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The Legendary Show… Is A Desire To Meet A Need Gap — Director

By FUNSHO AKINWALE
17 July 2015   |   11:53 pm
 For Ayo Alaba Idowu, chief executive officer, Glass House Entertainment, producers of The Legendary Show, a TV talk show that celebrate illustrious Nigerians, whose talents, personalities and career skills have imparted lives and contributed immensely in enhancing the culture, unity, economy and the entertainment image of Nigeria and beyond the shores of the country, was…
Alaba

Alaba

 For Ayo Alaba Idowu, chief executive officer, Glass House Entertainment, producers of The Legendary Show, a TV talk show that celebrate illustrious Nigerians, whose talents, personalities and career skills have imparted lives and contributed immensely in enhancing the culture, unity, economy and the entertainment image of Nigeria and beyond the shores of the country, was inspired by the need to reward the selfless services. In this interview with FUNSHO AKINWALE, during the shooting of the first episode in Lagos, he spoke on why the show debut on national television stations and MNET Africa, and the various categories.

What inspired The Legendary Show?
It was the desire to meet a need gap. We thought that certain personalities should be remembered, celebrated and honoured because they have through their various industries, contributed immensely to nation building, national unity, culture preservation, talent and economic development. The Legendary Show is the platform we have created to meet that need. We felt that if we celebrated such people, we can get a lot more people to contribute even more and Africa will be a better place.

Why the various categories?
The Legendary Show is not just into celebrating legends; we are also into inspiring legends. The different categories were to create enough room for different generations especially the younger ones, so that they can be inspired. The transition from one legendary level to another is the fulfillment of the show.

What defines each category?
Perennial Legends: These are legends that are no longer with us but remains in our hearts forever. It was an incredible moment with the Rashidi Yekini and the DaGrin families on the show.

All-time Legends: These legends are not less than 30 years in their varying industries and have created or invented something that has been beneficial to others. It could be a line of business, thought or action that many people are now following. Such an invention must have created employment opportunities within and even outside his or her industry. The contribution of such legends must have been recognised by a minimum of three different international organisations beyond the shores of Africa. To be recognised as an All-time Legend, it means in generations coming, it will be difficult or impossible to talk about that specific industry without mentioning the name of such an All-time Legend. We believe it takes only an All-time Legend to have achieved this feat.

Today’s Legends: To be recognised as Today’s Legend, such person must have spent at least 20 years in a specific industry and must have immensely impacted lives. He or she must have created noble paths that people strongly look up to. Such person must have covered grounds in his country, and must have got at least two international recognitions within Africa, by Africans in diaspora or from the rest of the world. It is however important to note that the categorization isn’t basically all about the duration a legend has spent in his or her industry but about the level of contribution made within that duration. We can have someone who has been doing the same thing for more than 50 years but is recognized as Today’s Legend.

Next Generation Legends: This category is designed for the younger generations who have been in their chosen fields for a minimum of 10 years and have made remarkable impact. Such legends may have been recognized multiple times nationally and even internationally.

Kids’ Legends: Just as the name implies, these are kids within the age of 0 to 13 who have done things that others are unable to do. Such kids must have got multiple recognitions within their country and beyond. Such kids, if they maintain consistency and do more, could in the future be recognised as Next Generation Legends and more.
How were you able to put together a great team to achieve the kind of excellence and quality The Legendary Show possesses?

As an entrepreneur, the biggest challenge is in putting the right team together. Setting out to do something that will make Africa’s biggest television show meant that we had to ensure we got the best hands across all areas of production. Interestingly, I have been working with this same team over time. We have been working together and when a time like this comes, we just ride together.

What makes The Legendary Show different from other shows?
First, it has a set that has got usual creative depth. Again, it has a huge external value with a peculiarity that is first in the world. It is amazing when you see a legend stamp his own footprint on the show and has it carved out for him to take home in gold. What we do on the show is not make-believe; it is real. I am imagining the timeless value of such footprints. Many years from now, when these legends eventually pass on, each footprint will be that part of them that they leave behind asides the memories in our hearts. It is something the world will come together to look at because it goes beyond a physical relationship; each footprint will have a spiritual connection to its owner. This is the first time in the world this has been done.

As the producer of the show, what were your major challenges?
Running away from mediocrity was the first major challenge. I have a philosophy that states, “If it’s not excellent, then it’s not good.” So I had to ensure that everyone on the team was driven towards achieving excellence. Another challenge is the finance; a show like The Legendary Show is a huge project that we had set out to achieve without sponsors. In this part of the world, it is usually difficult for sponsors to picture and relate with a creative idea until you actually bring it out, especially when it’s something you have not done before.

What other contents have you produced?
Interestingly, for television, we just started not too long ago. This year alone, Glass House Entertainment has done five television contents in six months which I both produced and directed. We have done Hope234, which is airing right now on one of the African Magic channels. We also did The Survivor Show, which is another very big content that Africa should watch out for in a couple of weeks. We started filming The Proposal Show last month. I must say, it is one of the most challenging and creative contents I have seen anywhere. I think Africa should really watch out for that too. We have five more television contents to film this year.

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