Chukwuka Emelionwu, Kenneth Nnebue and Ikechukwu Nandi
Their iconic “Marketed and distributed by” and “Grab your copy now!” announcements became nostalgic catchphrases, but their investments and networks built an industry.
Long before Netflix, Prime Video, and other streaming platforms courted Nigerian filmmakers, the country’s movie industry ran on videocassettes, Video CDs (VCDs) and, later, DVDs, sold from cramped shops in Lagos and Onitsha.
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Between the late 1990s and the 2000s, the era now remembered as the home-video period, a network of marketers financed, packaged and distributed the films that gave Nollywood its first mass audience. Copies moved from Idumota in Lagos and Onitsha in Anambra State to the markets of Aba, Abia State, and Accra, Ghana, reaching viewers hungry for stories in which they recognised themselves.
For many Nigerians, their legacy lives on in a single sound. Every trailer of the era closed with a fast-talking, booming voiceover:
“Marketed and distributed by [Marketer Name] Films, No. 1/3 Pound Road, Aba; 51 Iweka Road, Onitsha; and 7 Ebinpejo Lane, Idumota, Lagos. Grab your copy NOW!”
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Shop numbers varied by marketer, but the routine became one of the most nostalgic tropes in Nigerian pop culture.
PREMIUM TIMES profiles the figures whose capital and commercial instinct, often exercised from small offices in Idumota and Onitsha, put Nigerian films before their first mass audience.
Kenneth Nnebue (NEK Video Links)
Kenneth Nnebue
An electronics and video-cassette dealer, Kenneth Nnebue began in Onitsha before moving to Idumota, then the centre of the cassette trade. His company, NEK Video Links, released ‘Living in Bondage’ in 1992, directed by Chris Obi Rapu. The two-part Igbo-language drama about money rituals and moral ruin is widely credited with igniting the home-video boom. Mr Nnebue was no filmmaker by training, but he had a trader’s feel for what the market wanted. He hired Mr Rapu for the first part and Christian Onu for the second, yet insisted on being present at shoots and controlling how scripts were interpreted. The film’s success pushed him further. In 1994, he produced Glamour Girls, one of the earliest major English-language home videos, which carried Nigerian film beyond Igbo speakers to a wider national and West African audience.
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Chukwuka Emelionwu (Kas-Vid)
Chukwuka Emelionwu (KASVID)
Known across the industry as Kas-Vid, Mr Emelionwu produced ‘Aki na Ukwa’, the film that made Osita Iheme and Chinedu Ikedieze household names. His reputation rested on spotting talent: Kas-Vid gave Genevieve Nnaji her breakout role in the 1998 drama ‘Most Wanted’, launching her into nationwide stardom. He also executive produced ‘Osuofia in London’ (2003), among the best-selling Nollywood comedies of all time, and produced ‘Mr. Ibu in London’, ‘The Last Burial’ and ‘Isakaba’, creating character brands that outlived their creator. Mr Emelionwu died in January 2018 in a road accident on the Enugu-Onitsha Expressway while travelling to his home state, Anambra.
Ojiofor Ezeanyaeche (OJ Productions)
Mr Ezeanyaeche operated under the business name, OJ Productions. His younger brother, Arinze Ezeanyaeche of A.2.Z. Productions and Uzochukwu of Solid Movies International also became prominent Nollywood producers and marketers under his mentorship
Some of his most popular classic films include Blood Money (1997), Diamond Ring (1998), Igodo (1999), 2 Rats (2003), Abuja Connections (2003), Police Recruit (2003), and Behind a Smile (2009). After dominating the early home video market, he temporarily stepped away from film production to focus on his other business ventures. In 2020, after years away from the scene, he staged a highly publicised comeback with his passion project, Our Jesus Story.
Gabriel Okoye (Gabosky Films)
Gabriel Onyiyechi Okoye, a.ka. Igwe Gabosky
Better known as Igwe, the founder of Gabosky Films produced classics such as Nneka the Pretty Serpent and Battle of Musanga. His most consequential bet came in 2013, when he secured over N1 billion from the Bank of Industry to build G-Media, a nationwide distribution network meant to formalise the industry and curb piracy. The plan envisaged 25 stores, 30 regional distributors and 4,000 community distribution points. However, the plan collapsed. Mr Okoye alleged that pirates colluded with cinema operators and officials to frustrate the platform, leaving him bankrupt with his collateral still held by the bank.
