Vanessa Obioha
Arafat Bello-Osagie, a UK-trained Nigerian lawyer with expertise in corporate legal strategy, brand differentiation strategy, negotiations, management, and business operations, has been named the Chief Executive Officer of Play Network Studios by the Board of Play Network Africa. Her appointment, effective as of today, April 8, 2024, marks a significant milestone for the company.
In her new capacity, Bello-Osagie will oversee the executive and creative affairs of the Play Network Studios, where the Board of Directors do not doubt that she will fit right into the company’s innovative, and audacious project execution style.
As Head of Strategy and Operations at Play Network, Bello-Osagie demonstrated unwavering commitment to the Play Network’s objectives, utilizing excellent decision-making skills, team mentorship, diligent project execution and delivery, and valuable advisory on key mergers and acquisitions at the parent level to date.
Within Play Network Studios, she creatively leveraged her skills through innovative thinking, spearheading the conceptualization of stories from pre to post-production, overseeing story development, production, and editing. Her exceptional talent shines particularly in post-production endeavours.
Passionate about the promotion of the arts, gender inclusion and individualistic reasoning, Bello-Osagie successfully led both internal and external sub-teams across countries through various titles; from the record-breaking ‘Glamour Girls’ to the ‘Skeleton Coast,’ a yet-to-be-released Pan-African title featuring Nigerian, South African, Namibian and Hollywood A-listers.
Similarly, she oversaw ‘Hijack93,’ based on the true life story of the 1993 hijack of a Nigerian Airways flight, the December 2023 release of Netflix Original Title Blood Vessel, currently streaming on the platform, standing as the first and only Nigerian title to be listed Number 1 in the world in the Netflix Non-English category for two consecutive weeks.
She is also a key participant at the Play Network Foundation where she sits on the board, contributing her quota to society through provisions of social and corporate education, mentorship, and financial aid.
As the new CEO, Bello-Osagie has been granted the Board’s prerogative to spearhead the company’s initiatives in nurturing new and emerging talent within Nigeria’s Nollywood, a pivotal driving force that remains deeply ingrained in the Studio’s ethos and brand identity.
