Few weeks after grabbing and headlining the Globacom’s mega deal for some privileged Nollywood stars, stylish actor, Jim Iyke, is on the verge of sealing another multi million Naira deal with Oceanic bank, this we exclusively gathered.
According to an insider, who’s also a close confidante of the Anambra State born international star, aside the N50 million that Glo recently paid him for two years endorsement, he also got another N20 million sign on fee from the marketer of his forthcoming music album entitled: Who am I.
Interestingly, Jim Iyke recently told us he would soon be signing a multi million Naira partnership deal with Oceanic Bank plc, for his forthcoming nationwide hunt: Supreme Talent. “We’ve gone far with discussions with Oceanic bank, on this project. The overall winner will get a two-movie contract deal from me, and also receive N5million upfront recording deal with Untamed Records, which is my own outfit. The lucky person will also go home with a brand new car and would be opportune to shoot a multi million Naira video in the US and UK. Several other mouth watering prizes await all the runners up”, Iyke, who just breezed in from the US, revealed.
Continuing, the actor turned singer, whose 12 tracker album featured Tuface Idibia, Sound Sultan, Yinka Davies and a few other foreign acts, further disclosed that the promo single of Who am I, alongside the scintillating video, has been dominating the national and international airwaves, since it was dropped a couple of weeks ago. “The full album will be out soon, it was recently launched in Ghana, we also had an elaborate album signing ceremony at the Silverbird, in Ghana, with over 3000 of my fans in attendance. The event was rounded off with an all night show, sponsored by TV Africa, Ghana. I’m currently on set shooting the videos of Born To Do This and Ikenna, which featured, Slow Dog. In fact, we just returned from South Africa, where we completed the video of the former. Wudi directed, while Puffy T, produced. Iyk Onwuka, the London based boss of Marginal Records, is in charge of the internet distributions and sales of my album, he paid me
handsomely for that too”.
Unarguably one of the highest paid and most sought after actors in Nollywood, he recently pocketed N5million, for his role in the first ever comic strip action movie from Nollywood.
The highly creative work of art, he told us would soon be premiered within and outside our shores.
Aside playing big in the entertainment industry, the still single entertainer, whose real names are: James Ikechukwu Esomugha, is gradually making an in road into the nation’s money-spinning oil and gas sector as well as the auto industry. He recently set up Jimke oil and gas with some of his equally rich pals, and now imports exotic cars for sales and pleasure cruising from the US. “My 2009 Cadillac Escalade, a customized SUV, will be arriving from the States, in the next couple of weeks. I buy cars for pleasure as well as business. Globally, super stars diversify, and that is what I am doing now, cos I know the show and business sides of showbiz.”
Iyke, further reacted angrily to a false story on the Internet alleging that he was beaten up, arrested and detained by the police on the orders of a female film producer, whom he had a disagreement with on set, while lensing in Ado Ekiti. “Nothing of such happened, I do not know where they fabricated the unjust story from. I was only delayed on that set and I threatened to leave, because I was traveling to the US, but when our national president, Mr. Ejike Asiegbu, intervened, I had to stay back and quickly completed my remaining scenes. To have turned the story round, the originators are liars and would soon be hearing from my team of lawyers. Even another ungodly story in one of the soft sell magazines, alleging that I was beaten in Ghana, was a figment of the writer’s imagination. My lawyers have also written them. All these are false stories aimed at bringing me and my exemplary career into disrepute, but they will never succeed.”
On his love life, the handsome entertainer, accepted he’s currently in a whirlwind romance with Keturah Hamilton, a top US model, with Jamaican and Cuban backgrounds. The damsel currently twanging Iyke’s heart like a Spanish guitar, we further learnt is also a music video model/dancer and the reigning face of Puff Daddy’s mineral water and several other endorsements.
Ambassador visits NFVCB…hails Mba’s policies
To further harness the global impact of Nollywood and reposition it as one of the effective tools needed for the re branding of our nation, the Nigerian High Commissioner to Canada, Prof. Iyorwuese Hagher on Friday, July 4, made a historic visit to the headquarters of the National Film and Video Censors Board in Abuja. The erudite professor was delighted by the strides made by Nigerian filmmakers and was therefore of the opinion that the re-branding process initiated by the Hon. Minister of Information and Communication, should be driven by the film medium. He gave example of how the Canadian government has used that medium for maximum effect. “Films should be able to contribute to the growth and development of any country and therefore help raise the standard and quality of life of the people. Film has to inoculate the public’, he maintained.
He further argued that the role of the national film and video censors board is one of the most critical aspects of the re-branding process. The classification and censorship process by the Censors board, he believes will help the public get quality movies that represent the interest of the Nigerian nation. The Director General Mr. Emeka Mba, in his response, thanked the High Commissioner for the visit and assured him of the board‘s commitment to sanitising the film industry and encouraging genuine moviemakers in Nigeria to harness their potentials. He promised that the Censors’ board would ensure through its classification and censorship processes that the best films get out of Nigeria to the world audience. The High Commissioner used the opportunity to invite the Censor’s board to the first Nollywood North American Film Festival in Toronto, Canada, from September 20 to 23, 2009. The festival is the brainchild of the High Commissioner and it is
expected to be an avenue for Nigeria and other black communities in the world to tell their own stories to the international audience. His Special Assistant, Domestic, Miss Franca Aernan, a leading Nollywood actress/filmmaker, accompanied the High Commissioner to the visit.
Del-York brings New York Film Academy to Nigeria
The need to recognize and immediately tackle the challenges facing the Nigerian film industry, globally known as Nollywood, has led to the signing of an agreement between Del-York international and the New York Film Academy (NYFA), US. The recent deal, which has the support and endorsement of the Ministry of Information and Communications, would see the revered and prestigious film institute bringing its world-class training courses, facilities and tutors to Lagos, Nigeria, soon.
According to Mr. Linus Idahosa, the prime mover of the laudable initiative and also the CEO of Del-York international, Nigeria will be the first country on the African continent to host the NYFA team to intensive hands on training workshop on film making, directing, screen writing, editing, broadcast journalism, 3D animation and master classes exclusively designed for professionals, marketing communications executives, lawyers, advertising agencies and government institutions.
Mr. Idahosa, further added that NYFA will ship world class equipment for the programme, including: 35mm and 16mm (plus RED) film cameras, High Definition (HD) cameras, lighting and sound systems, editing suites and projectors, which are all the same used at the leading four-year film school, in the US.
“Painstakingly designed for a new generation of film makers, screen writers, actors, producers, copy writers, creative directors and animators who share a passion for motion pictures, the training model allows all participants to achieve more in less time than any other University, Institute or School in the world. Each student will conceive, produce, direct and edit a new media project in one week.”
Also speaking, top actress, Stephanie Okereke, an alumnus of NYFA, and the coordinator of the initiative, further disclosed that Del-York would identify 100 gifted students from Nollywood and the creative arts departments of Nigerian Universities nationwide and offer them full scholarships.
“We are using a prime facility in Victoria Island, and over 500 students will be accommodated in small classes of 20 students per classroom. Registration is now in progress and classes begin in October”, she maintained.
Info-Bits:
-Segun Arinze set to hit DBN TV with Smokescreen soon.
-Chidi Mokeme prepares to launch own foundation in Lagos and Abuja.
-Aki and Pawpaw land multi million Naira deal with a South African phone company, AG Cellular.
FG re-appoints Mr. Emeka Mba, DG, NFVCB, for another four-year tenure.
-Mary, Lilian evicted from Koko Mansion.
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