official invitation to set a reminder, subscribe to my channel and turn on notifications so you get an alert once we go live. It will mean the WORLD to me to have you watch it. Innovating Africa Documentary: The Rise of Tech in Nigeria tells the growth story of the tech scene in Nigeria over the last 15 years. Through raw interviews, it paints a vivid picture of the struggles & triumphs of the industry’s early days. You’ll meet passionate founders who took huge risks to push boundaries, investors who backed founders they believed in and see how their determination changed the landscape. Most inspiring are the everyday impact stories - talents whose lives improved because of bold ideas. It’s a reminder that innovation happens through perseverance against all odds. 

This film preserves a history that deserves to be remembered. It deserves to be shared to inspire the next generation of African problem solvers. So please prepare to watch the premiere on December 20th.

The film took a village, and that's what this article is about. I want to use this medium to appreciate some of the people who made it happen. 

The beginning

I can't remember exactly where or what date the idea came because it was a slow burn that made sense and became clearer the more I thought about it. However, the very first step to actualisation was on October 15th 2021, when I sent Joyce Imiegha a text (she manages to be one of the first people I tell my crazy ideas to date).

Her first reaction wasn't enthusiastic, but I can pitch 😁. So, a week and a couple of calls later, she was sold. 

Once Joyce and I talked about it, and she gave me courage, I went into an execution mood. I reached out to Daniel Iyanda , who did a good part of the early research I used to form the storyline, and Adedeji Olowe , who helped me sense-check the research, validate my ideas and gave me tips on who I needed to speak to.

The next person I knew I wanted to work with was Nora Oreoluwa Awolowo , so I shot my shot. Nora and I were not friends before this project; we had talked a few times, but nothing solid. But I saw she had worked on the Baby Blues documentary, and it just made sense to have her be part of the team.

So, as I usually do, I shot my shot! I said Hi, Nora; I am working on this and would love to have you. 

When Nora said yes, everything came together: research made sense, scripting began, location scouting and budgeting began. However, it took between Nov 2021 and April 2022 for us to move actively. I spent so much time being afraid and uncertain that it crippled me for months, and when I couldn't move, nothing moved.

But eventually, we got moving. I reached out to over 50 people to feature in the film. I reached out to everyone who mattered or was mentioned by someone else. Many people said yes, but for some, schedules clashed, and they couldn't make it.

We shot the interviews about four times:

1. Yele Bademosi and Tayo Oviosu was the weekend before I got into Lagos. This was a whole thing. I was in London and had already bought a ticket for the week slated for the shoot in Lagos. The main filming crew were on set and couldn't make it at any other time aside from the week we already planned for, but Yele and Tayo were travelling and couldn't make it that week, so I begged Joyce and my friend Steven Ndukwu to film for us.
2. The week after, I arrived, and we spent five days shooting, back to back every day—lots of hours of interviews and shooting b-rolls. 
3. But that wasn't all. A few people said, "Oh Peace, I won't make it down to Lagos, but I can definitely do London," so I had to get a new crew and a studio for a 2-day shoot in London. Thanks to Dayo Koleowo , Oo Nwoye , Kola A. , Jessica Hope , Harry 'Tomi Davies , Eghosa Omoigui and Jason Njoku for being flexible. Jason came with his kids to the shoot, Kola and Oo came from Oxford to East London, etc. 
4. Around the same time we were shooting in London, my team had to do another shot specifically for Odunayo Eweniyi and Iyinoluwa Aboyeji .

I am incredibly grateful to Steven, Joyce, Otito Nwachokor for stepping in during that period and to Yele, Tayo, Odun and Iyinoluwa Aboyeji for being okay to shoot even though I wasn't going to be present. 

Hiatus & First Cuts

After shooting, I went on a hiatus. Between August and December 2022, I didn't touch the documentary. The 24+ hours of footage were overwhelming, and I had personal stuff going on in my life that demanded my attention. But January 2023 came, and I said, "Okay, this is the year."

And thus began the long weeks of back and forth between myself, Nora, Joseph Iwunne (editor 1), Joyce and Otito Nwachokor (editor 2).

