I’m all about making impact —Tush Award 2014 winner

2014 Tush Award Winner in Voice Category, Deji Onadeko, is a broadcaster, event host and voice over artiste but the CEO of Life Media Group believes that there is more to him than just handling the microphone. He took SEGUN ADEBAYO down the memory lane in this interactive session and speaks on his plans to put his brand on the map.

How did the All Youths Tush Award Nigeria come to be?

Well, it started in 2009 when there was a need to balance up award shows in the country, especially those that had the youths as its immediate target. Back then, there was only Future Awards and Dynamix Awards as the youth centered award shows. But then, Dynamix was all about students while Future Awards is about working youths and more matured penalties. So the CEO, I simple call him Dayo Tush, thought, why not create a synergy these set of youths, by bringing together under the same roof, bearing in mind that these two categories of individual are massively inter twined and the success of a developing community, like the one we have in Nigeria is largely based on understanding this concept.

You are one man with hands in many pies, how are you coping with all your engagements?

Well, I’m a lot of things to different people. Primarily, I am a broadcaster, an event host, an inspirational speaker, a voice over artiste and a communications entrepreneur.  I started my career as a broadcaster at Cool FM Abuja but currently working at Voice 89.9 FM, Ekiti. I am also the CEO of Life Media Group International. We deal with media productions, conferences and training.  I am the convener of the ‘What Next’?

What does it take to be a successful award host?

I believe that for you to be a successful award host,  you have to be a great MC and being a great MC is anchored on your enthusiasm, eloquence, sense of humour and a genuine intent to make people happy. A lot of class and order is what you need to add to this to successfully host an award.

You won the All Youths Tush Award in 2014, Voice of the Year category, and you are the official event and red carpet host of the award in Nigeria, what does that mean?

In 2013, I set off to get started in a communication career, where I knew nobody and had no influence. All I had going for me was an enthusiastic heart, a talented mind and willing soul. So I resumed a gig, then, in crown 101.5 FM, Ile-Ife where I ran a show called Campus Beatz for students with our core audience been students in and around Osun State. Sometime in August 2014, I got a ping to say that I have been nominated for the All Youths Tush Award 2014, Voice of the year category. So this category was dedicated to broadcasters who had somewhat gone mainstream but where still university students. It’s one exceptional thing about the Tush Award. To make sure that everybody gets a chance to be rewarded for hard work, there are three basic categories, Students category, the mainstream category and the life achievement category.

I remember getting a call from a mainstream music manager, who managed one of the biggest names in the industry then, calls me from the blues to congratulate me but states that he is sure I can’t win since I had no connect, to cut the long story short, I did dare to go for event and lo, when the winner was announced, the winner was me. I didn’t have a prepared speech, since I was sure I wasn’t going to win. It was a defining moment in my career.

How would you describe the experience?

I remember being quite nervous on that night, on the red carpet, I noticed an external news agency who did not have a host for their red carpet footage, I offered to help and I got the chance to interview the likes of Zainab Balogun, Ehis, Emma Oh My God and a few others. The red carpet footage was the best of the night and it became the official footage for the event that year. The subsequent year, I got a call from the CEO of the All Youths Tush Award asking if I would not mind being the official host of the event, both on stage and on its red carpet, I was beyond excited and here I am. As a result of this, every year since 2015, I have had the privilege to rock the Tush Award stage with other amazing hosts such as Sharon, Steve Chuks, Kumi Black and few others.

You have been the host for the past editions and the ninth edition is also coming, what should the people expect?

Innovation. It’s one very peculiar thing about the award, its organizers go all out to see to it that there’s massive innovation touch down every year. They take pride in the fact that it is not just an award built to zap your time and money, but also in the fact that attendees learn a lot to keep them up in a fast paced world like ours. The last two editions was themed, “Invest wisely and invest early”. So I can’t even say expect the usual, but I can say as usual expect excellence. One thing for sure, is a nomination list that would cut across all grades, age and industries.

How did your journey into the industry start?

It started in the most unexpected manner and it’s been such an exciting journey ever since. I was then a student in the faculty of Environmental Designs and Management, department of Building, in the ever prestigious Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State. And it was one of those massive strikes that Federal Universities would embark on from time to time; this one was at the time precisely championed by the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU. Prior to the date, I was an all-rounder, in genuine search of purpose. I learnt to play almost every instrument I laid my hands; I was a rapper, with a few tracks to my name. I tried out my hands in business and failed terribly. But in all, talk was not in any way an option in my list of escapades.

The entertainment industry is big and lot of opportunities abound, what are your plans to put your name and brand on the list of happening guys.

Been on some list for me is really not a goal. I am totally all about impact. Touching lives and helping people come into a genuine realisation of who they are. So well… thanks to God, I have had a great and favored start, a growing circle of influence, a couple of awards to my name and a beautifully emerging career. I intend to keep up the growth, the hard work and the consistency that my brand would need to stay flying. I also by grace run a successful Media Communication company which I earlier mention, it’s not been easy on that path though, entrepreneurship as an entertainer is not readily an exciting path, you have books to balance, bills to pay and so on. But we can only stay hopeful and consistent with hopes that right hands would keep finding us.

How has your career been shaped, winning the award and hosting at the same time?

Well, I won’t say it’s at the same time, I won the award in 2014, became the official host in 2015 and I have always hosted the award since then. But like I said earlier, the award was a defining moment in my career, I mean, I knew for start that even if I was far down in the depth of the south west, I could tell, that world was watching. I was the first individual to bag that category at the time from OAU and it has set pace for a few more awards since then. Hosting the award has brought a lot more exposure to the brand and has taught me how to spontaneous, so much so that, even if I hosted the event in front of the same audience every time, I would always let sail a beautiful side to the event story.

What are your plans as the year continues to unfold?

Well… the reward of hard work they say is more work, I have recently been posted to Ekiti to pioneer a Radio Station, Voice 89.9FM and I hope to put in my very best. But I actually already have my eyes on the big market, geographically I mean. For those who know me personally, it is no longer news that I intend to make move to Lagos as soon as yesterday. I am not really one to go with the crowd, but I am sure at heart that the time is right to make that move so all I’ll say to those watching? Keep your fingers crossed.