By Prosper Mene
Nollywood actress and filmmaker, Funke Akindele, has revealed how an unnamed social media influencer turned down her offer to pay for promotional content for her 2024 hit film, Everybody Loves Jenifa.
Akindele shared the experience while speaking during a panel session at the Creative Africa Nexus Weekend (CANEX WKND), where she opened up on influencer partnerships and the challenges of promoting her projects.
She said she was initially hesitant to reach out to the influencer, but eventually sent a message proposing a content collaboration for the film’s promotional campaign.
According to her, she waited for several days before receiving a response that the influencer’s management was not interested in the collaboration.
“There was one influencer I reached out to. I sent a message to them that I would like to create content. One, two, three, four times a week. And I didn’t want to send this message. This was during Everybody Loves Jenifa, but I tried,” she said.
She added that she even offered to pay for the promotional content, but the influencer declined.
“The person was like, ‘I’m sorry, my management, they don’t want me to do this.’ The person was like, ‘Oh, please, I’m paying. I’m paying.’ The person ignored me,” Akindele said.
The filmmaker said she later came across claims that she had blocked someone over the disagreement, although she did not identify the person or give further details about the claims.
She said the experience did not discourage her from pursuing promotional partnerships, adding that she had learnt to handle rejection without letting it affect her.
“I didn’t let it affect me. I embraced it. I didn’t go and reply. I just said, God, take control. I got back to it,” she said.
Akindele also encouraged people to distinguish constructive criticism from discouragement, urging them to remain focused on their goals despite negative comments.
The filmmaker has recorded major box office successes in recent years.
Her 2023 film, Battle on Buka Street, grossed about N640m, while A Tribe Called Judah became the first Nollywood film to cross the N1bn mark at the Nigerian box office in January 2024.
Later that year, Everybody Loves Jenifa grossed about N1.88bn, setting a record as the highest-grossing film in West Africa at the time.
