British-born actor and SAG winner and BAFTA-nominated actor Idris Elba and Nigeria’s media mogul Mo Abudu announced that they are joining forces to empower and uplift talent from Africa and the diaspora through their respective production companies, Green Door Pictures and EbonyLife Media.
The partnership aims to build capacity and foster authentic representation in global film and TV projects set for production. According to reports, the new partnership will provide opportunities through a two-fold approach: through capacity building and large-scale global productions.
Through their collaboration, Elba and Abudu aim to nurture a more inclusive and diverse media landscape, where stories from Africa and its Diaspora are given the same level of attention and respect as other cultures and communities.
Elba and Abudu are calling on industry leaders globally, the wider public sector, governments, and multilateral agencies, to help them grow talent globally and build capacity around the continent of Africa.
The partnership will offer the best in industry education to support and empower African talent. Through EbonyLife’s ebonylifecreativeacedemy.com academy in Lagos Nigeria, a model that will be replicated across the continent the partnership will support graduates from the programme.
Their first goal is to give African talent the best education in business through EbonyLife’s academy in Lagos, Nigeria. This academy model will be replicated all over the African continent to help program graduates and give a new generation of creative professionals more power.
Their second goal is to make new movies and TV shows based on stories from Africa or the Diaspora for a global market. This development slate will focus on making real, Afro-centered stories that will be interesting to people all over the world. These movies will be shown in theatres, on TV, and on streaming services around the world.
“We believe that Africa has the talent and the stories to captivate the world,” Mo Abudu, CEO of EbonyLife Media, said. It’s our mission to offer the best in industry education, mentorship, and production opportunities so that our graduates can become valuable contributors to the global media landscape. We plan to hit the ground running and explore the very best that African and Black stories have to offer global audiences.”
