Let’s take a moment to confront an uncomfortable truth. You’ve spent four years studying Theatre Arts at university. You can recite Shakespeare, you understand method acting, and you’ve done Stanislavski exercises until your soul hurts. You graduate with distinction, ready to conquer Nollywood. You send out your headshots, attend auditions, and post monologues on Instagram.
And then… nothing.
Meanwhile, someone who spent three months in the Big Brother house just landed a lead role in a ₦200 million production. They can’t hit their marks, they don’t understand blocking, their line delivery is flat, but they’re getting paid millions per shoot day while you’re still begging for ₦50,000 roles.
Welcome to Nollywood in 2025, where your Instagram follower count matters more than your certification.
We sat down with Heavens Obule, a producer, talent manager, and co-founder of Take One, who has lived through every side of this industry, from struggling actor to successful producer to talent manager representing the next generation. And he didn’t sugarcoat anything.
The Formula Nobody Wants to Admit
“When a film goes to distributors, they literally ask: ‘Who’s in it?'” Heavens explained. “Not ‘What’s the story?’ or ‘How’s the cinematography?’ it’s ‘Who can sell this film?'”
And by “who,” they don’t mean who can deliver the most compelling performance. They mean, who has the most Instagram followers, the most recognizable face, the biggest social media engagement. SOCIAL CURRENCY.
This is the reality that film schools don’t prepare you for.
Heavens broke down what actually happens when producers are casting: “Producers are asking themselves, ‘If I put this person in my film, will people buy tickets? Will streaming platforms pay me more?’ And if the answer is no, you’re not getting cast.”
What Talent Managers Actually Look For
When Heavens is scouting or signing talent to Take One, the conversation starts with something most acting coaches never teach: What does success mean to you?
“Some of my talents just want two jobs a month that pay well so they can eat and take care of their families,” he said. “They don’t even care about being Instagram famous. But I tell them, you have to have an online presence. Because if you’re not visible, you don’t exist in this industry.”
It’s the paradox of modern Nollywood: You need to be seen to get work, but you can’t get work to be seen.
So what does Heavens actually look for when scouting talent?
-
Can you act?
“All my talents are trained actors,” he emphasized. “They went to school, they understand the craft. That’s non-negotiable for me.” -
Are you willing to be commercial?
“I tell my talents straight up, if you want to just do art films and wait for festival circuits, and you don’t have trust fund money, you’re going to starve. You need to find the balance between doing work that feeds you and doing work that feeds your soul.” -
Are you online?
“I don’t believe in hiding your talent. You can’t have a gift and keep it to yourself. You have to let the world see what you can do through social media, through content, through being present.”
The Uncomfortable Truth About Commercial vs. Artistic Actors
Here’s where it gets a bit tricky. Heavens made a distinction: “There are producers who cast for the art, but they’re in the minority. And they’re usually grant-funded or they have money from other sources. But most producers? They’re doing this for business. They need to make their money back. So they’re casting whoever will sell tickets.”
This is the blueprint that university theatre programs aren’t teaching: Build your audience first, prove your commercial value, then leverage that into better artistic opportunities.
Why Reality TV Stars And Content Creators Are Taking Your Roles
We asked Heavens how he felt about producers casting Big Brother housemates and content creators over trained actors?
“I understand the frustration, but I also understand the business. When you put a Big Brother star in your film, you’re tapping into their existing fanbase. Their fans will show up opening weekend just to see them. That’s guaranteed revenue,” he said.
But then he added, “The problem is when producers only cast for numbers and don’t support those people with trained actors around them. When your entire cast is just influencers and reality TV people, the film suffers. You need a blend.”
The most sustainable approach isn’t choosing between art and commerce, it’s figuring out how to do both. Cast your commercial draw, but surround them with actors who can actually carry scenes.
“Some of these reality TV people actually want to learn,” Heavens said. “The industry needs to stop treating them like they’re stealing jobs and start integrating them properly. Pair them with acting coaches, give them smaller roles first, let them grow.”
The Privilege Problem: Why “Just Work Hard” Is Terrible Advice
One of the most powerful parts of our conversation was when Heavens talked about privilege, something Nollywood rarely discusses honestly.
He told me about his own journey, how he almost became a chartered accountant because his father secured a banking job for him. He had financial stability while pursuing acting, which meant he could be selective about roles.
“When I was starting out, I could afford to turn down ₦40,000 roles because I had other income. But for someone who’s paying rent and feeding themselves from acting alone? They can’t afford to be picky. They take whatever comes.”
This is the conversation nobody wants to have: Success in Nollywood isn’t just about talent or hard work. It’s about access, timing, financial cushion, and yes, privilege.
The Advice Nobody Wants to Hear
After an hour of conversation, we asked Heavens the question every aspiring actor wants answered: Should young people still study Theatre Arts in university?
He didn’t hesitate: “Honestly? Not really. Not if you want to work in Nollywood specifically.”