Earlier, I had thought that the most significant milestone was shooting the first interview, but when I saw the first cut, I knew that was the most important milestone.

I remember thinking it would be impossible to get an hour of content from over 24 hours worth of interviews, but Joseph sent me the first cut, and I was like, "damn, this is real. This is the story I had in my head".

S/O to Yewande, Aanu, and Yvonne - my friends to whom I showed the early cuts and who so graciously gave me valuable feedback. 

After the first cut, we had another, and another and another and another, and to be honest, I have lost track of how many edits we have done since then. There have been versions where the only edit was someone's name, a wrong b-roll placement, an audio here, or a subtitle there.

In between these, we had to shoot some B-roll scenes in Kaduna. By this time, receiving any more invoices was frustrating, but I had spent too much to back out. 😂

First Screening

By June 2023, I was neck-deep in planning for the Founders Connect Live Show in Lagos, and I had decided to do a private screening after the event, so I told the team, "We must finish editing a version we can show people by the event.

We did it. At 3 pm on July 8th (during the live show), Joseph sent me the screening cut, and I found a way to send it to Ebony Life Cinema. I invited friends, colleagues, and previous guests on the show, and over 60 people showed up for me.

I remember that I couldn't watch the screening. I couldn't sit still; I was so nervous, but alas, everyone loved it. The moment on that day when everyone started clapping was when I knew with 100% certainty (for the first time) that this project would see the light of day and that people would like it.

Special S/O to everyone who came for the first-ever private screening (in Lagos) for the kind words, the ovation, the hugs, the intros, and the tweets. You made this public release happen. 

Special thanks to

• Boardroom Apartments: Thank you for giving us your space to shoot for a week in Lagos. Thank you to Amanda Omogiafo , Oluwatoyosi Adegunle and Nonso Okpala for making this happen. 
• Olugbenga Agboola , for the very early motivation and anonymous support. 
• Yewande Odumosu, from idea to fundraising to first cut to pitching, thanks for being there to answer my questions and share their POV and feedback.
• Oo Nwoye , for that call to tell me all the angles we could use for the Oya Make We Groove Pitch in Lagos, for the intros, for the London screening, and for access.
• Adedeji Olowe, for that credit alert and for your time and knowledge. 
• Odunayo Eweniyi, for all the very many many times you have shown up for me. 
• And to Ife Idowu, Dayo Okeowo, Mitchelle Chibundu, Treasure Okure, Yvonne Alozie, Aanu Jide-Ojo

and 50 more times to Joyce Imiegha and Nora Awolowo. 

It's #WeStayLearning, so what did I learn from this project:

1. If you want to get something commissioned, get buy-in, support, funding, and feedback from the beginning.
2. Initially, I thought this project would be daunting, but I now realise it didn't need to be. Because it was a documentary, in many ways, I made it more complex than it should have been. Just execute. Next time, I'd do it differently, more efficiently, simpler (maybe), but even better. Your first time will test you, so I have absolutely no regrets, in any case.
3. They'd always be a market for evergreen content. This year, I was scared that what we shot in 2022 would be stale by now, but nope, the responses every time someone has seen it have been consistently positive. Trust me, the content is still as fresh and as valuable as the day in June 2022 when we shot the first interview for this. It could have happened much faster, but this is the best time – for me, for Founders Connect and with all the bad news recently, even the ecosystem. We deserve a positive story to wrap up a tough year. 
4. It always takes a village. 
5. Everything will play out as it should. Always!
6. Return on investment isn't always cash; sometimes, it is new opportunities; it is recognition that opens doors. There is always a reward for putting your work out there.

This is the MVP, the first iteration, the proof of work, but there'd be more. May this find product market fit and bear fruit!

Thanks for reading.

Remember: Live premiere is at 7 pm WAT on December 20th at  youtube.com/peaceitimiofficial. Please go my YouTube now, subscribe and turn on notifications to get an alert when we go live.

The hashtag is #InnovatingAfricaDocumentary.