The Big Brother Nigeria Pepper Dem housemates were in many ways, the real stars of the #13thHeadies. It was their first proper debut on the Nigerian celebrity red carpet since their season finished and our first chance to truly assess where their careers post BBN were going. The evening had two big moments; Mike Edwards made his official red carpet debut alongside Ebuka, the first since he announced he was signing a management deal with Banky W and Segun Demuren’s EME entertainment. EME manages Ebuka’s career and with the leaps he’s made since 2017, #AgbadaGate, it is clear that team knows how to stretch a viral moment.
The other big debut was Tacha, who signed with Teebillz’s Billz Vision and started her own solo media tour, post Big Brother with a much talked about interview with Do2Dtun (an interview opportunity that generated so much buzz Do2dtun even got death threats before the interview). She presented an award at the Headies, with TY Mix and fellow Pepper Dem housemate Venita, announcing that her journey to redemption was in full swing. Khafi might not have been as visible, but even she signed a management deal with Temple Co, as well as her first big gig hosting the Future Awards Africa 2019 show*.
Anyone who has been following the trends will not find this surprising in anyway. Last year’s BBN show seemed to make celebrities of nearly all the housemates who participated and quite a few housemates earned themselves sponsorship deals that could have probably been better structured if they had the right management. So this year, the country’s management outfits aren’t taking any chances and hedging their bets by signing up housemates. Will any of them have another Cee-C on their hands, its too soon to tell. But it will be an education to see how these three very different management styles impact the careers of their new star attractions.
Edwin Okolo is an author and journalist who has worked with YNaija, TheNativemag and the Naked Convos.
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