From broadcasting and original programming to production, brand storytelling and film, Kanyinsola Olukoya is building a career around connecting people, ideas and culture through stories.
At seven or eight years old, Kanyinsola Olukoya already knew she wanted to work in media. She would sit on the floor watching television presenters, fascinated by how they spoke, dressed and connected with audiences. “I knew I wanted to work in media since I was seven or eight. I would sit on the floor to watch presenters. It called to me naturally, ” she says. “I found myself imagining first before becoming.”
That early interest has developed into a career spanning broadcasting, television, event and red-carpet hosting, production, original programming, brand campaigns, entertainment and film. Kanyinsola is the creator and host of The Spills & Thrills Show, which airs on City 105.1 FM and is distributed across YouTube and podcast platforms. She is also the founder of Bridge Global Productions.
Mo Abudu was one of the people who shaped Kanyinsola’s understanding of what was possible in African media. As a teenager, she watched Mo Abudu build her career and media platforms and saw her as “my mirror of possibilities.” Years later, Kanyinsola would work with her and produce for EbonyLife TV. She remembers receiving the call from Mo Abudu vividly: “My heart was in my mouth. This is the legend I had watched all through my teenage years, and I was on a call with her. I’ll never forget that day. I couldn’t sit to have the conversation; I stood throughout.”
One of the most demanding productions she worked on for Abudu involved finding Shina Rambo and getting him to participate after multiple rejections. “I never thought I couldn’t find him. I knew I could find him and get him to come on board. But finding him was one thing; getting him to agree after multiple rejections was another,” she says. The experience tested her patience, but she continued pursuing the assignment. “I was frustrated by it, but I didn’t give up. It was the most stressful I had faced at the time, but I prayed more and kept pushing.”
That determination of mine had influenced the creation of The Spills & Thrills Show. Having produced for other television stations & shows, Kanyinsola decided to put that experience into building a platform of her own rather than waiting for the next opportunity. “I didn’t want to wait for opportunities. I don’t like staying idle waiting,” she explains. The show has since featured personalities including Ayo Adesanya, Eniola Ajao, Kamo State, Olumide Oworu and Pamilerin Adegoke, among others.
Film has also become an important part of Kanyinsola’s career. She grew up watching everything from Cinderella and Barbie to telenovelas, Yoruba and English-language Nollywood films and Indian cinema. Her work with Filmhouse Group and FilmOne brought her closer to an industry she had always loved, including voice and on-camera work around film campaigns. She has also begun exploring acting, describing her first Nollywood role with Debbie Shokoya TV as “an answered secret prayer.”
Her work across commercial and entertainment campaigns includes projects with PowerOil, Coca-Cola, Netflix, LG, Indomie, Dano, BIC and the Lagos State Government. Her PowerOil MasterChef Challenge campaign also saw her featured across television, digital platforms and billboards in Nigeria. “When I saw myself on a billboard I was too emotional. I only saw it in my imagination and wished for it,” she says.
Today, Kanyinsola is also focused on building behind the scenes through Bridge Global Productions, which develops brand films, campaigns, documentaries, original productions and live experiences. Across these different areas of work, she describes her professional focus as creating “conversations, stories and platforms that connect people, ideas and culture across borders.”
About the YNaija Masterlist
The YNaija Masterlist is West Africa’s largest database of the most important people, places, and platforms in the media and creative industries—with over 20,000 data points. To see more on Kanyinsola Olukoya’s profile, check out the Masterlist.
