Actor and filmmaker Folagade Banks has launched an empowerment initiative that will see three aspiring content creators receive a total of N3 million and a brand-new iPhone 17 Pro Max.
He said the programme was designed to support creatives who are finding it difficult to build their careers and gain recognition in the industry.
The initiative calls on upcoming and emerging content creators to share how the cash prize and smartphone would help improve their creative journey.
Speaking on Tuesday about the reason behind the initiative, Banks said his personal experience with struggles and persistence motivated him to support others going through similar challenges.
“About five to six years ago, I was just that boy who was trying to create content. I was on the verge of giving up because I was going to auditions upon auditions to get a movie role. I would travel seven to eight hours from school to movie locations hoping to show, but at the end of the day I wouldn’t even appear in one scene,” he said.
According to him, the lack of opportunities forced him to embrace content creation despite having little or no resources.
“I started creating content because I needed to put myself out there. One thing that stayed with me over the years was my consistency. Imagine having to go through all that without resources. I was shooting with my broken phone. I remember going to my friend’s house to borrow his iPhone. I used to borrow people’s apartments to shoot content. I shot for two to three years in total silence. Nobody was applauding me, and then came Mama Deola. I’m grateful for this character because it changed my life,” Banks added.
“This is what has led me to want to inspire a lot of aspiring creatives out there because I feel we share similar stories,” he said.
Announcing the giveaway, Banks said, “I am giving out the sum of N3 million and a brand new iPhone 17 Pro Max to three aspiring content creators or already established content creators. I started this whole journey with just passion and a small phone.”
“Looking back to how far we’ve come, from blurry videos to now having the first-ever KAVA original in Africa, this is what growth looks like and the days we worked hard for. Back then, I almost quit so many times, but consistency and belief kept me going,” Banks said.
He encouraged interested participants to submit a video sharing how the prize would impact their content creation journey and how his personal story had motivated them.
Banks explained that winners would be chosen based on creativity and audience engagement, adding that he hopes the initiative will offer the support many talented creators need to achieve success.