Utweets
Nigerian media mogul and founder of the Silverbird Group, Ben Murray-Bruce, has shared how he facilitated $200 million in funding for the entertainment industry through former President Goodluck Jonathan. In 2010, Mr Jonathan granted the entertainment industry $200 million, designed as loans and support for industry practitioners. ...READ THE FULL STORY FROM SOURCE ...READ THE FULL STORY FROM SOURCE
The former President, who announced the fund approval at the 30th anniversary of Silverbird, urged the industry practitioners to use the fund to create jobs and movies and build more cinemas.
Murray-Bruce, 68, spoke about the infamous $200 million lifeline for Nigerian entertainers at the 4th Peace Anyiam-Osigwe Nigeria Digital Content Regulation Conference in Lagos. The conference was organised by the Nigerian Film and Video Censors Board (NFVCB) and attended by PREMIUM TIMES.
The former senator who represented Bayelsa East Senatorial District in Bayelsa State also revealed he was scammed during an attempt to acquire a cinema complex in Kenya.
He maintained that his South African business partner defrauded him of $3.5 million earmarked for the cinema complex purchase.
The business magnate said: “One day, they called me and told me to buy a cinema complex in Kenya. I was very excited and asked, ‘How much is it?’ They said it was $3.5 million. I had a South African partner. Do you know what he did? He registered the company in his name, and we lost $3.5 million.
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“So, we’ve been ‘baptised’ many times. We’ve gone through a lot, but it’s nice to laugh about it now. I have a studio in Los Angeles and am currently in litigation with one of the most prominent Hollywood stars, but I won’t tell you his name.”
$200 million
The politician also disclosed that when his company reached a landmark, he approached former President Jonathan for favour which was subsequently granted
“When Silverbird turned 30, I went to President Goodluck Jonathan and said, ‘President Jonathan, I need you to do me a favour.’ He asked, ‘What?’ I replied, ‘I want you to give me a present.’ He then asked, ‘What do you want?’ I said, ‘I want you to create a fund for the entertainment industry.’ And he did—he created a $200 million fund.
“The sad part is, I never participated or took a loan from the $200 million. Mo took a significant amount, but I didn’t take any. I said, ‘President Jonathan, you did this for me?’ Now, the industry is thriving. Reflecting on everything I’ve done and what I’ve yet to achieve, I realise I should be doing more. And I will—but we need to do it right this time,” said the former Director-General of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA)”.
Movie production
Murray-Bruce revealed his interest in movie production, sharing that he is working on a script to tackle critical societal challenges.
The alumnus of the University of Southern California in the United States expressed regret over not pursuing a career as an actor.
The Lagos-born business mogul said: “So, I’m working on some scripts. We’re going to get it right, and in doing the movie, we need to address fundamental issues. When I began my career, I started in Los Angeles. It was in 1980. Two years earlier, I was always on the set of ‘Good Times’ and ‘Happy Days’.
“That is the irony. I should have begun my career in film, not music. I knew what I wanted to do. I didn’t know how to get there but knew I’d get there through music or film.”
He noted that copyright issues were rampant during his time as a singer in Los Angeles. Upon returning to Nigeria, he found compelling reasons to fight against this menace.
“Returning to Nigeria, I kept thinking we needed to fix this. Today, you’re promoting African music across the world. The world has changed. We are partnering with some of you here today. We will purchase a cinema chain worldwide to show our movies for at least 1000 years. Nobody is going to give it to you. I have met all the major players on planet Earth.
“We can seize the moment and say, do we want to make $50 million in the box office? A $100 million in the box office? Is it rocket science? No. Is there a process? Yes. Is there a difference between a black man, a white man, a Chinese man, and a Japanese man? No, the difference is the environment”, said Murray-Bruce...READ THE FULL STORY FROM SOURCE....READ THE FULL STORY FROM SOURCE
