REMI OGUNPITAN
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

In terms of TV production and Broadcast Technology, there is possibly nothing that Aderemi Adewale Ogunpitan, has not been involved in since he became involved in TV production in the country in 1983. Came back to Nigeria in the early 80’s  after more than 18 years studying and working abroad in  the UK, and basically started working in Film and TV production. He has worked with the DBN,   Swift Studios, and The United States Information Service (USIS) and was founding director of legendary production company, Solar Productions amongst others.

He is the Managing Director of IBST Limited, which is TV and Broadcast support and Facility Company. With equipment and facilities worth more than N100 million IBST is one of the most technologies led broadcast facilities in Nigeria today.

Based in the serene GRA Ikeja, IBST can boast of 5 x Avid Adrenaline Avid Edit Suites fiber networked to a storage system of more than 15 Terabytes of Video Raid.  IBST
has also one of the few Audio for Video final mix audio suites for polishing off the rough edges on audio that is recorded during a Film or TV production.  With 2 outside mobile production systems IBST is also capable of working in the field either covering or producing live events for Television.

Ogunpitan has grown this company to be of the most sought after broadcast consultancy, broadcast supply and installation companies in Nigeria.  Although IBST operates in niche markets providing specialized solutions they have been involved in the design, supply and installation of broadcast facilities and stations for Plateau State TV, Ebonyi State Television and Silverbird Television to mention a few.  IBST was responsible for the design, supply and installation of all broadcast facilities for The 8th All Africa Games in Abuja where IBST provided the backbone for the coverage, production and transmission of the games; from Earth Stations to Microwave Links, OB Vans and DSNG vehicles and The International Broadcast Centre.

Recognized internationally as one of the foremost professionals in the industry in Nigeria Ogunpitan has relationships with many international companies and manufacturers which over the years have been involved in many of his projects.

However, there is the other side to Ogunpitan, and that’s where his creative juices flow.  He is also Managing Director of Storm Vision Limited, Nigeria’s No. 1 TV production company that has been on the leading edge of delivering many international productions to the Nigerian Market.

Here is a Bibliography of a few of his productions as Executive Producer

PRODUCTIONS

1991 -1994 – Annual Benson & Hedges Golden Tones Production for RED 14
1990 -1993 – MNET Rock Down Africa Music Programme – Insert Producer
1990 -1995 – TV Commercials for Nigeria Breweries, Cadbury, Unilever, Reckit and                           Coleman, Dunlop, Nestle, Panadol, Red Star Express to mention a few
                      (More than 120 commercials shot over a 5 year period

1994 - Face of Africa West Africa Regional Final 
Line production and provision of all TV and multimedia production equipment.

1994 - University Cults – Voodoo   
2 x 30 minute features for MNET, South Africa for the programme ‘Carte Blanche’. These two features shot in Lagos and Benin Republic looks at the blight of University Cults in Nigerian Universities, and also “Voodoo” the official religion of the Republic of Benin, shot against the panoramic backdrop of Wida, the home of Voodoo in Africa.

1994 – Rothmans Mega Groove and Groove in the Hood – A series of concerts and neighborhood raves in more than 20 locations in Nigeria produced as a TV specials for national broadcast.

1996 – 2000 - Rothmans English Premier
Production for Four uninterrupted years of the Nations favorite TV Football Programme “Rothmans English Premier League”, transmitted weekly on more than 53 Stations.
1997 – Guinness Action Time – Syndication and programming of 52 x 56 minute episodes on National Network of Action packed programming for Guinness.

2001 – National Lottery Programme
Development and Executive Producer of National Lottery Programme seen Nationwide for more than 39 weeks consecutive production, also currently running on the National TV Network every Saturday Night at 8.00pm .

2003 Y’ello (MTN)
The Wicked Talk of the Town Entertainment concept Y”ELLO, Created the 3D modular media lifestyle concept for MTN. Using multi-purposed content driven thru media vehicles such as Radio, TV, Internet, SMS Messaging, Merchandising, Awards and Competitions and other leveraging tools, we have been able to create a credible sub brand for MTN.  It’s the hottest entertainment concept in Nigeria and seen also on Channel O across Africa.

2004 TO DATE

DRAMA
– Doctors Quarters
Popular MNET Drama series Doctors Quarters, 26 weeks of prime time drama on Africa ’s largest satellite Network. This drama shot and produced in Lagos and transmitted to 42 African countries is about the life, experiences and intimate moments of 6 young Nigerian medical students and the challenges they face as they go about their daily lives.

