Created by - Phoenix Project
The Phoenix Den: Future of African Creatives
As part of Accelerate's continued efforts to support creatives in Nigeria, through The Phoenix Project, 150 people out of 5000 enrolled learners were selected by Access Bank to participate in the Intermediate and Advanced levels of The Phoenix Project as part of cohort 1. We are super excited for the selected learners. Now, if you missed out on Cohort 1, not to worry, cohort 2 is starting soon! As part of the learning program design of The Phoenix Project, it was important that we provide end-to-end support for our learners. This is why we incorporated The Phoenix Den into the program design. Through The Phoenix Den, we allow all of our top-performing learners to unleash their full potential. The Den offers two pathways, creative business incubation with the possibility of funding, and internship opportunities across multiple creative companies in Nigeria.We have partnered with a leading start-up incubator in Africa to train and mentor learners who reach this level of the learning program. For incubation, selected learners will go through a 3-month intensive training on start-up development. At the end of the intensive sessions. learners will have the opportunity to pitch their creative idea and stand the chance to get funding to kickstart their creative business. The learners who opt in for the internship pathway of The Phoenix Den will be assigned to creative companies in Nigeria for 3 months. Whoop whoop! We are excited for members of Cohort 1 who made it to The Phoenix Den. It is important for you as a creative to take this opportunity seriously, as it gives you the opportunity to not just learn but start your creative journey on a very strong and positive note.To get into the next cohort of The Phoenix Den, be sure to sign up for cohort 2 of the Intermediate and Advanced levels starting soon!Join the waitlist here
More detailsPublished - Wed, 20 Jul 2022
Created by - Phoenix Project
HOW TO STIR YOUR CREATIVITY.
As cliché as the title of this article is, I'm not going to be asking you to listen to music, or take a walk or maybe journal twice a day. Don’t get me wrong, they are all fantastic advice, but may never work if you don’t ask the right questions.No, you’re not asking a professional, from whom you’d be sure to get loads of generalized and overly simplified answers, (stray bulletz inna da air!) you’d be asking the one person with all the data about you and what you represent, “YOURSELF”.Now if you’re looking for a quick fix, I’d suggest you swipe past now, or forever be informed that getting creative is much deeper than taking a walk in the park (literally lol).1. Find out when you get creativeUnderstanding the basis of your personality could be a major breakthrough as you search to come up with uniquely creative ideas. Studying yourself to find out at what time, place and in what settings your creative juices flow could be such a game changer! I’m a night crawler, and so, during the day, it can be a struggle to concentrate, even when I am not in crowded or loud environment, but at night, it’s like I don’t even have to try! Do you know if you’re a morning or night person? whether you think and work better when you’re alone, in a team or while you’re checking other people’s work out in your endless scrolls on social media? Well then, get over paper work, emails and other routine tasks and get down to business when you’re most comfortable.2. What aligns with your field of play. Are you outspoken and articulate, calculative, introspective? Do you think fast on your feet? Do people find you funny? Does your imagination run wild? These seemingly mundane things could be the reason you’re drawn to your field of play, it’s probably what makes you uniquely capable to function as whoever you want to be. Before desiring to be an artist, a producer, an actor or brand manager, you must have aligned with thought processes particularly to any of these field in a way. This is evident in the way we interpret the same things differently. For example, where a journalist who encounters a man with an abnormally large leg might see an interesting story to write or film about, a doctor could be concerned for the life of a patient whom he/she knows is in dire need of medical attention. Creativity is in the way we see. 3. Find your purposeCreativity is not dependent on what you’re good at alone and so just because you can sing or act, does not mean your purpose is in acting or the music industry as an artist.This is why knowing what your purpose is, is crucial in stimulating and channeling your creative voice.Knowing your purpose does 2 things:1. It keeps you passionate: Passion is fleeting, but understanding purpose will keep you grounded and focused on your craft even on days when you are feeling unmotivated2. It carves your niche: We log on to social media and hear a lot about finding/creating a niche to grow in and make a difference but very few people really add how they find their niche. Purpose answers that! Ever wondered why creatives sometimes come off as unoriginal? Or why they start with one thing but cannot seem to sustain the persona they have created? it’s because the answer to your why is either incorrect or needs to be updated. Find your purpose and you’ll see how ideas will flow easily to you. 4. Find out how you get creative.What do you do when you’re feeling uninspired? A recent study carried out by psychologists at Queen's University in Kingston, Canada suggests that the average person has about 6200 thoughts per day! This means that the human mind is literally a gold mine of ideas and being creative is not for a limited few, everyone has the ability to be exceptionally creative.With your hands, through journaling or hanging out with creatives like yourself, finding out HOW you get creative will put an end to your dry spells. It’s going to be a lot of work but both you and your career and will be better for it.
