INTERVIEW: How I Won a 2 Million Naira Grant- Gospel Filmmaker

A gospel filmmaker and a story developer, Ololade Okedare recently won a two million naira (2,000,000) grant beating over a thousand people.
In this exclusive interview with Gospel Film News Publisher, Oluwafemi Dosu, Ololade who is also the wife of notable gospel actor, Fiyinfolu Okedare disclosed how she started a story development consultancy two years ago, how she won the grant amongst others. Excerpt:

Congratulations for this great feat. Could you please tell us how it happened?

In 2022, I founded a story development company focused on helping both aspiring and established storytellers create better-developed African stories across the globe. It was a great start and I saw the impact we were beginning to have, I knew it was time to scale the business. This year, I set out to tap into wealth opportunities that could support that goal. Every new season comes with a release of resources; I decided it was time to leverage that for the growth of my business, and ultimately my industry. I am grateful for Mrs Folorunsho Alakija, the Founder of Flourish Africa and an Apostle in the marketplace, who is delivering on the mandate of her Christian faith — dominion (wealth and influence) and replenishing (giving back) — through her vision to empower other women. Flourish’s motto: “Empowering women to empower other women,” resonates with what Emerge has been doing since 2022 to give female filmmakers an edge in the industry.

Who/What Inspires You?

God. I see Him in everything He’s created. Psalms 19: 1 says “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the skies display his craftsmanship”. God is super creative and His Spirit dwells on my inside. There are no bounds to the inspiration I can draw from Him. I only need to draw.

How do you create more balance in your life and this career?

Blessed is she/he whose family and career find expression in her/his purpose for living. That’s how I find my balance. It’s all integrated into the “why” of my existence. Every facet simply taps from that same core; there’s no incongruence. I left paid employment to establish a business because I wanted to create a life-work balance that helps me prioritise. I have found out that creating systems that work when my attention is on one area, then gives me room to explore other areas because I can be assured that things are running well in the previous areas I had paid attention to. It’s a continuous work of balance.

What’s something you’re really proud of and why?

My salvation in Christ Jesus. There’s nothing greater to be grateful for and boldly proclaim! All other accomplishments are ephemeral but this is eternal. I also love the way the Holy Spirit befriends me. It’s such a loving relationship, even when He scolds me. As for earthly milestones, I can only be grateful for every gift God has given me.

Has there ever been a time when you felt you needed to change your behavior at work and how did you do it?

Yes. I have learnt to show more empathy on the job. We are continuously being transformed into Christ’s image. God opens my eyes to see areas that need improvement. Just like the heroes in our stories who attain self-realization, and then must take a moral decision to change for the better, I have learnt to acknowledge my fault or weakness first, make the decision to change and lean into the help of the Holy Spirit because change, especially, sustained change, requires the grace of God combined with our determination.

What’s your advice to people in the creative industry generally both gospel and secular?

2 Peter 1: 5-8, AMPC version, succinctly captures what I have to say at the moment. Excellence, Knowledge and Love are my emphases.