Dare’s Livespot360 seals multimillion naira production deal for The Real Housewives of Lagos

Leading Pan-African streaming service, Showmax, has teamed up with Nigerian creative solutions company Livespot360 to produce West Africa’s first installment of the award-winning franchise – The Real Housewives of Lagos (RHOLagos).

Hugely anticipated by fans of the franchise, RHOLagos becomes the 16th international version of the popular reality show format distributed internationally by NBC Universal Formats, part of Universal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group, and the third to be adapted in Africa.

The Real Housewives of Lagos is being produced by Livespot360, the creative force behind some of Nigeria’s biggest concerts and festivals in the last decade.

Livespot360 pulled off the renowned concert series Love Like A Movie, featuring Kelly Rowland, Ciara and Kim Kardashian; the highly acclaimed The Falz Experience; and Cardi B’s unforgettable showpiece at Livespot X Festival in Lagos and Accra.

Showmax said it is working with Livespot360 to provide a world-class production for the show as part of its commitment to supporting local talent and creatives.

“From the start, we were deliberate about making sure that this show was made in Lagos by Lagosians and Livespot360 was the perfect production partner. Over the years, they’ve shown a deep understanding of the city and what makes it tick through their world-class concerts and festivals. Partnering with them on this project was an easy decision,” Candice Fangueiro, Head of Content at Showmax, said.

“RHOLagos further reiterates our standing as an African brand focused on telling our stories through partnerships and collaborations with local talent and creatives. This is definitely a progressive step to more local collaborations and staying true to our commitment to supporting Nigerian talent.”

A report released in 2020 by Accenture, a top accounting and consulting firm, estimated that Showmax’s parent company MultiChoice Nigeria had spent over $428 million between 2015 and 2019 in developing Nigeria’s creative talent.

The Chief Creative Director of Livespot360, Darey Art-Alade, who coordinates and produces some of the biggest annual entertainment shows in Nigeria like The Voice Nigeria and Livespot X Festival, among others, said producing RHOLagos is a unique opportunity that has enabled Livespot360 to provide opportunities for the entire creative value chain as individuals can showcase their skills and talents by providing specific services on the show.

Showmax announced on Monday, March 14, 2022, that RHOLagos would cast Nollywood actress Iyabo Ojo, a divorced mother of two; celebrity stylist and CEO of Tiannah’s Place Empire, Toyin Lawani-Adebayo; and PR expert and chief executive director at Six Sixteen Agency, Mariam Timmer.

Others include Carolyna Hutchings, the CEO of Hutchings Limited, a real estate, oil and gas, and agriculture company; Laura Ikeji, a social media influencer and entrepreneur; and Chioma Ikokwu, a lawyer and CEO of luxury hair brand Good Hair Ltd.

Since the announcement, the highly anticipated show has enjoyed rave reviews from fans as they list their expectations.

RHOLagos follows in the footsteps of earlier Showmax Originals like I Am LAYCON, Ghana Jollof with Basketmouth, and BBNaija: The Buzz hosted by Toke Makinwa.

The reality show will debut exclusively on Showmax in more than 40 African countries from April 8, 2022, with new episodes every Friday. It will give fans a view into the opulent lives of six of the most glamorous women in Lagos, Nigeria.

According to Darey, a lot of dynamism comes with the show, and “viewers and all fans of RHOL, old and new, can expect real-life moments – the good, bad, the dramatic and sometimes the ugly parts of each cast member’s life. This is reality TV at its very best!”

“It’s a proud feeling for us as a team to see the product of months of ideation, creativity and planning come to life. It’s a unique opportunity for us to produce The Real Housewives of Lagos. You get to see how human emotions come in to play in real time and beyond just the entertainment value, there’s a lot to learn from these interactions.”

On what it means for him producing the show, the award-winning artiste said, “For us at Livespot360, our mission is largely tied to contributing meaningfully to the creative industry. This show has enabled us to provide opportunities for the entire creative value chain as individuals are able to showcase their skills and talents by providing specific services on the show.

It is also an opportunity to showcase some locally grown brands within the show. At Livespot360, our content productions are largely managed by an indigenous Nigerian crew. We strongly believe in the capacity of Nigerian creatives and we want to encourage that on our various productions while also simultaneously increasing capacity through skills transfer with some of our international partners,” he said.

Regarding the partnerhsip with Showmax, he said, “We believe that Showmax is an innovative brand that understands what the consumers in this market yearn for and is willing to take calculated risks with their content properties. We are aligned with their mission and are able to complement their work through our production execution.

It was a no-brainer to work with them and its been a pleasure thus far.”

On what viewers should expect from the team, he said, “Viewers and all fans of RHOL old and new, can expect real life moments – the good, bad, the dramatic and sometimes the ugly parts of each cast members life. Real inspirational stories, moments of celebration, moments of weakness, and general qualitative entertainment. Even though I may sound biased as one of the show’s Executive Producers, RHOL is actually super interesting and the production quality is world class. Viewers will be glued to their screens no doubt.”

Thouhg producing the reality TV show is different from produing a regular concert, Dare assured that Livespot360 has processes that it follows on every project.

“So, whether it’s a bespoke concert or festival, TV commercial, advertising or experiential marketing campaign or reality shows and TV productions, we work within these guidelines which help us to work effectively and efficiently. However, it’s very important to note that producing RHOL in Lagos is not easy at all. There are cultural and environmental factors that we have had to navigate. Traffic delaying call times and production schedules repeatedly, delayed approvals on certain locations, etc.

“Also, you’re dealing with real people with real schedules, moods and personal issues all at the same time. So, it is a huge task to ensure that both cast and crew are able to work together to make this happen with the least resistance possible. It’s literally a movie to produce these sort of shows! Thankfully, our vast experience comes to bear and we are able to ensure our stakeholders are always happy with the end result.”