Showmax spotlights Kemi Adetiba: From law to media all-rounder

Kemi Adetiba’s name has become synonymous with King of Boys and The Wedding Party. Still, not many Nigerians realise that the talented producer and director is the brain behind many hit hip-hop music videos like “Tease Me/Bad Guys” by Wizkid and Banky W’s “Lagos Party”.

Kemi studied law at the University of Lagos but never really pursued it. Instead, she chose to follow her passion for media. Adetiba’s artistic journey, when spread out, is like a gradual revelation – from recognising her voice on the radio to seeing her ease into TV as an anchor to later seeing her production in music videos and now her impact in movies.

The apple, they say, doesn’t fall far from the tree. Kemi Adetiba got her creative curiosity from her father, Dele Adetiba, a notable advertising and broadcasting veteran.

Kemi featured in two national television adverts for the detergent brand OMO at a young age. 

She began her career as a radio presenter with Rhythm 93.7 FM and was the voice behind two nationally syndicated hit shows, Soul’d Out and Sunday at the Seaside.

She gradually began the transition from radio to television by producing and presenting several shows on M-Net, including Studio 53 and Temptation Nigeria. She was also a presenter on Soundcity TV and, in 2009, hosted the hit dance show, Maltina Dance All for three seasons.

But her hunger for the production cut short her presence in front of the camera. She enrolled at the New York Film Academy to strengthen her production knowledge. “Ekundayo” by TY Bello was her first music video production, and it won the Best Female Video for the song at the Soundcity TV Music Video Awards. 

In 2010, her work won the Best Female Video for the song “Today na Today” by Omawumi at the Nigeria Entertainment Awards. In 2014, she was nominated for Best Music Video Director of the Year at The Headies and won the City People Entertainment Award for Best Music Video Director a year later. Her music video production has seen her work with music stars like Banky W, Wizkid, Olamide, Bez, TY Bellow, Tiwa Savage, Niyola, and others.

Her film interest saw her produce a short film titled Across a Bloodied Ocean, which was screened at the 2009 Pan African Film Festival and National Black Arts Festival. But it was in her first feature film, 2016’s The Wedding Party, that she soared to recognition and fame. It was the highest-grossing Nigerian movie at the time, a record that was only beaten by its sequel. 

In 2018, she produced King of Boys, and its success led to the production of a seven-part sequel, King of Boys: The Return of the King. With the growth recorded, it is safe to say Adetiba is on course to continue producing box-office smash hits. Her immense contribution to the Nigerian entertainment industry earns her a feature in our spotlight of brilliant Nollywood ladies this women’s history month.