Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde says Ruth Kadiri inspired her bold move into YouTube filmmaking, leading to her comeback and new projects

Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde Ruth Kadiri YouTube Veteran Nollywood actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde has credited filmmaker Ruth Kadiri for inspiring her remarkable foray into YouTube filmmaking, describing her influence as both bold and transformative.

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Speaking on the Nollywood on Radio podcast, Omotola recounted how Kadiri persistently encouraged her to explore the fast-growing world of digital film distribution. The conversation, she revealed, took place during her 2023 vacation.

“I came on vacation in 2023, and Ruth called me. She said, ‘Mama, do you know what’s going on? There’s a whole revolution with YouTube.’ She showed me numbers and everything,” Omotola shared.

The award-winning actress said Kadiri presented YouTube as a phenomenal platform that empowers filmmakers with full creative control.

“She told me, ‘You can do what you want on YouTube, but I think you should get in on this. You would do very well.’ She didn’t let me rest,” Omotola said with laughter.

Motivated by Kadiri’s persistence, Omotola decided to experiment with digital production.

“That girl gave me no peace of mind. So I called my producer and said, ‘Let’s just try something.’ We shot the first project in four days and used the fifth day for cleanup. I surprised myself and was thankful to her for giving me the courage to try.”

The success of that initial project spurred the production of her feature film, Mother’s Love, which later premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).

“Mother’s Love came because I was under pressure. I just told my producer, ‘What if we did a feature film?’ and that was it. We started planning immediately and shot it in less than two weeks,” she recounted.

Omotola admitted she was initially anxious about returning to the screen after years of selective appearances.

“It took long to release because I was scared people might laugh at me or say it wasn’t good enough,” she confessed.

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Her success story, however, stands as a testament to the power of mentorship and innovation in Nollywood’s digital transformation era.