Olatundun Agboola is the convener of the Dance With Olatundun Cymbals (DWOC) and the Creative Director of Energy Films, a video production comapny that is currently the toast of celebrity lifestyle documentary. He spoke to ROTIMI IGE recently about what he has been up to and plans for industry domination. Excerpts.
What have you been up to since leaving Ibadan?
I say this with great joy, I was born and raised in Ibadan and I cannot downplay the tremendous importance of the ever-supportive people of Ibadan throughout my journey. However, I believe there comes a time in the life of any human when it becomes crucial to challenge yourself to step out of your comfort zone and deliberately embrace new opportunities for growth. One must give one’s self the chance to fail forward.
Basically, I’ve been trying to evolve into a much better version of myself.
I established a cinematography company ‘Energy Filmz’ which has been growing at a phenomenal pace to the glory of the giver of grace.
Would you say switching up to cinematography from dance has been worth it?
Frankly speaking, I don’t think there will ever be a season I’ll confidently claim I’ve made the switch from dance to any other career path. Dance is a huge part of my existence and I’ve always said I’ll dance till my bones deny me the liberty to do so.
I’ve not entirely made the switch from dance to cinematography but I’m mainly channeling my energy to cinematography presently while dance is still in the background. I’m working towards bringing back ‘Dance With Olatundun Cymbals’ in 2026.
I’d say I’m just taking a break from dance so I have the laser focus to establish my filmmaking brand.
Is the popular dance group ‘Cymbals’ defunct?
My decision to narrow down all of my attention to cinematography at the moment is the major reason Cymbals isn’t fully operational. Hence, it seems defunct… I am working hard on my cinematography brand to enable me put necessary structures in place so I have the chance to balance both. Cymbals as a team is inoperative at this time but my dream for the team is still very much alive and manifesting as soon as it can.
How have you evolved over the years and what challenges have you faced?
Evolving can mean different things to different people. On my journey, I can say that I’ve evolved by establishing a cinematography outfit growing at a very rapid pace. Pioneering the biggest and first ever major dance concert in Africa (DWOC) is also a form of evolvement. I’ve been constantly rediscovering myself to increase the quality of value I deliver in every venture I commit to. Basically, evolve or die.
There’s so much uncertainty that goes into establishing and sustaining a brand and finding your place in the jam-packed industry. Raising the necessary capital for startup, getting consumers to trust in your capacity to deliver. The challenges are endless but what fuels my persistence is the undying belief I have in myself to pull through anything life throws at me.
Tell us some of the people you’ve worked with and how they influenced your career…
I’ve had the privilege to work with some notable names in the industry, both in my cinematography and dance career.
Some of them are Kennyblaq, Kaffy, Chief Dele Momodu, Skales, Larry J, to mention a few. They’ve all done well to influence my journey in remarkable ways as our collaboration has led to exceptional brand visibility conversion rate.
What’s next for you?
My mindset is very simple, I just want to get better and I want to work with great people. I want to get better in my filmmaking skills and in my dance career.
I want to work towards having a schedule that allows me to commit time to the things I’m most passionate about which are cinematography and dance.
Do you miss dancing?
I miss dancing with every breath that I take, I feel so incomplete without it, but to cut to the chase, sometimes it’s important to take the hard but necessary decisions.
But I’ll be back.
Truthfully, do you think dancing is a career path that one can make good money from?
What I’ve grown to discover in the industry of dance in Nigeria is we spend a considerable amount of time developing our talents as dancers but we fail to invest quality time into learning the business aspect of the talent, forgetting that what keeps an organisation in business is sales. Without sales, the organisation crumbles. Without a sustainable financial reward from your talent, you become discouraged to stay loyal to it.
Yes, I feel dancing is a career path that one can make good money from but if you’re spending 10 hours on rehearsals, you should spend 20 hours on researching the business aspect of the talent because talent alone is never enough.
There are people making a lot of money from dance. It simply means they know something that others are yet to discover and if the person can invest time into researching this area then they earn better too. Knowledge is power!
Dance With OLATUNDUN Cymbals (DWOC) is the biggest and first ever major dance concert from Ibadan, what birthed that idea?
The concept was birthed from the desire to go big with dance. Before DWOC began, we only had the other branches of entertainment; music, drama and comedy preaching the gospel of their industry on a big scale. I started DWOC to challenge that idea and we did remarkably well. I intend to continue with it. Stay ready for DWOC 2026.
Do you think Ibadan is a good place for talents to grow?
I sincerely appreciate the camaraderie among the Ibadan community. They support your journey wholeheartedly but as I stated earlier, it’s crucial to invest twice as much time into learning how you can grow your talent because by default Ibadan doesn’t have the economic and entertainment power compared to a location like Lagos.
It’s difficult to grow your talent in Ibadan to a premium level but it’s not impossible. If it was impossible then nobody would be doing it, but we have the likes of Woli Agba successfully winning big in his industry.
What do you think can be done to elevate the entertainment industry in Oyo State?
I think we basically need a mindset renewal. It’s a mindset thing, we find it difficult to value homegrown talents. If we can be deliberate about establishing projects that aids the renewing of mindsets, then I believe a lot will get better.
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