More detailsPublished - Mon, 25 Jul 2022
Created by - Phoenix Project
Successful Completion of Intermediate and Advanced Level of Cohort 1
Billed to be a memorable day at Accelerate, The Phoenix Project presented its graduates from the first cohort of learners. It was filled with moments of creative fun, celebration for the Partners, facilitators, learners and the whole team at The Phoenix Project and Accelerate. Aptly regarded as the premier learning platform for creatives, The Phoenix Project hosted her first set of learners to their graduation ceremony which held on Friday, the 12th of August, 2022 at the Access Bank building on Plot 1665, Oyin Jolayemi street, Victoria Island, Lagos with the learners, facilitators and partners in attendance. Recently launched on the 29th of April, 2022, The Phoenix Project admitted over 5,000 learners to its Learning management system which hosts the beginner level courses across 3 bundles; The Film & production, Business of Entertainment & social media for business bundles. The beginner level courses were delivered through the intuitive learning management, and upon the completion of the beginner level courses, successful learners were admitted into the intermediate & advanced levels which are learner-exclusive structured in-person sessions which expands the knowledge instilled at the beginner level while also preparing them for entrepreneurship and employability in the creative space. In partnership with the School of Media and Communication of the Pan-Atlantic University, a total number of 200 learners admitted into the intermediate & advanced levels went through rigorous training relative to the ever growing creative industry. During the course of these sessions, learners had a combination of assessments and conditions to be met that would ensure their graduation from the program.At the end of the assessments, a total of sixty-three students qualified for graduation; students with exceptional performances were then further selected to participate in the final stage of the program called THE PHOENIX DEN.The Phoenix Den is the phase of the program where participants are selected to either access funding to support their business ideas or gain internship opportunities within a host of creative companies in Nigeria. According to Jite Ovuraye, Head of Marketing and Operations at Accelerate “ It is important we exist as a platform for all creatives to leapfrog their careers in this sector of the economy. Accelerate strives to go beyond entertainment, and through The Phoenix Project we get to do just that.”
More detailsPublished - Thu, 18 Aug 2022
Created by - Phoenix Project
Five Things You Need to Know About Having A Contract As A Creative
IT THROWS MORE LIGHT ON EXPECTATIONS:Contracts, outline the necessary expectations you have for your clients and vice versa. It allows you to come to an agreement, whereby you state important details like ownership of properties, copyright, and a lot more. It also allows you to set limits so you aren't working 24/7. IT HOLDS YOUR CLIENT CHARGEABLE: It simply gives your clients insights into your terms and conditions. Clients are made more aware of what working with you will be like because chances are that they are not aware or have no idea.IT ALSO HOLDS YOU ACCOUNTABLE FOR NECESSARY AGREEMENT: The same way a contract holds your clients chargeable is the same way it holds you accountable. To make sure that your client feels valued, having a contract is important.IT ENABLES YOU TO RESOLVE MISUNDERSTANDINGS WITH CLARITY AND PROOF: Misunderstandings and disagreements are prone to occur even after a contract has been signed. It could be because a party read through the contract but doesn't remember or recall a particular detail. That is definitely not a problem; you can just refer the person back to the contract and see what both parties agreed to. IT ALLOWS YOU TO BUILD A PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR CLIENTS: Always remember that you’re a professional and that means you have to treat your business in a professional manner. Having a contract shows that you’re serious about your business.To get more insightful details about why it is necessary to have a contract as a creative, you can sign up for Entertainment Law Course on the Business of Entertainment Bundle on www.phoenixprojectng.com
More detailsPublished - Wed, 28 Sep 2022
Created by - Phoenix Project
The Superstar Facilitators On The Film and Production Bundle
Our course bundle showcase for this month’s edition is the Film and Production BundleBelow are some of our facilitators for the Film and Production Bundle and the course facilitated by them.Kemi Lala Akindoju:Kemi"Lala" Akindoju is a Nigerian actress and CEO at The Make It Happen Productions, one of Nigeria’s young and dynamic production companies responsible for the much talked about stage plays ‘The V Monologues: The Nigerian Story (2011 & 2012) and ‘The Wives’ (2014).She won an Africa Magic trailblazer award for her role in the film adaptation of Dazzling Mirage.Here on the Phoenix project, Kemi takes on the course, Introduction to Film production.Kemi is well-grounded in production systems and processes and it jumps right at you from the start. This course was specifically designed by Lala, and we’re calling it pure gold.Xavier Ighorodje:Mr. Xavier Ighorodje is an award-winning screenwriter, director, content creator, and producer resident in Nigeria. He is the screenwriter of the short documentary, A WILL OF IRON which won a SUNDANCE award for the short documentary