Adenike Adeniji popularly known as Anik Entertainment in the showbiz circle is one of the rising Nigerian entertainment promoters in the United Kingdom. The beautiful and hardworking CEO of Anik Entertainment is set to carve a niche for herself in the highly competitive entertainment industry by showcasing and exposing young Nigerian artistes to international audiences. In this exclusive interview, Princess Anik speaks about her foray into entertainment and her visions for her brand among other topical issues. Excerpts…
Can you introduce yourself?
My name is Adenike Adeniji. I am an Event Promoter based in London, United Kingdom. I’m the CEO and founder of Anik Entertainment. And within the industry, people call me Princess Anik. Aside from music promotion, I’m also a Mental Health specialist.
What inspired you to pursue a career in the entertainment industry as a show promoter?
I’m a lover of good music and I’m so much in love with entertainment.
Right from onset I’ve always loved entertainment. I once acted in about 2 home video movies in 2005 but I got discouraged by my parents who are not encouraging me so I left it. Right now, I promote events. I bring in artistes into the UK for shows. I still love acting, but I’m planning to go into movie productions, that is, a producer. I’m currently working on some movie projects.
What were the challenges you faced when starting out?
Promoting is a very tough job and you have to be strong, and also be a very hard working person to delve into this type of profession or business. It’s tough getting other promoters to support you when you are new in the business. You barely see someone that will genuinely love you, support you or your brand especially when you are upcoming and you are just starting. These are the challenges I faced.
What’s the biggest challenge you’re facing in your career right now, and how are you tackling it?
Last year when I brought Tee Famous, the guy that sang Buga Won. It was very tough for me to get support from other promoters. You have to start begging some people to post the promo materials of your show for you on their social media handles. But glory be to God, I stand strong, firm and lean on God for Him to continue to be my strength.
What’s the most important lesson you’ve learned in your career so far?
The most important lesson I’ve learnt is that, when it comes to business, make sure it is 100 per cent business. Get signed documents and don’t all0w room for sentiments. Never mix family, friends or relationship with business.
How do you keep up with entertainment shows, trends, and industry developments?
I’m a new promoter, I just started and I have the likes of Billy Que and BNS Promotions that guides me in the industry. They encouraged me and I got advice from them. I also watched what they have done in the past and learned from them.
What do you feel is the most important skill and knowledge to have as an entrepreneur and entertainment show promoter?
You have to know your ability and strength because it’s a very tedious job. You must be good at what you are doing. As a promoter, before embarking on any project, you must do your background checks and research, especially about the brand you want to promote. The market in which you want to bring the brand into, if he or she is known and sellable.
What’s one lesson your job has taught you that you think everyone should learn at some point in their life?
Before you invest in any business you need to do your research. Never say you are doing it like a favour. I’ve realized that there’s no favour or sentiment in business.
Tell us about your first music promotion.
My first music promotion like I mentioned earlier was bringing Tee Famous to the UK. It was quite challenging for me because many of the UK clubs were saying his song is not being played in the UK, though he is very popular in Nigeria.
What qualities do you think make a successful promoter in the Entertainment industry?
A good music promoter must be able to manage clients and situations. In this business you meet lots of people with all sorts of characters and you must be able to tolerate them. You must also be humble but strict.
Is there anything you wish you could change about the social media world?
I wish there were boundaries, there are rules guiding what people post online. Especially in Nigeria, it needs to be regulated. People post all sorts of horrible and untrue things which are not even supposed to be online about people and they get with it.
What’s a common myth about your job or field of expertise?
People tend not to take the people in my line of field seriously, especially women. They see us as loose people but don’t know many have high disciplines and are strict.
What are your long-term professional goals within the entertainment industry?
I’m just taking things one step at a time, especially when it comes to this entertainment industry. Promoting, acting, movie production, I want to take things easy as much as I can, because I realized that the industry is mostly filled with fake people. They don’t love you, it’s mostly about fake love. And me, I’m a lover girl. I love love, and me, I like to be real and transparent with people. But I see myself doing more movie productions.
What’s your favourite music and who are your favourite artistes?
I love good music. As a promoter, we are lovers of everybody. So for me, I’m a lover of good music.
Aside from music promotions, what other things are you into?
I’m a Mental Health specialist here in the UK. I deal with people with learning disabilities, people with mental health issues, I work in the hospital and in the community as well.
What advice do you have for young people out there who want to take up music promotions as a career?
Music promotion is a good career. My advice to young people out there is to get focused and know exactly what you really want. Be humble and honest. Integrity really matters a lot.
