Filmmaker, Fashion and Media Entrepreneur Noble Igwe has said that he was a key player in the evolution of the Nigerian entertainment industry.
Speaking on News Central’s Jasiri, he said, “So the thing is, when people talk about evolution, I want to beat my chest to say that I’ve played a huge role in what we have today as Afrobeat.”
“I launched 360Nobu.com in 2008. That’s a long time ago. I have worked with so many Nigerian artists. I designed M.I.’s first album. I designed Banki’s WSW Experience.
“I worked with Timi Da Kolo. I worked with Sauce Kid. I worked with Mohits, the band Don Jazzy, and the entire Mohit group.
“And I have also done a lot of work in fashion. I was one of the first brand ambassadors for Lagos Fashion and Design Week back in the day when it was being called that. I have also done a lot in content creation, but also in influencing.
“I was one of the first persons that can actually beat their chest and say I was paid to be an influencer for a brand. So I have done that,” he added.
The founder and chief marketing officer of the 360Nobs Group, while speaking about the evolution of Nigeria’s entertainment industry and the significant responsibilities of influencers in tackling societal challenges, noted that content used to be created in a controlled environment. However, he remarked that things have changed dramatically today.
Noble Igwe pointed out that in a society where many people are striving to make ends meet, there is now a growing industry that is self-sustaining—generating revenue and attracting investment.
“There’s a lot of Nigerians who have also gone overseas to create content. So there’s a lot of subsection here and there who may be an offshoot of the bigger industry. Also, for the music industry, there’s a lot of people who also, their work is to create dance steps for some popular music.
“They may not be regarded as musicians or dancers, but they’re in that industry. So that’s how the industry looks now. So we can’t deny that there’s evolution.
“Because evolution seems to have cut across how technology has democratised how the entertainment space works. That’s a given. Now we’ve seen also the growth of digital media in Nigeria, the rise of influencer culture.
When asked how social media and digital platforms have transformed entertainment consumption, Noble highlighted a significant shift in content creation.
He noted that previously, content was filmed in landscape format, whereas now, it’s predominantly created in portrait mode. He also discussed the impact of social media on users, who now turn to various platforms for news instead of visiting websites for firsthand information, as they used to do in the past.
Watch the full interview below;