in 2014, sponsored by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.His short film – The truth about B.A.E, also won the best cinematography, best writing, and best directing in the Lagos 48-hr film challenge in 2015. He is the Head Writer for the MNET Africa Magic Showcase’s 260 episodes hit Telenovela series ENAKHE.Here on the Phoenix Project, Xavier takes the course, Introduction to ScriptWriting.With this course, Xavier weaves together an immersive story that takes you, learners, on a journey into creating the perfect script when writing for screen.Abba Makama: Abba T. Makama is the creative director and founder of Osiris Film & Entertainment based in Lagos, Nigeria.Abba has directed documentaries for TV Networks like Al Jazeera and has created content for local and international brands like Google, BlackBerry, Hennessy, and Ciroc Vodka.Abba is the director of the award-winning - Green White Green- one of the most traveled films in Nigerian film history. Green White Green can also be found in a few University libraries around the world, including Harvard.Abba takes the course, Introduction to film on the Phoenix Project.For every aspiring filmmaker, Abba unpacks the tapes that detail everything that you need to know about your immediate journey to becoming a filmmaker. Can you hear it? #Action!To enjoy the insightful knowledge that these facilitators have unpacked on film and production you can sign up on our website, to enroll for these courses.
More detailsPublished - Wed, 28 Sep 2022
Created by - Phoenix Project
PHOENIX VIRTUAL LEARNERS’ HANGOUT
Ding Dong!!! We had our first Virtual Learners’ hang out and it was amazing.We kicked off the session on the 17th of September, we had learners from Abuja, Lagos, kano, and Portharcourt. It wouldn't have been a success without all our learners, our guest speaker, and the phoenix project team.You know how we do it at The Phoenix Project, if we say anything we stick to it. So, we began the session at exactly 12noon with our DJ putting us in the Gen Z mood, the fact the session was virtual did not stop us from moving to the beat.Our learners are VIPs (Very Important Persons) so we decided to take them on a brief introductory session on what The Phoenix Project is all about, this was done by one of the team members. We also didn't want to bore our learners so we kept to our promise by making it as brief as possible. Our learners are VIPs just like I mentioned earlier so there was no way we were going to leave them out of that introductory session, so we had some of our existing learners and upcoming learners do quick introductions. Our internship buddies also shared their experience in the program so far, and it was certainly overwhelming to hear all the nice things they had to say about us.The learners from Cohort 1 graced the floor by sharing their experiences and at this point, The Phoenix Project team members might have shed a tear or two because we were so happy with these reviews.What other way to dish out goodies for our learners other than having an amazing guest speaker share some insightful words and advice to our learners?Our guest speaker Xavier Ighorodje, gave us a very brief talk and also words of encouragement for our learners. Then wrapped it all up with a Q&A session for our learners.At this point, everyone present was already super comfortable and enjoying the knowledge being shared by our guest speaker but we had to end the session.The session ended with a group picture, even though it was virtual we still tried to find a way to keep memories of the session and the success of our virtual learners’ hangout. It was vibes on vibes!!!, we can't wait for the next one and we hope to have you there.
More detailsPublished - Wed, 28 Sep 2022
Created by - Phoenix Project
Abuja are you ready?? The Phoenix Project is coming to you!
Cohort 2 of the Intermediate and Advance levels of The Phoenix Project will be happening in Abuja this quarter.Cohort 2 of the Intermediate and Advance levels of The Phoenix Project will be happening in Abuja this quarter.Learners who have completed the beginner levels of their selected course bundle and have an Access Bank will have an opportunity to be selected for free.This phase of The Phoenix Project is delivered in partnership with the School of Media and Communication of the Pan-Atlantic University.Selected participants will go through an immersive two-week long in-person training. At the end of this level of the programme, Learners with outstanding performance will be selected to enter into The Phoenix Den.Through The Phoenix Den, we allow all our top-performing learners to unleash their full potential. The Den offers two pathways, creative business incubation with the possibility of funding in partnership with Nest Innovation Technology Park, and internship opportunities across multiple creative companies in Nigeria.Currently, top successful learners from Cohort 1 are undergoing internships with BeatFM, Classic FM, Mr. Macaroni TV and Links & Metrics. Additionally, 40 learners are currently enrolled in the Incubation Program. This we shortlisted from the 150 selected learners for the Intermediate and Advance Levels which took place in Lagos.If you are or you know anyone in Abuja or its environs signed up to The Phoenix Project, this is an opportunity that should not be missed. So hurry, complete the beginner level of your selected course bundles and ensure you have an Access Bank Account to prequalify for the intermediate and advanced levels.Abuja, The Phoenix Project is here!
