Why I gift money to entertainers – Olakunle Churchill

Ex-husband of Tonto Dikeh and CEO of the Big Church Group, Olakunle Churchill, has said that he considers his support for entertainers as an extension of his philanthropic activities.

In a chat with Sunday Scoop, he said, “I support the empowerment of young talents. It is one of the significant ways of contributing and making impact that lives on. Supporting the entertainment industry is one of the few ways through which I extend my philanthropic gestures, especially by nurturing, promoting and managing young prospective music talents.

“Entertainment is one of the sectors that I have always had interest in and overtime I have found myself around talents. So, I feel obliged to be of help, because my support connects with my sustained interest, as well as the profound relative impact which entertainment provides. It was my driving interest in entertainment that inspired the Big Church Group to establish Big Church Entertainment, to support young talents in the industry.”

Giving his assessment of the Nigerian entertainment industry, Churchill said, “The Nigerian entertainment industry is not doing poorly at all. As a matter of fact, the trends and developments in the industry at the moment are quite remarkable and impressive. Considering the international fame of our artistes and award nominations, I can emphatically say that the industry is doing just fine. However, more efforts need to be put in, especially in areas of identifying, nurturing and promoting young talents.”

On if he has any entertainment talent, the businessman said, “Not really, but there are some things I can do socially. I love listening to good music and I appreciate powerful presentations, as well as creative works designed and developed with a view to entertaining and providing maximum relaxation for the mind and the heart.”

Churchill also maintained that there is a lot of money to be made in the entertainment industry. “I do believe that there is money in the Nigerian entertainment industry because there are still so many angles yet to be explored. Many people think that the entertainment industry is just about the movie and music aspect but there is so much more to the industry than that. Even though there seems to be a lot of competition, at the end of the day, the most talented people will always come out tops,” he said.

Stating his aspirations, Churchill stated, “I envisage a life of gainful impact, progressive engagements and the opportunity to be exposed as the source upon which people’s weaknesses can be strengthened. As a matter of fact, my organisation will be expanding and establishing more of its branches across Europe, America and Asia with a purpose-driven vision to create more humanitarian impact.”