HOW I SHOT N250M FILM IN PORT HARCOURT AND LONDON-BOBBY OGOLOMA

I DON’T REGRET ONE BIT FOR MY BEING IN THE MOVIE INDUSTRY +HOW I SHOT N250M FILM IN PH AND LONDON—-BOBBY OGOLOMA PORT HARCOURT MOVIE PRODUCER AND ACTOR SPEAKS.

The growth of Nollywood Film industry in Nigeria is yielding fruits to the youths especially those in Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Light complexioned handsome looking very young Movie actor Bobby Ogoloma looks every inch successful in his chosen career which is Movie production and acting. His passion for the entertainment industry is electric and his packaging is immeasurably filled with much swag.

The Orowurokwo Rebisi kingdom Ikwerre born hunk actor cum model and businessman Bobby Ogoloma has featured in so many movies shot across Nigeria and overseas. His enthusiasm and ability to interpret his roles flawlessly  and his ease of delivery of lines makes Bobby Ogoloma one of the most sort after Movie actors across the Niger South –South of Nigeria. He came into the entertainment industry since 1999 and he had stayed consistent with his goals and ambition of keeping Port Harcourt Film industry alive irrespective of the daunting challenges.

Bobby Ogoloma while playing host to his multi-million naira Film crew at APARTMENT 189 WOJI ROAD GRA Phase 2 Port Harcourt granted audience to Towncrier.ng Team as he talked about his newly shot world Class Film worth N250m cost of production and other sundry issues about growth of entertainment industry in Port Harcourt.

EXCERPTS

QUE: May I meet you?

My name is Bobby Ogoloma  I am an Actor, a Movie Producer, and a model. I am from Orowurokwo in Port Harcourt Local Government area of Rivers state of Nigeria. I am complete Port Harcourt Boy. I am Pure Port Harcourt Boy.

QUE: For how long have you been in the Movie industry?

I know I came into the Movie Industry in 1999 and by the ending part of 1999 and  I did my first Film in the year 2000 which is titled SNAKE KINGDOM. That is the film that brought me and introduced me into Nollywood. And since then till now I have been in the industry full time.

QUE: As son -of –the- soil, what made you to leave working in the Oil and Gas industry such as Shell Petroleum Development Company, Halliburton Oil Company where you would have been making big money and for acting Movies in the entertainment industry?

I have a strong passion for the Acts, everything about me is act. You know some people pursue money and some people pursue different things. But for me I pursue satisfaction.And there is no place that can give me the kind of satisfaction that I want except the Acting industry and Nollywood came up and I told myself ‘This is it’, so, the passion I have for Act is what took me to what I am doing today and like I said I don’t regret one bit of being in the Movie Industry.

QUE: What had made you not to have moved over to Lagos where the likes of Port Harcourt Actors and Actresses relocated like Hildah Dokubo, Ejikeme Asiegbu, Julius Agwu, Ibinabo Fiberesima etc ?

Like I said this town Port Harcourt is my town, and what everybody is doing as initially when Nollywood started we all moved to Lagos but after a while we found out that you can do whatever you found to do and you can be whatever you want to neither be, no-matter where you are. But the most important thing is you getting connected and as long as you are connected and you have a strong platform you can do whatever you want to do. And for me not moving over to Lagos …you see Port Harcourt needs to be developed in terms of the Act. Port Harcourt needs to grow and if everybody moves to Lagos trust me nobody would love to do anything here. So, some of believe that there are a lot of talents here languishing here in Port Harcourt that need assistance. Somebody like Sam Dede is here, Walter Anger is here in Port Harcourt. Gentle Jack has relocated here in Port Harcourt, we have Columbus, we have Hildah Dokubo  as she has relocated back here in Port Harcourt. Even Ibinabo Fiberesima she has relocated here to Port Harcourt and Lulu west everybody all of us are here. So, if we all leave here  I wonder who will grow this town. So, it is our and it is our duty to make Port Harcourt big in terms of Act, in terms of entertainment industry this is because Nigerian entertainment industry has grown so big to a different level and it is no longer what it used to be. It is bigger than anybody ever imagined. Before when people saw you and you say that you are an Actor, you are a musician,or you are a Comedian they will look at you as a loser and it will be like you are a Failure. And like somebody who don’t have a vision. But today, actors, musicians,and comedians are all paying big, big Bills.So, you see that it is no longer what it used to be before as it is bigger than what everybody thought.

QUE: Port Harcourt has a good identity when you come to culture such as good hospitality of the people of Niger Delta, when you go to the North you see Kannywood Hausa Movies, and South-West has Yoruba Movies, why is Port Harcourt Movies  industry not having –Pollywood Movies as identity?

