Why many voice-over artistes are poor in Nigeria –Shobo

Seun Shobo

Ademola Olonilua(aolonilua@punchng.com)

Celebrated voice-over artiste and founder of Voice Over Solutions Limited, Mr. Seun Shobo, has said that many in the sector are poor because of the lack of professionalism and modern business ideas.

The Ogun State-born University of Lagos graduate, who recently established a voice over academy, said that the failure to evolve and adopt latest international best practices are among factors responsible for why many, who have been in the profession for years are still struggling with poverty.

According to Shobo, whose organisation has also created a thriving voice over bank said with proper investment and support from the government, the industry has the capacity of creating around 10, 000 jobs annually especially for youths across the country.

He said, “Many people in the creative industry are still poor especially voice over artistes because they are not business savvy.

“A lot of them do not understand business, they are not really professional. Many of such people think that voice over is a side hustle, not knowing that it is serious business; in fact, it is an integral part of arts.

“What we are trying to do with the academy is to bring a new order into the industry where more young people can be trained ahead of thriving careers in the industry.

“Voice over is a very lucrative business but then, it depends on how one approaches it. People must learn the basic principles of the business for them to be able to succeed in it.

“The worth of the industry in Nigeria is around N500m at the moment. Voice over artistes are involved in almost every industry to sell products and concepts, so if given the right support from the government and corporate organisations, this industry can create at least 10, 000 jobs annually.”

He said that with the type of professionals VOA was producing, the era of artistes contending with poverty would soon be a thing of the past.

 “Presently, we’re making a lot of efforts to bring all that we have seen in the United States and other parts of the world to bear in our voice over industry in Nigeria.”