Samuel Animashaun Perry otherwise known as Broda Shaggi is in a class of his own when it comes to content creation, influence and fame. Shaggi has become a household name and doesn’t seem to be resting on his oars. Days back, he spoke with SEGUN ADEBAYO about his career and what to expect from him.
There is a feeling in town that skit makers may soon run regular actors out of business. You are a popular skit maker, do you see this happening?
I don’t think that it true as I can’t place an exact parameter for such opinion. All I can say is that the skit making industry is thriving on its own. With the help of social media, we all might understandably agree that skit makers get easily recognised by people all over the world and has resulted into them getting more attention from filmmakers because of their numbers of followers and online engagements which is also a big deal for marketing of the movies.
You are a two-time winner of the AMVCA Best Actor in comedy. How does that make you feel?
Honestly, I feel great and fulfilled about it. Winning the award back-to-back is something that does not happen to every creative person all the time. It remains a special level of victory for me because it, to a large extent, defines my energy and commitments towards arts.
With winning awards back-to-back and bagging several recognitions; any plan to have your own movie production?
Well, I am of the opinion of taking steps gradually. As big as I may look to millions of people right now, I am still learning. Entertainment is a very wide area of life that one shouldn’t have to hurriedly jump from one aspect to another, because you feel you have the weight. So basically, I am thriving now as an actor, performing artiste and skit maker. Having a movie production is definitely a plan with a bigger picture. It will happen; it is part of the growth plans.
Some people believe you have come to the peak of your career but you seem to keep getting better at it. What do you think is working for you?
I don’t think there is anything special that I do that others don’t have the capacity to do better. It has just been the grace of God that has sustained Shaggi. You are not better than anyone, you are just in the spotlight at the moment but you must make every moment count because you won’t be there forever.
Your act is quite unique and you don’t tend to do like anybody else. What prepared you for this journey?
It has always been a part of me from teenage years. I have always been involved in stage plays, dance shows/competitions and other creative performances. So, when I got admitted into the University of Lagos, I founded a group called “stage addicts”. We were all over the campus performing at school events. We also did some off campus shows. While doing that, I used to attend auditions for movie roles. I got invited for some movies for “waka pass” roles. I acted in Wedding Party (Part 1) as a crowd member in the wedding scene. So, as I kept pushing, the brand Broda Shaggi blew up and bigger roles started to come in. One of the major movies that made me an established actor is Toyin Abraham’s Fate of Alakada. After that, I started getting major roles in movies.
Most of your skits are human angle related. Is that a niche that you have created for yourself?
This is actually true. At every point, I ensure that most of my skits don’t end without passing messages to humans. We as creatives owe the society a great service of making it better than we met it. I subscribe wholly to the sayings of a renowned philosopher and Arts scholar, Dario Fo who said “A theatre, a literature, an artistic expression that does not speak for its own time and people has no relevance.” Because most of my works are satirical irrespective of the themes, I also love Fo’s submission that “Satire can always be found everywhere. A people without love for satire is a dead people.” It makes us see our true selves via laughter, while we pay attention to corrections that are required to be made. This is entirely geared towards making the society a better place to live. Watching any of my skit daily is a recommended form of therapy to my fans globally.
What impact do you think winning this award will have on the Broda Shaggi brand?
Winning this award is definitely a big thing for my brand. It has glaringly placed the brand on another pedestal of patronage and confidence. It has help me position the brand higher than it was and more industry stakeholders such as movie producers, directors, marketers and even corporate organizations have gotten the note that the Broda Shaggi brand is a reliable one to reckon with. Being recognized by one of the biggest awards platforms in the continent is really a big deal obviously.
Content creation wise; what will you say you have been able to achieve in last five months?
Like I have always mentioned, let me reiterate that content creation is the new “oil”. It is a versatile phenomenon that every growth-oriented business taps from. For me as a content creator, one of my greatest achievements so far would be that I got more recognition and patronages from top brands and my team headed by Olufemi Oguntamu has been able to secure endorsement deals, which would be announced at a later time. All these are tied to me being consistent with my craft, I give my all to dishing out new level of creativity at all times.
Did you set out to do what you are currently known for at the moment?
Yes I did. I have been on this journey for years. Right from my undergraduate days at the University of Lagos as a creative arts student, I was involved in class and departmental productions. I also did several performances as “side hustle.” I performed at parties, church drama nights and more. When I remember those moments, I am always grateful to God for seeing me through each of the phases. Being an entertainer has always been my only goal. If I am not writing contents, I am rehearsing; if I am not making skits, I am creating dance moves- so I have submitted myself long time ago for what I am enjoying today.
We have experienced the several shades of Shaggi from acting, comedy, stage and music; are there more surprises?
There are more surprises. I mean it. Creativity to me has no limits. As events unfold, I would unveil a new surprise for everyone to enjoy. it will shock you.
Will it be right to say the creative side of you was a result of your father being a drama teacher?
To a certain level, I will say yes. My father, being a drama teacher, influenced my interest in arts. Before he died, I learnt a lot from him first-hand about creativity as a whole.
What are your expectations from the new administration towards the creative industry?
I think it is too early to have expectations from the new administration. They are barely two weeks and not settled in well yet. Whatever their plans are, I pray it favours us all. I look forward to seeing the government at all levels develop more interest in the power of contents and create an enabling environment for creatives to thrive.
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