REALITY TV

Amstel Malta Box Office
Nigerian Produced Reality TV programme aimed over a period of 21 days x 1 hour prime time programming to showcase the daily interaction of 10 young Nigerians, as they are tested and put to various challenges that will see the eventual winner being selected as the next face of Nollywood.

Big Brother Nigeria
The International Hit Big Brother Nigeria involved 91 days 24/7 Transmission, 13 live eviction shows and artists and crew of more than 117 Nigerians and 12 South Africans. Still hailed as one of the biggest productions in Nigerian television history both in terms of size and impact, it remains a reference point for TV production in the country.

Apprentice Africa
Currently in Production the Award Winning International Hit format ‘The Apprentice’ is being produced in Nigeria with Bank PHB as title sponsors.

Dragons Den
Another International hit also currently in Production for UBA and MTN

CHANTELLE ABDUL
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER

An alumna of the George Washington University in Washington DC, Chantelle Abdul added panache to her already glittering professional profile when she successfully secured the license for the African continent on the aegis of The Executive Group, (the nascent international investment holdings firm). she acquired the rights to produce an Africa-wide version of the U.S. Popular reality series; Donald Trump’s: The Apprentice, from Mark Burnett Productions, in the United States. Along with her partner, Michael, The Executive Group is seeking to re-define the African Business Landscape by creating value and investing in burgeoning sectors such as Media, Real Estate and hospitality.

Before this latest milestone, Chantelle had been the Foreign International Director, in the US office of Mojec Global Holdings; a Nigerian holdings company with investments in the power, oil & the manufacturing sector. For Mojec she served as a foreign consultant on its power projects with the Nigerian power parastatal (PHCN – Power Holdings Company Nigeria). Trained in the latest technology in Electricity GT&D, Ms. Abdul assisted the firm in winning a $50million electrical equipments sub-contract bid in a $350 million national Electricity upgrade project. She created strategic alliances with Asian manufacturers to partner with her firm to manufacture equipments needed by the government. She authored a comprehensive Electricity G, T&D market study and a global manufacturer’s competitiveness report that served as project guide and was used for global manufacturer selection.

She has worked as an Associate in the Oil & Gas Division of International Assets Management located in Washington DC. Here, amongst other achievements, she originated and successfully brokered several petroleum product contracts between foreign nationals, U.S. and Asian refineries. Her responsibilities included handling the movement of highly sensitive information and ensuring compliances with local and international governmental regulatory bodies.

She has also worked as an Associate at the Savoy Crude Shipping Project identifying Crude Oil Sea borne trade as an opportunity for the company’s expansion initiative. Prior to her positions in Oil & Gas and Power projects, Ms. Abdul worked in Financial markets gained exposure in financial transactions as both an intern and an analyst at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter and Smith Barney in New York and washington DC respectively.

Ms. Abdul also originated and managed a few of the successful conferences on Africa in the United States. A strong believer in nurturing leadership and entrepreneurship in young adults, she created the successful “Vision, Strategy, Leadership Conferences and Charting a Course for Africa in the 21st Century in Washington DC. She also co-chaired the Andersen business challenge for young entrepreneurs as well as the Emerging Leaders Forum.

Ms. Abdul brings this keen understanding of both the African and international business terrain to bear on her responsibilities as the show’s Executive producer. Her role included the origination and negotiation of the format with the format owners (Mark Burnett Productions), creating the consortium of stakeholders currently involved in the project, that includes engaging Storm Vision as Co-production partners. She is essentially the Executive Producer in charge of business and legal matters for the show. This includes origination, structuring, financing, and managing the project.

“The Apprentice Africa” is her debut in television – and, expectedly, one in a series of many to come.

NKIRU ASIKA
PRODUCER

Nkiru Asika, B.A. (Oxon), M.A. (Syracuse), is one of the Producers of The Apprentice Africa. She is also the Executive Director of Storm Media & Entertainment Group, where her responsibilities include creating and marketing original formats; acquiring and developing licensed formats; casting talent; script development; managing technical capabilities to meet creative output; hiring and managing technical crews; negotiating and managing production budgets; liaising with broadcasters; developing commercial sponsorship opportunities and overseeing other aspects of production including legal, admin, logistics and creative. With Storm Vision, Nkiru has worked on programmes of varying genres including reality television (The Apprentice Africa; Big Brother Nigeria; Amstel Malta Box Office); documentary (The Players Pilot; Teacher’s Training Series, ILN; music/lifestyle (The Scoop; 100% Naija) and others.

