Is there really space for a web show with a relatively unknown Gen-Z audience, random questions about life and love and off the cuff answers? 11 Odd Stories is gambling that there is.

Interview style web shows have been all the rage for the last decade. They became really popular because of Youtube and how it normalized the ‘diary session’ format of video content creation. Scripting used to be core of video content but Youtube has brought secondary tricks like post-production manipulation, the use of memes and voice-overs to transform the genre, making it truly fun.

We have become very comfortable with having people look directly at a camera and talk to us about any and everything, especially when we already have some kind of connection to them. This format really gained momentum in Nigeria when Ndani TV launched it’s TGIF show, which put celebrities and influencers with rapid fire questions and alcohol to make things interesting.

The new YNaija show 11 Odd Stories, is taking that idea one step further by opening its casting couch to a truly Gen-Z audience and asking them truly zany questions. While its still in its infancy, and might evolve, show runner Desmond Ekunwe does a good job of keeping his guests at ease, his approach to story telling and his undiscovered guests are refreshing in an industry that constantly recycles the same talent pool.

Fresh and fun, maybe this is the future of web media.

Editor