How Steph-Nora Okere, Mercy Johnson helped me succeed in Nollywood – Yemi BlaQ

• Yemi Blaq has opened up on his journey through Nollywood, from when he first got to Lagos.
• He mentioned two seasoned actresses who were monumental to his success in the Nigerian movie industry.
• Yemi also spoke on how different the movie industry is now, compared to years back. He opined about how it has evolved.

Seasoned Nigerian actor, Yemi Blaq has revealed that popular actresses, Steph-Nora Okere and Mercy Johnson were instrumental to his success in the movie industry.

He said Steph-Nora hosted him when he first moved to Lagos and she explained how Nollywood works as well as the things he needed to do to stay relevant.

Speaking on how Mercy Johnson helped him, Yemi said when he first joined Nollywood he used to keep long hair, but she advised him to cut it for a movie role, because he got a rare opportunity. Yemi Blaq said;

“The people who helped me while I was coming up were Steph-Nora Okere. She showed me the ropes. She was a good host when I came to Lagos. She told me some things about the industry and how to comport myself. I will also say Meg Video Links gave me the chance to play my lead role. Apart from that, other people gave me chances in their movies.

I will also say Mercy Johnson (helped me in my early years in the industry). Then, I used to spot long hair and Meg asked me if I want to cut my hair for a role and I went to ask her (Mercy), and she advised me to cut it. She said people have been in the industry for so long and they are looking for the opportunity that I have.”

He also talked about the difference in Nollywood from his early days and now, saying that things are more structured with the advent of social media. Yemi added that actors paid more attention to the craft than now where fashion and social media following is the order of the day.

In his words;

“Way back in the day, things were a lot simpler and less structured. There was money to be made of course, and consumption (of movies) was limited by certain standards that we didn’t have.

It is a lot different now with the advent of social media and streaming sites. Also, there is a lot of money, competition, and opportunities for anyone serious about the business. It is a world apart from when we started and where things are now.

Things are a lot better for the business now but I can’t say so about the craft. Back in the day, we paid attention to the craft and paid much attention to acting and it was not all about fashion, or social media following.”