Nkiru is also an internationally renowned journalist, who has been published in more than 20 newspapers and magazines in the U.S. She spent 5 years as a writer and columnist with SmartMoney Magazine, The Wall Street Journal’s Magazine for Personal Business, and in 2003, she was honoured with an award by the National Press Club of America. In addition, Nkiru has been a columnist for The Guardian Newspapers; member of the Media Strategy Group of Daily Times Newspaper and member Editorial Board of Nigeria Monthly magazine. She has also been hired as an editorial/communications consultant for several organizations including the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC), the Federal Ministry of Information, PeopleTemp Ltd and others.

OPEYEMI ODUGBEMI
LINE PRODUCER

Opeyemi Odugbemi, a graduate of Banking and Finance, is the Line Producer of The Apprentice Africa television reality show. Opeyemi’s career in television began with a job as Head of Production with Multisports Nigeria Limited, handling such productions as: The Best of Football (NTA), Neat Ideas (NTA) and Grandstand (DBN); from where he moved to DVWORX as a Producer and Event Manager working on projects such as St. Moritz Style selection, MTN television commercial premier and working for clients such as BATCO, MTN and Tequila Events.

Ope, as the team calls him, took a break from television to handle the popular entertainment hangout, Sportshaq as Chief Operating Officer in 2003, moving on to be General Manager of Da Caribbean Grotto Bar and then inched closer back to TV with the job of General Manager, Timberland Audio Visual Studio.

With a background in management sciences and a good television production experience over the years, he became the Production Manager of IBST Media Limited, executing such major projects as the MTN Academicals, Lotto Nigeria, ‘The Players’- which was a pilot production package of a television documentary programme on Nigeria and her citizens, and the MTV Base Launch in Nigeria.

Ope, who loves travelling, reading, movies and photography, was also the Production Manager on the hit Mnet series, Doctor’s Quarters as well as the Production Manager of the massively successful Big Brother Nigeria in 2006.

Other major productions with Storm Vision include Interactive Learning Network (Teacher training series), Thisday Music Festival 1 & 2 and The Scoop.
He is the hub of this production and certainly in a familiar territory.

MICHAEL AKINDELE
PRODUCER

Michael Tokunbo Akindele, a graduate of George Mason University, is one of the producers of The Apprentice Africa. He’s also a Principal Partner at The Executive Group International LLC, an international investment holding firm with a primary focus of investing in emerging markets. His primary responsibilities include managing, planning, organizing and coordinating activities and resources for The Executive Group.

Prior to becoming a partner at The Executive Group International, Mr. Akindele worked for Accenture, a top 5 US IT & Management consulting firm as a Core Business Analyst where he worked on classified US government projects. He later worked at Pfizer; leading US pharmaceutical company as an APM business developer where he thrived among his peers.

Amongst many things, Mr. Akindele is a seasoned brand manager & an award-winning artist.

YEMISI ILO
PROJECT MANAGER

Yemisi Ilo is a creative consultant who manages the processes involved in creating and distributing content. She has many years experience in book and magazine publishing, film production as well as project and artist management. One of three recipients of the Paul Hamlyn Foundation Bursary to study for a PGdip in Printing and Publishing at the University of the Arts London; she started her professional career with Dorling Kindersley book publishers before moving on to the Readers Digest.

Yemisi set up a publishing company in 2001 dedicated to publishing magazines and books that would positively impact the society. These include "Teachers & Parents Quarterly" - a journal and resource guide; "Pregnancy Companion" - a magazine dedicated to informing and educating pregnant women; "Swift Stabs" - a short play and "The Diamonds are here" - a collection of essays amongst others.

Between 2005 and 2007, Yemisi was the General Manager of Communicating for Change, a non profit media organisation dedicated to producing and distributing socially driven content for television, radio, print and new media. As a result of this work, Yemisi was invited to present a paper on Participatory Media Creation for Social Change, at the UN World Urban Forum III in Vancouver, Canada in 2006 and by the German government on an information tour for journalists to Cologne and Berlin. She was also the Project Manager of the first Future of Development Film in Africa Conference held in Lagos in December 2005 - in partnership with the Pan African University and TVE UK and funded by the Ford Foundation.

Yemisi has produced a number of short films and documentaries including two short films on debt relief - Seeing is Believing and Ofada Rice – which were broadcast on Channel 4, UK during the 2005 G8 conference and Mechanical Women - a short documentary on lady mechanics in Lagos which was awarded the best film on social issues at ZUMA FILM FESTIVAL in Abuja in 2006.