I’ve always been an admirer of success. Naturally, over the years, I’ve had the privilege to follow the lives and careers of several other successful people, be it business, art, or any other creative mind, all having their own distinct stories. However, in the early 2010s, my interest veered towards another such industry that, rather silently, was changing the way vivid and intricate stories were told and heard—the film and television industry. Around this time, a young woman from a completely different world had just taken her first step into that industry.
In 2012, Busola joined Multichoice, taking her first role at the media giant. Could it be because of her extraordinary willingness and determination that she is one of today’s drivers of a new age of women changing the paradigms of storytelling, not only in Nigeria but also across Africa. As I started paying more attention to the people behind the cameras, fast forward many years after, a lot of Busola’s images began to make sense; it was the images of a woman with a plan, a strategy, and a goal to take over the world with African narrative.
The first thing that caught my heart about the story of Busola was her perfect mixture of creativity and business sense. You will often picture television executives, as those who have hardly known any world apart from the entertainment industry. But Busola was from Computer Science world entirely, also in the course of it, a Ph.D in Management Information Systems. This unique background helped her gain a systemic approach to an industry that is largely creative-centered.
In her first position at Multichoice, as a Consumer Insights Manager, it was about adding scientific cutting edge into the creative process. And it is not because she was just good at producing television, but rather because she sought to know what elements would make the pieces resonate with the audience. This integration of data and artistic insight made her a unique figure in the business.
Having the privilege of interviewing her, I saw how she harnessed this power to stamp her agency on Africa Magic and other West African platforms. These platforms, under her watch, did not simply produce and distribute content; they connected with audiences on the humanity’s level. To someone like me who respects the business and the artist equally, Busola is a person of interest and a person to learn from – the person who appreciates stories not only for their entertainment but also for their ability to change people’s views and shape their identity.
What has impressed me most is how Busola has dedicated herself to the task of transforming stories about Africans. For many years, the narrative of most Africans on their own TVs was that of Western dominance or worse, local stories narrated through foreign authority. But Busola believes that African stories should be told well. She is a supporter of homegrown African stories through Africa Magic, which has grown into a vehicle that promotes African culture.
Through her supervision, the lens when viewing African stories changed. Little did I know, she was also interested in recording both everyday and awe-inspiring ones depicting Africans’ lives. It wasn’t only about arguing for high-end budgets but rather making way for the whole spectrum of possible narratives – from the commonplace to the magnificent pervading narratives. Hearing her discuss this and I thought, she is more than an executive – she is a first in a long line of African creatives that will be empowered by the systems she is working hard to create. “My focus is to acquire, commission, and produce the best local content in line with our hyper-local content strategy for our seven Africa Magic channels and our two Akwaaba Channels for Ghana.”
From my position as a witness of an emergence of so many successful people I was also intrigued with the question of how Busola within the context of business was able to be so creative. She implemented “innovation days” for her team, where they had to come up with new ways of telling stories. This ready embrace of new ideas and the ability to think strategically about them made sure her content both worked and was guaranteed to do so.
What I have come to cherish about Busola beyond her profession is how she is able to juggle her hectic profession and family life. In the interview, she talked about how she makes an effort to keep work and family time separate. “When I am at home, I am at home,” she stated. “It is important for me to create that space especially for my family. It’s a nice reminder that you can be very successful and still find time for normal life. She’s stated how she loves cooking with her son. For her, these are the little things that go a long way in helping her de-stress from the high octane hurry of production and media and focus on what is important in life. Despite having such a tough job, she derives pleasure from cooking with her family, or taking walks and spending valuable time with them.
Having had a glimpse of the world of high achievers, I find myself in admiration on how Busola is managing both her professional life and personal life. It is very much easy to be taken by the hustle, but through her approach, Busola shows that it is possible to be successful without neglecting one’s family or one’s health.
It is no coincidence that Busola’s leadership at Multichoice has enabled the organization to expand her vision and focus on the future. She is ever searching for new possibilities to capture her audience, be it through the use of data or providing new and unheard voices. Such a future is not just about the present; it is also about planning and creating a time when sought-after African narratives can be told all over the world.
By remaining focused on some of the most important African narratives and still advocating for newness, Multichoice has continued to stand tall within the African media landscape. She does not believe in complacency and normality, which explains why I regard Busola as an important influencer in the future of story-telling within Africa.
Busola’s life is textured with a lot of learnings, data and innovation, all harnessed in a unique passion — storytelling. I am strongly convinced that she impresses most in the way that she integrates creativity with strategy, as well as being able to manage people with emotions and wits. She not only aims to make establishments for African opinions heard but is also proficient in attending to the responsibilities of her family, hence, she is a role model who can be emulated by those in the media sector and even beyond.
She hopes to make a difference in the nurturing of the African story, an industry as traditional as it is futuristic. For me and many others who have been watching her grow, she is not just an executive, but Busola Tejumola is a leader who will transform the story telling and entertainment industry in Africa.