More detailsPublished - Wed, 28 Sep 2022
Created by - Phoenix Project
Interview With Ajibola Olayiwola
Q1.Tell us how you got to know about The Phoenix Project and why you registered.I learned about The Phoenix Project through an ad I saw on Instagram. I decided to register because I saw it as a platform to learn about visual storytelling and filmmaking techniques which I am passionate about. Q2.In a few words describe your journey so far with The Phoenix Project. It has been a jolly ride. I count it as a privilege. Q3.Could you please tell us a bit about the organization you’re interning with? Mr. Macaroni Entertainment Company is a brand that provides the content to keep everyone entertained, whether you prefer to read, watch or listen. Q4.How Impactful has it been for you working with this organization? It has been an eye-opening experience, I am being exposed to how the art and entertainment industry works. Q5.Do you think this has taken a turn on your career path? Yes, of course! I will apply the lessons learned as I journey on my career path in years to come. Q6. So far, how would you rate your experience at the organization you’re interning with? Satisfactory. It has been a great experience. Q7. Do you think this is a great opportunity for creatives, due to the fact that they don’t get a lot of opportunities like this? Yes, this is a great opportunity for creatives. The Phoenix Project serves as an intermediary between the creative space and creatives. Q8. If you had one thing to say to The Phoenix Project, what would it be? Keep up the good work, so many creatives will reckon with this in years to come.
More detailsPublished - Wed, 28 Sep 2022
Created by - Phoenix Project
Interview with Ajibola Olayiwola
Q1.Tell us how you got to know about The Phoenix Project and why you registered.I learned about The Phoenix Project through an ad I saw on Instagram. I decided to register because I saw it as a platform to learn about visual storytelling and filmmaking techniques which I am passionate about. Q2.In a few words describe your journey so far with The Phoenix Project. It has been a jolly ride. I count it as a privilege. Q3.Could you please tell us a bit about the organization you’re interning with? Mr.Macaroni Entertainment Company is a brand that provides the content to keep everyone entertained, whether you prefer to read, watch or listen. Mr Macaroni's Online TV Platform for premium Entertainment Experience; Drama, Comedy, Vox Pop, Celebrity Interviews, Games and more fantabulous content. Mr. Macaroni TV is founded by Adebowale "Debo" Adedayo known by his stage name Mr Macaroni, is a Nigerian actor, content creator and citizen activist. Mr. Debo is a trained thespian, his popularity grew from his comic skits on social media, where he plays the role of a political figure cum sugar daddy called "Daddy Wa" or a sadistic lecturer called "Professor Hard Life. Using his satirical works and online presence, Debo is also known for his social justice advocacy.[7] His skits satirize social issues to promote human rights and critique everyday social interactions. During the 2020 #EndSARS protests in Nigeria, Debo used his platform and presence at various protest venues to advocate against police brutality - even after becoming a victim as a result. Q4.How impactful has it been for you working with this organization? It has been an eye-opening experience, I am being exposed to how the art and entertainment industry works. Q5.Do you think this has taken a turn on your career path? Yes, of course! I will apply the lessons learned as I journey on my career path in years to come. My career vision is to become a foremost producer. Working with Mr. Macaroni TV is helping me gain relevant practical experience needed to bring my vision to reality. Mr. Macaroni TV has a very supportive and collaborative environment. It can only get better from here. Q6. Do you think this is a great opportunity for creatives? Yes, this is a great opportunity for creatives. Most budding creatives mostly do not live out their vision largely because they do not gain practical experience from a very early stage in their career. Internship opportunities like this help you to also build relationships that will help you going forward. Internship, just like the apprenticeship system, is a very good opportunity for transfer of knowledge from experts to their proteges. This is exactly what I am benefiting interning with Mr. Macaroni TV.
More detailsPublished - Thu, 06 Oct 2022
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