As platforms make less from advertising, creators are struggling to monetise work – leading to calls for more government investment and tax breaks
On a humid afternoon in Lagos, a shoot for a comedy skit is under way on a set that looks more like a small film production.
Dozens of people mill about: lighting assistants, a sound engineer, a makeup artist and even a content creator recording unscripted behind-the-scenes footage. At the centre is Broda Shaggi, born Samuel Animashaun Perry, who is issuing instructions, rehearsing lines and performing caricatures.
Behind the punchlines and viral memes lies a lot of hard work, according to Olufemi Oguntamu, the chief executive of Penzaarville Africa, a Lagos-based media agency that manages Broda Shaggi.
“He shoots like he’s doing a movie,” Oguntamu said. “He gets buses to take the crew around. They use drones. They use big cameras. It’s serious business now … people don’t understand how difficult it is to keep up creating content every day because it has to be new content.”
