{"id":233684,"date":"2025-08-04T02:08:31","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T02:08:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abianewscentral.com.ng\/why-filmmakers-are-moving-to-youtube-movies-deyemi-okanlawon\/"},"modified":"2025-08-04T02:08:31","modified_gmt":"2025-08-04T02:08:31","slug":"why-filmmakers-are-moving-to-youtube-movies-deyemi-okanlawon","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abiaradiostations.com.ng\/news\/why-filmmakers-are-moving-to-youtube-movies-deyemi-okanlawon\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Filmmakers Are Moving To YouTube Movies \u2013 Deyemi Okanlawon"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Why Filmmakers Are Moving To YouTube Movies \u2013 Deyemi Okanlawon<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><strong>Nollywood actor and producer Deyemi Okanlawon has explained the shifting dynamics in the Nigerian film industry, revealing why more filmmakers are now choosing YouTube as their preferred release platform over cinemas or streamers.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Okanlawon, who was a guest on Channels Television\u2019s <em>Rubbin\u2019\u00a0<\/em><span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\"><em>Minds<\/em><\/span>,\u00a0 attributed the shift to the growing challenges of theatrical distribution for independent producers, adding that YouTube now offers a more democratic platform for filmmakers.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTaking a film to cinema, it\u2019s really difficult for an independent filmmaker, especially if you\u2019re starting out. There are so many things that you\u2019ll find as obstacles. So, it\u2019s not really to their advantage. That\u2019s why you find now that there are a lot of people who are serious filmmakers, but they are now gravitating towards YouTube.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s very democratised. Nobody\u2019s standing in your way. There\u2019s no politics of, are you a popular producer? Are we giving you enough showtimes? Are you spending enough money on your marketing so that we can now decide whether your film is worthy of attention in cinemas?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"I Quitted Acting In 2019 To \u2018Go To School,\u2019 Deyemi Okanlawon Narrates Life As An Actor\" width=\"740\" height=\"416\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/uz3pOimByv8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Okanlawon\u2019s comment comes as more Nigerian filmmakers in recent years have turned to YouTube to bypass traditional gatekeepers and reach global audiences with original content.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_936168\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-936168\" style=\"width: 650px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-936168\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\" http:=\"\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"350\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.channelstv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Movie-Streaming-YouTube-Is-The-Future-Of-Nollywood-But-Piracy-Remains-A-Threat-\u2014-Afolayan.png 650w, https:\/\/www.channelstv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Movie-Streaming-YouTube-Is-The-Future-Of-Nollywood-But-Piracy-Remains-A-Threat-\u2014-Afolayan-300x162.png 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.channelstv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Movie-Streaming-YouTube-Is-The-Future-Of-Nollywood-But-Piracy-Remains-A-Threat-\u2014-Afolayan.png\"\/><noscript><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-936168\" src=\"https:\/\/www.channelstv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Movie-Streaming-YouTube-Is-The-Future-Of-Nollywood-But-Piracy-Remains-A-Threat-%E2%80%94-Afolayan.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.channelstv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Movie-Streaming-YouTube-Is-The-Future-Of-Nollywood-But-Piracy-Remains-A-Threat-\u2014-Afolayan.png 650w, https:\/\/www.channelstv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Movie-Streaming-YouTube-Is-The-Future-Of-Nollywood-But-Piracy-Remains-A-Threat-\u2014-Afolayan-300x162.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\"\/><\/noscript><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-936168\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ruth Kadiri, Kunle Afolayan, and Omoni Oboli<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The 44-year-old actor, who revealed his film grossed over \u20a6130 million in cinemas, disclosed that the profit margin is often slim, with producers receiving only about 40 per cent of total ticket sales\u2014an amount that may not cover production costs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cYour profit is totally different, right? So now you\u2019re looking at how much did I spend? How much did I make? And remember that the entire 130 million cinema ticket sales wouldn\u2019t come to just the producer,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt split up between the cinema, the government \u2014 yes, rightfully so \u2014 who take their taxes\u2026 You\u2019re going to get about 40% of that amount. And for me, I\u2019ll tell you, that didn\u2019t cover my costs,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Okanlawon also spoke about his decision to take a break from acting in 2019 to learn the business side of filmmaking, which eventually prepared him for producing his work.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRemember that in 2019, I quit acting and I joined Silverbird Film Distribution for two years. See, I cannot afford to go to school and do an MBA and then come back and come out and perform. So, I went to work. That was me going to school \u2014 to understand the industry from the other angle.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI joined Silverbird as the head of marketing and then I was promoted to head the Nollywood distribution desk and eventually I became the acting CEO for Silverbird for a brief period in 2021,\u201d he revealed.<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Streaming Platforms<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-929123\" src=\"data:image\/svg+xml,%3Csvg%20xmlns=\" http:=\"\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"360\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.channelstv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Netflix.jpg 650w, https:\/\/www.channelstv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Netflix-300x166.jpg 300w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/www.channelstv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Netflix.jpg\"\/><\/p>\n<p><noscript><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-929123\" src=\"https:\/\/www.channelstv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Netflix.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"650\" height=\"360\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.channelstv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Netflix.jpg 650w, https:\/\/www.channelstv.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/Netflix-300x166.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 650px) 100vw, 650px\"\/><\/noscript><\/p>\n<p>The award-winning actor also addressed why streaming giants have reportedly pulled back on commissioning Nigerian originals, citing global business realities and unmet expectations.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey were looking for their Squid Game. They were looking for their Money Heist that would come out of Nigeria. And while we\u2019ve had\u2026 I mean, I\u2019ve been on some of the biggest films that have been produced in Nigeria, and thankfully, I don\u2019t think that it got enough traction,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n<p>The actor clarified that the recent trend of geo-blocking Nollywood content was part of a broader strategic shift among streamers who now focus more on regional licensing.<\/p>\n<p>Despite the challenges, Okanlawon noted that he remains optimistic, especially for creators willing to adapt.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo matter where I find myself, whether it\u2019s a Netflix original, a cinema film or now on YouTube, I\u2019m going to give my 100%,\u201d he stated.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Deyemi Okanlawon,Nollywood,YouTube<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.channelstv.com\/2025\/08\/03\/why-filmmakers-are-moving-to-youtube-movies-deyemi-okanlawon\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Why Filmmakers Are Moving To YouTube Movies \u2013 Deyemi Okanlawon \u00a0 Nollywood actor and producer Deyemi Okanlawon has explained the shifting dynamics in the Nigerian film industry, revealing why more filmmakers are now choosing YouTube as their preferred release platform over cinemas or streamers. Okanlawon, who was a guest on Channels Television\u2019s Rubbin\u2019\u00a0Minds,\u00a0 attributed the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":233686,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[1251,344,1252],"class_list":["post-233684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-deyemi-okanlawon","tag-nollywood","tag-youtube"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"amp_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abiaradiostations.com.ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233684","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abiaradiostations.com.ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abiaradiostations.com.ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abiaradiostations.com.ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abiaradiostations.com.ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=233684"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/abiaradiostations.com.ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/233684\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abiaradiostations.com.ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=233684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abiaradiostations.com.ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=233684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abiaradiostations.com.ng\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=233684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}