Well, I will tell you in Nigeria we only have Nollywood. Just like they have Hollywood in United States of America-USA and they have Bollywood in India. In Nigeria, all of us everybody we are all under Nollywood. And the things are in various states you now have branches but we are all affiliated to Nollywood. So, the thing about Port Harcourt is  to me like I will always say just like my late Boss late Honourable Charles Nsiegbe when I met and told him about the plans that I have  lucky he had the same plans. And he wanted Port Harcourt to grow. And he had everything I mean everything that was within his power to see that Port Harcourt will grow. And we were on the right track running in fact we were running more than expected before we lost him. So, after that was the only that I saw that had that very strong passion for Acts, there are other people yes that still have the  passion but for that man the passion he had for acts, the shoes are too big to fill. I met his friend and he said ‘Bobby look the shoe Charlie was wearing is too big for anybody’s legs to fit in’. The thing about Port Harcourt s that they don’t give attention to act, they don’t give attention to entertainment whether you believe it or not Lagos is re branding Lagos with entertainment. If you go to Lagos everyday there is an event going on.

You see the things that happen in this place it is even worst in some places and nobody talks about them. But the only thing you can hear about Port Harcourt in the Media be it Tv or Radio is just bad stories.The good ones nobody wants to talk about them.

QUE: WHO do you blame for supposedly bad press is it the Government or the residents?

If you ask me all of us are involved. This is because when you want to cook a good soup it is just because of the fish or oil in it but it is everything put together. If we and to re brand this town it is our town all hands need to be on the deck as everybody ought to be part of it. I mean everybody as it is not just the actors, not just the comedians, the musicians, or the politicians or the Government  everybody need to be involved as if you to Lagos everybody is involved to re-branding Lagos.

QUE: Give us a rundown of some of the movies you have shot so far?

I have done so many movies like I have acted for people. I have done movies like Snake Kingdom, Weekend Groove, Motherland, A Time To-Die, You and I, Red Scorpion, Mother Without a Child, Love Crime, Reality, Omo-Oba, oh God I have done so many Movies. But recently I just shot a movie the title is MY CITY, it is my movie as I brought in crews and actors from Hollywood and Nollywood, and we all came together and we did a wonderful production of which the Premiere is coming up soon. It was shot here in Port Harcourt and it we shot some parts in Okrika, we shot some here in Port Harcourt town and we shot some in London.

So, it is a big project so that when it hits the cinema everybody will be proud to be part of it.And we want to do more.

QUE: What is the budget cost of the My City movie?

Waoooo if you ask me I Will tell as it is big and how we were able to put it together. I think it is by grace of God. This is because bringing the Crews and the Casts that we brought in from Hollywood we did not pay them in Naira. We paid them in United States of America Dollars. And you know what it is. Then from here we had people like me Bobby Ogoloma, Ini Edo, Fredrick, Ernest Obi, Rita Edochie, Olu Jacobs, Uche Ndigwe, in fact it has to many people. Then from Hollywood we have Kilmani Mani, Idriss Abba, Roger Rockson, we had a lot of people. And trust me the budget is big as right now we are still spending. For what Nollywood is for a growing industry we have put in more than Two Hundred and Fifty Million –N250m and we are still spending. This is because we have told ourselves that we need to start doing things that can compete anywhere in the world. Look at what Kunle Afolayan is doing, look at what  Adonai Owariwa did in ’76Film cinema format. Look at OLOBIRI, CEOs these are good Movies. Nigerians we are now doing quality Movies that can compete anywhere in the world. So, that is why we decided to put my city together.  And MY CITY is a project that once it hits the cinema everybody will be proud to see it.

QUE: Why don’t you shoot movies peculiar to Niger Delta Pidgin English for identity like we have Yoruba and Hausa Movies?

You see it is like I said before all these places you have called like the Yoruba Movies and Hausa even the Igbos they have a lot of Support from their people. Entertainment is one thing that you cannot just do alone. It is not possible for God’s sake. We need support and we are not getting it here. And when you cannot get support there is nothing or little that you can do. SO, if you say why we are not doing things here it is because we are not getting the support that we need, few personal friends might want to support on the platform of them being your friends. But entertainment has gone so big that you need this support even in Lagos right now banks are giving grants but when you go to banks in Port Harcourt nobody wants to help you this is because it is either that the Managing director is from somewhere or they want you to go to Lagos. This is because we have written a lot of Letters from here and they referred us to Lagos. And when we go to Lagos nobody wants to talk to us because we are not from there.You will spend your money on hotel bills and run around Lagos God knows how long and when you return back here with nothing.Look at the kind of support they grant them in Lagos every little thing even street parties you will see sponsors and you see people and companies supporting.Just because we are not getting the supports from here that why it seems like nothing is happening here.

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QUE: Bank of Industry and Central Bank of Nigeria has special Grants for the Movie industry why are you not queuing in for these funds?

Like I said before Nigeria is one lovely country but trust me when you go to somewhere and you don’t have somebody on-top to push things for you whatever your efforts will be in vain. We have tried a lot of things here and we have written to a lot of companies and they just dumped our letters there as nobody to talk for you. Just like what late Honourable Charles Nsiegbe started this support when you go to him he was ready and he was talking to his friends and they were coming together to support entertainment. But after he died everything went back.

QUE: What do you do to manage attention from your female fans?