In the beating heart of Nigeria’s entertainment industry, where dreams are woven into the very fabric of the culture, one individual’s journey from behind the microphone to the cinematic spotlight has captured the essence of resilience, creativity and boundless ambition.
He is Sulaiman Ogegbo, video director, editor, actor, stunt choreographer and colorist. He is a graduate of Civil Engineering form Federal University of Technology Minna and a former On Air Personality with CoolFM Nigeria.
With aliases like Spotlyt, Spotty Baba and the one that set him on this path, THE CASTIGTOR, his story is one that mirrors the aspirations of many young talents in Nigeria. In this interview with ROTIMI IGE, he speaks about his journey in the entertainment industry so far, the struggles he has overcome and his plans to take over.
Can you tell us about your background and what inspired you to become the creative you’ve become.
Entertainment always came naturally to me. When I was really young and in primary school, my father was a DJ and because I was a great dancer, I garnered attention during parties through my dance skills. I believe I must have enjoyed the attention that came from being found adorable by people so spotlight naturally became my thing and I wanted more. When I was about eight years old, my father showed me how to record from NTA 2 onto our video cassette recorder. I would do that when he’s gone to work. By the time he got back, I would have ready for him new music videos and we always had discussions around the videos and ones yet to be released. I believe all these spurred my interest. It’s safe to say that my father introduced me to this art and largely influenced it. I also remember being really socially active in secondary school and before I was done at the university, I had become the people’s person. I used to dance and sing. In 2013, some of my friends and I made a N500,000 budget music video that aired on Soundcity. After some time, we didn’t have money to keep promoting and this made me consider providing some of these services to myself. I learnt it, got good at it and the demand started rising. Ironically I ended up rendering services to other people I completely forgot about my own music career. *laughs.
Are there specific directors that have influenced your style?
I would say Zack Snyder. I love slow motion a lot in my videos. I am a detailed person so the little things matter plus I like being exceptional with my work. I remember the first time I saw the movie ‘300’ by Zack Snyder, I was blown away and I knew I wanted to make movies like that. There are these guys on YouTube known as ‘The Slow Mo guys’. Their work also inspires me.
Walk us through your creative process when working on your projects. How do you approach projects?
It depends on the project. If it’s a music video for example, you’re sure I will immerse myself fully in the Jam. So, I’m listening to the song deeply and I’m paining a picture that isn’t anything similar to what we generally have everywhere. It’s also very important to understand what the client has pictured their video would look like. We do a lot of discussing, development, compromising and agreeing because it’s really important that they are happy and I’m expressive with my creativity. The same goes for other types of projects.
You’re the lead actor in your short fight series, ‘The Castigator’. What influenced the short film series and were you concerned about acceptance?
‘The Castigator’ started as a skit. It was supposed to be a one-off. I wanted to create something unusual so I decided to do my slow-mo but with a fight sequence. I had a conversation with my friend, Olowu and we came up with the name ‘The Castigator’, a vigilante who punishes people who rips other people off and does bad things generally. After the first episode, I noticed there was actually a marker for it. A second episode dropped and people loved it as they also anticipated more episodes. It started to trend and we knew there was a market for what I do. It kept getting better. At the time, Nigerians weren’t doing proper action movies, so the acceptance opened their minds to it and a lot of boys started coming out with something similar. Boys like Xcel, Adam’s effect, I mean we started seeing good action movies in Nigeria. This made me happy that I was able to inspire that part of the industry and give people the confidence that they could make what I make or even better.
What informs your collaboration with artistes, actors and other creatives?
I’m a hard worker but I still feel like the right people haven’t seen my work so I consciously and strategically collaborate with people in the industry who can given me a form of visibility. That’s me leveraging on their own circle, network and fan base while also offering them my skill and expertise.
Do you have any favourite project you’ve directed and what makes it special? If you’re willing to divulge, who are some actors you’ve worked with?
Every project comes with its uniqueness. My favourite thing to do on a set is to direct a fight sequence. I like to direct music videos too don’t misunderstand me. I’ve worked on some really major projects that will be out soon. Projects like ‘Merry Men 3’, ‘Silent Intruder’, ‘Amir’, ‘Sons of the Caliphate’, ‘Wrath and Revenge’, ‘Blood Vessel’, (in pidgin English) make I stop there for now.
Creating fight sequence in these films have their own different uniqueness. The plots are different, so you tailor accordingly. I’ve worked with actors like Ramsey Noah, AY, Sexy Steel, Francis Duru, Segun Arinze, Iyabo Ojo, Chidi Mokeme, Bucci Franklin, Deyemi Okonlawon, Ireti Doyle, Nancy Isime, Ufuoma McDermott, Jide Kene, Damilola Ogunsi and some others really. It’s been amazing working with these people. Trust me.
What setbacks do you have while working with actors for stunt scenes?
This is a good question. Not to be disrespectful to anyone, there’s this nonchalant attitude sometimes towards rehearsals on the part of some actors and also this low key discrimination due to lack of prior working relationship. This mostly happens with some big cats. It’s understandable sometimes but it also stifles creativity.
There are so many talented creatives in the country but many lack the industry knowledge. What advice would you give aspiring youngsters who would love to do what you do or be successful creatives in the industry?
Patience is the strongest suit to wear. It takes time to develop and master certain skills. You have to have done it over and over to be a maestro at it. It is also important to be true to oneself, nothing that lasts come easy and you can’t give what you don’t have. So never underestimate the power of experience, portfolio, network and humility. It is also important not to mirror people who are already in the game because you see all the glamour and everything but you don’t know the back story. Do your due diligence, get facts, research and talk to the right people. Having solid information helps you better position yourself. Ready yourself with a sustaining side hustle. Even the big cats you see have side businesses that they do. Apart from believing in yourself, you also have to be critical about what works for you and what doesn’t. Leverage social media, collaborations and prioritise visibility.
and then