Mo Abudu’s EbonyLife Studios Partners with Jada & Will Smith’s Westbrook on Film and TV Slate
EbonyLife Studios, Nigeria’s foremost media group founded by Mo Abudu has continued to change the narrative of African storytelling by creating soulful contents that represent a progressive continent. Through collaborations and signed deals, EbonyLife has brought African storytelling to platforms serving a global audience.
Recently, the company signed a two-year exclusive first-look deal with Sony Pictures Television’s International Production Division to develop scripted TV series and eight months back, a multi-title deal to produce two new Nigerian originals plus licensed films and a new series for Netflix, world’s leading subscription-based streaming service.
Here is another one for EbonyLife as Jada Pinkett Smith and Will Smith’s Westbrook Studios is teaming up with Nigeria’s premium media and content company, to co-produce film and television projects, each representing the African continent.
This is a first-of-its-kind deal for Westbrook in Africa. Under the partnership, both companies will produce at least two series and one film, including Dada Safaris, an ‘Afropolitan’ dramedy series which follows four best friends who, after finding themselves at personal and career ends, take a leap to the wild side; The Gods, which tells of a pair of married Cambridge professors who set out to find answers to a surge of natural disasters but find seven long-forgotten African gods instead; and, Are We Getting Married?, a comedy feature set in the United States, which tells the story of the daughter of an embarrassingly wealthy Nigerian family who falls in love with a nerdy but charming African American from Atlanta, and their decision to get married.
On the partnership, the Chief Executive Officer of EbonyLife Media, Mo Abudu said,
“We all dream of lofty goals becoming a reality, then one day those dreams come true. I’m proud to announce that our vision of EbonyLife Studios being in partnership with Will and Jada’s Westbrook Studios is now real. Westbrook’s goal is to create and curate powerful and inclusive contents. This is completely in line with our vision at EbonyLife – to tell global African stories from our perspectives. Together, we will be developing a slate of projects that reflect our shared goals.”
According to Mo, the key focus and mission at EbonyLife Studios and EbonyLife Media is creating the largest continent-wide ecosystem to grow the Nigerian creative economy, creating countless opportunities for all within the sector, without leaving out the primary aim, which is to tell world-class, exciting, relevant, and entertaining stories to Africa and a more global audience.
Mo Abudu continues to accelerate and soar as a filmmaker extraordinaire. She embodies the definition of hard work and commitment to a vision. She is indeed an inspiration. Mo Abudu’s past and recent achievements tell us the dividends will come over time and bountifully too.