Ikechukwu Nnadi (Andy Best)
Ikechukwu Nandi (Andy Best)
Also known as Andy Best, Mr Nnadi began producing in the 1980s, making him one of the trade’s older hands. His titles included ‘My Sweet Sister’, ‘Pretty Angels’ and ‘Ikuku’, a 1995 release starring Pete Edochie that became one of his biggest successes. His films circulated widely through the southeast’s distribution networks. He died in March 2024 after a prolonged illness, prompting tributes from across the industry.
The Amaco Brothers
Gabriel and Damian Moses ran Amaco Investments from the Iweka Road commercial hub in Onitsha, alongside a presence in Lagos’s Alaba International Market. The company was known for financing large ensemble casts, comedies and high-stakes ritual dramas, including 1 Dollar (starring Nkem Owoh), ‘Standing Order’ (2005), ‘When God Says Yes’, ‘Romantic Attraction’, ‘Old School’ and ‘Holy Cross ‘.
Sunny Nwatu (Great Sunny Collins Production)
Mr Nwatu operated under the business name of Great Sunny Collins Production. He conceived and executive-produced the 2004 blockbuster drama ‘World Apart’ (directed by Tchidi Chikere). The film starred Ini Edo (in her star-making role as Uli), Kenneth Okonkwo, Liz Benson, and Prof. Laz Ekwueme. It became one of the highest-selling and most celebrated Nollywood royal romance movies of the 2000s. He was also known for movies like ‘Billionaires Club’ (2003), ‘Onye Eze’ (2001), ‘Scores to Settle’ (1998), ‘Witches’ (1998), ‘Little Angels’ (2004), and ‘GSM Wahala’(2014).
Osita Okeke (Ossy Affason)
Known as Ossy Affason, he frequently worked alongside prominent names like Bimbo Manuel, Ejike Asiegbu, Rachael Oniga, and Teco Benson. His face became familiar to fans who watched the classic VCD and VHS movies distributed from major Nigerian commercial hubs. He produced ‘State of Emergency’, ‘ The Corridors of Power’ (2005), and ‘Be My Val’
Gbenga Adewusi (Bayowa Films)
Gbenga Adewusi
Trading as Bayowa Films and Records, Mr Adewusi helped launch major gospel music and drama stars. Notably, he produced and distributed projects for figures like Evang. Ebenezer Obey and Yinka Ayefele in the gospel industry, and Babatunde Omidina (“Baba Suwe”) and Yomi Fabiyi in Nollywood. Some of the movies he is known for include ‘Orefunmi’, ‘Aditu’, and ‘Eye Owiwi’ (2017).
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Rasaq Abdullahi (Corporate Pictures Nigeria Limited)
Alhaji Abdullahi Abdulrasaq, popularly known as Sheikh Movie and the man behind Corporate Pictures Nigeria Limited, is a veteran Yoruba Nollywood film marketer, producer, and investor whose career spans nearly three decades. He established the company after starting with a video-rental club in Lagos, turning his passion for collecting films into a business that expanded into film production, marketing, and distribution. His early industry collaborations included actor-producers Akeem Alimi, popularly known as Ajala Jalingo, Taiwo Hassan (Ogogo), and the late Muyideen Alade Aromire. His first marketed film was ‘Adegbesan’, produced by Ajala Jalingo, while Corporate Pictures later became known for distributing Yoruba films through physical video formats, television, and digital platforms, including YouTube.
The End of an Era
An old photo of cassette sales Source-PMnews
Today, that once-thriving Marketing business that brought Nollywood to the spotlight is fading.
The rise of smartphones, faster internet, and streaming platforms has changed how audiences consume not just films but music too.
Services such as YouTube, Netflix, and Spotify offer instant access to content without buying physical copies or owning disc players. As manufacturers phase out optical drives and consumers embrace digital convenience, even improved formats such as DVDs and Blu-ray have struggled to maintain their former appeal.
Piracy further weakened legitimate disc sales, reducing earnings for filmmakers and distributors who once depended on physical copies.
For Nollywood, the transition has opened new avenues for reaching global audiences through streaming services and cinema releases. Still, it has also disrupted the traditional distribution networks that once helped build the industry. Challenges such as online piracy and the difficulty of converting digital views into sustainable revenue persist.
Meanwhile, some of these marketers have created YouTube channels; others have moved into new ventures outside film marketing.
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