Ilooise Omohinmin, also known as Ilo, is a media personality, broadcaster and producer with over nine years’ experience in the broadcasting and entertainment industry. In this interview by KANGMWA GOFWEN, he talks about his character, Saz, in the MTV Shuga Naija season five and what viewers should expect from the new season. Excerpts:
What has your journey been like in the entertainment industry?
It’s been an amazing learning process. It’s been a process of growth and some immense challenges and just fulfillments of goals and achievements because I’ve found myself in places where I’ve been able to help build brands to a point where they resonate with people. I’ve been able to help people through the fact that I’m on radio and TV, help artistes and fast-rising talents in all aspects of entertainment. it’s been a thing of joy for me because it has given me a chance to also give back.
You’ve been a broadcaster for about a decade now and you’ve worked with amazing media giants and you’re well-known in the entertainment industry. Why are you going into acting now?
So, quick back story, acting was one of my strengths in the film school, it’s ironic because I was a film and television production student, not a performing student. But I found myself always doing stage plays, always doing screen productions because I went to PEFTI Film Institute in Ibadan and I found myself in a few of Wale Adenuga’s productions, like ‘Super Story’ and the likes of them. So, acting has always been something that I’ve done but after I did the first Shuga Naija that came to Nigeria back in 2013, I decided to just take a step back from acting for a while and focus on another aspect of the media.
So, I got into television hosting and broadcasting and after eight or nine years, I decided to try my hands on acting again and see what comes out of it. During that period, Shuga came calling, so I was just excited because I have sentimental attachments to the project and I was so excited to be part of it in a much bigger role than I was the last time.
How does it feel working with the new cast of MTV Shuga Naija season five?
They’re amazing guys and if you note what the show did, they found actors who are getting to the peak of their craft but are still pretty young, the likes of Gbubemi, Genoveva and kanaga (Big Brother Titan). They basically found people who have insert and asserted themselves in the media and decided to bring all these people together. Working with these casts was really amazing and I got to learn a lot from them. The show runners did a great job by building a safe and healthy environment for people to show off their talent without them thinking that they were doing too much. So, it was a really great way for me to learn.
What was the audition process like for you?
It was fun. So, I did not even know it was an audition for Shuga, I just got an email from “onepot” and I decided to record my audition entry. I started to doubt and second guess my decision, so I had a conversation with a colleague of mine and he asked if I did the audition and that was when I started to figure that the audition was for Shuga and my panic rose off the roof knowing that it was for Shuga.I later got an email telling me they liked my audition and they wanted me to come in person for my audition, so I went and it was fun too.
Describe your character, Saz in the MTV Shuga Naija season five.
Saz is a philanthropist, playboy billionaire, but he hasn’t gotten there yet, he is basically the life of the party, good energy kind of guy, extremely competitive, very intelligent and he is also a young tech CEO, he is in his early 20s and he has already started running a tech company at the same time he has found himself when he is being challenged for the first time in this tech space.
What do you think Saz’s message will be for people who watch the series?
Saz’s message will be in two parts.
First, you can never have success too early. Saz is that kind of guy that is out here to show you that you can make something of yourself and you can start mapping out a course for your life at an early age and literally living your best life without necessarily stressing yourself. He is a typical Gen-Z guy. Secondly, there’s room to improve and grow no matter how intelligent or awesome you think you are. And you can also grow with people. Growth is not just a singular thing you can grow with people, you can find a niche; a group of people that are likeminded and grow with them and you guys can do amazing things and grow together.
MTV Shuga mantra covers a wide range of issues concerning youths. Why do you think such messages’ tackling various problems in society is important to be passed through the entertainment channels?
I think it is important because we must never lose sight of certain things, even though you find a lot of these things around. For example, sexual harassment, people get comfortable in the work space or school environment to the point where they don’t realise that they are crossing boundaries. The message to be passed is not only through the entertainment industry, all other channels must pass this piece of information until people understand that there are boundaries and people need to be respected, personal spaces are very important. You have to understand that you’re dealing with human beings and they have likes and dislikes and you have to bare that in mind. People have to learn to ask for consent and permission and all.
This is just one aspect, there are other messages that Shuga intends to pass across to the public. These conversations are important and we need to have them.
What are the challenges you’ve faced about your gender, age, religion or even tribe?
I would be very honest to say that I’m privileged or blessed to not have faced challenges like that in my career personally, but I also know that challenges like that are a reality and there are people facing it. I can’t fully speak on it because I’ve not experienced it and I wouldn’t want to speak ignorantly on someone else’s experience. The best thing we can do is to acknowledge it like we’re doing now, and shed more light on it.
What are your views on gender roles and the impact in the media industry?
I believe we should exist in a world where the idea of gender roles should not be in play. For example, Nora, one of our cinematographers on set, a wonderful lady; she is very good at her job and she might not be taken serious as a female cinematographer, even MTV Shuga, 80 per cent of the crew but we’re advancing to a point in the industry that it is your expertise that speaks for you and not your gender. We’re moving slowly but we are getting there.
What should we look forward to in the MTV Shuga Naija season five?
You should look forward to the sweetest Shuga yet. I love the story as a whole and I also love the fact that the story itself has little bits and bubs of other stories. Everybody has a character they can completely relate to. There would be a scene that you can resonate with you, you’d also have a lot of fun and hold plenty tissue because you would cry and also a lot of blushing.
You have a firm belief that kindness and love is a way to better the world which is why after every performance or show, you always use the catch phrase“the power of love conquers all,” why so?
That is deeply personal because it is literally the foundation that I’ve tried to build my character and person around. I’m a Jesus baby and because of that one thing, I’ve learnt from having a personal relationship with Jesus and studying the word of God. The essence of God’s character is love and I found that every other thing stems from that love and I also realise that human beings are awesome. We’re people who want to be loved and we want people to be kind and sweet to us. No matter how bad a person may seem, if you’re able to reach out to him you would see that he would simmer down. I just believe that everyone deserves to be loved. A little kindness, a little smile and a little compliment, that’s what I try to model my life after just being a person who spreads love and generosity as much as possible.
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