Kunle Afod, a Nollywood actor and filmmaker, has revealed that he was excluded from certain productions after he started earning money from online film distribution.
Afod made this disclosure in an interview on Oyinmomo TV, where he shared his experience of embracing digital platforms.
Afod explained that his decision to shift to online distribution was driven by the need to adapt to the changing media landscape. As the industry transitioned from CDs to DVDs and eventually to digital platforms, he recognized the potential of online streaming in redefining movie consumption.
Afod claimed that he tried to advise marketers to evolve with the times, but his warnings were ignored. In response, he took the bold step of launching his own online channel, where he uploaded and monetized his films directly.
Afod’s success with online distribution reportedly unsettled some marketers, who then moved to blacklist him from their productions. Despite this backlash, Afod noted that the online platform gave him financial independence and creative freedom.
As digital content gained popularity, other actors began to follow Afod’s lead, recognizing the benefits of controlling their own distribution channels.
Afod had already built a sustainable model for himself, giving him a head start in the industry.
He said: “As the world evolved digitally, we also had to adapt and improve our involvement. There was a time when we used CDs, and later we upgraded to DVDs. We, the actors, advised marketers to make the switch to DVDs too, because that was what the audience had moved on to at the time. Later, when online streaming platforms emerged, I personally warned the marketers that physical discs could soon go extinct due to these platforms. Unfortunately, they didn’t listen to me.”
“Since they ignored my advice, I created my own online channel and started uploading my movies directly. When they realized I was earning revenue independently without going through marketers, they banned me from acting in their productions and instructed producers not to feature me in their films. Thank God the online streaming space grew rapidly. When they saw how fast my platform was growing, many other actors joined in. I was later invited to a meeting to discuss how to remedy the situation, but I told them I had already moved on. Now that people understand they can distribute their own films online and earn directly, everything has changed,” he added.
