Meet Ayo Oshodi | Event Producer, Entertainment Consultant & Business Man

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ayo Oshodi and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ayo, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Okay, lets go back a little bit of how it all started, when i was a young kid of around 12 years old in Nigeria, i would get 2-3 A4 size paper and fold them into a book format and i would draw comics on them with very funny but action compelling stories and then make copies at the local store and sell them to my colleagues at school, other kids both younger and older. People loved it and i became very popular for comics across the school, even my teachers knew of me, through my years in that school i made about 50 comics and sold over a thousand copies in total. You see at that time i didn’t know the worth of the comics, neither did i even know i was doing something called business neither was my drawings the very best, all i knew was that i had a story to share and this story made people happy. It is during this period of my life that i realized that i really really do enjoy using my creativity and talent to make people happy and create exciting memories. Being able to entertain people and put a smile on their face was what really got it all going. In my later years i would go on to working at several jobs, none of which gave me the satisfaction and flexibility to whip my talent the way i wanted to. So boom, here we are today, back in the business of making people happy.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Afropanda LLC is an event production and entertainment services company, we are in the business of entertainment as i like to say. We are unique because we are a “customercentric” focused business, we use strategic partnerships and cutting edge tools and technology to fulfill the bottomline. Afrobeats, Afrohouse and Amapiano is our niche and so far we are recognized for putting San Diego on the world map in these niches. But before Afropanda the journey has been a bitter-sweet experience. I started as a blogger, i used to own a music blog that focused on rising talents and about-to-blow artistes in music, i later went on to be a public relation and media manager for a new record label, the structure wasn’t the best and there were lots of monopoly which later crumbled the label. So i moved on to working as a media manager for an event company, i handled basically everything media and even published my first yearly fashion and entertainment magazine under the company, at this time together with my brother we had started our record label and were running the business on the side which later went on to secure investments in hundreds of thousand of dollars (hundreds of millions in Nigerian currency), that was the turning point and breakthrough for my bank account and in the industry that I needed. From then on, it has been bliss. The bitter side of it, is that the industry is full of “politiking”, and its very frustrating when everyone is out to use and not help you. There were many instances i would get so frustrated and just cry especially because i knew what i had to offer but no one cares about that in this industry, its all about what can i get out of you, whats in for me, that was a very big challenge navigating to the top. This has taught me that all you need to survive in the business is CONSISTENCY, VALUE and INTEGRITY; Be consistent enough to never give up regardless what is thrown in your face, i have learnt that the reason why many people fail is because they don’t do what they said they would do long enough or hard enough, as they always say, go hard or go home; Value is everything, before you ask, give, you have to create yourself, define your business and work hard to create value before you ask for anything, people need to see what you have to offer, before they give you what you want, its all about leverage and that has always been my mantra. I will never make demands till i have shown you what i can do, at that point, you can never say no. Integrity breeds trust and respect, you must protect this by all means, you must leave up to your words. I will rather owe you money than owe you a favor so the chances of breaking my words and integrity is nonexistence. Proverbs 22:1 – “A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, loving favor rather than silver and gold.” Both riches (silver and gold) and an honorable reputation (loving favor, i.e., respect) are good (together). you should never chose one over the other. Lastly, I am here to stay, to conquer and most importantly to serve.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
i am a traveler so this is a very very tough question and also the fact that i have only been in San Diego for less than 2 years after moving out of the bay area. However the itinerary will be packed with a lot of outdoor activities. I love the outdoors so much, from hiking, to the beach, to a picnic at the park, just anything that takes me outdoor is good to go for me.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
wow! There is a very long list for this, my entire life has been full of many support, from my mum who is my number one support system always encouraging me even when she wanted me to be a doctor and didn’t understand what and why i was doing what i was doing, now she does anyway. To my siblings who were my very first investors in my comic business lol and till this day are still very much active in every facet of my journey. I also remember my late cousin Tosyn Bucknor, she was a very popular radio on air personality in Nigeria, she would always give me what i still think is the best and honest advice about the entertainment industry during my novice years, she will also give me contacts and network me with the right people that helped me climb up the ladder quickly in my career, then came Mr. Brendan Nsikak who taught me a whole lot about event production, and my big brother from another mother, boss and business partner Godfrey Eguakun who sharpened my business acumen, much respect to that man. Also my life partner who is my support system, can’t be grateful enough to her for all she does even when she didn’t need to and of course God Almighty for the talent, creativity and foresight given to me to help me see opportunities that were set before me from time to time. Also everybody else who have contributed any portion of support, mentorship, love and encouragement towards making me the man I am today. There is an endless list of names of people that have influenced my journey today both directly and indirectly! All in All i am very grateful.

Website: www.afropandaent.com

Instagram: @afropanda_ent

Facebook: www.facebook.com/afropandaent