SAG winner and BAFTA-nominated actor, Idris Elba and Nigeria’s media mogul, Mo Abudu, have announced their partnership to empower and uplift talent from Africa and the diaspora through their respective production companies, Green Door Pictures and EbonyLife Media. The collaboration aims to build capacity and foster authentic representation in global film and TV projects set for production.
The new partnership aims to provide opportunities through a two-fold approach: through capacity building and through large-scale global productions. New education and mentoring initiatives will launch through the partnership to help foster both the lost generation and a new generation of creative professionals, showcasing their skills and telling their stories to the world.
Through their collaboration Elba and Abudu aim to nurture a more inclusive and diverse media landscape, where stories from Africa and its diaspora are given the same level of attention and respect as other cultures and communities. Elba and Abudu are calling on industry leaders globally, the wider public sector, governments, and multilateral agencies, to help them grow talent globally.
The initiative also will help build capacity around the continent of Africa with the aim of: To offer best in industry education to support and empower African talent. Through EbonyLife’s ebonylifecreativea
It will help to create a new development slate of stories originating out of Africa or set in the diaspora as feature films and TV series for the global market. The development slate will focus on bringing authentic, Afro-centric stories that resonate with audiences around the world. These co-productions between Green Door Pictures and EbonyLife Media will provide a range of content for broadcasters and streamers as well as for theatrical distribution globally.
Speaking on the partnership, Elba said: “I have always been passionate about using my platform to make a positive impact. By partnering with Mo, we aim to offer free, world-class industry education to the next generation of storytellers and bring their authentic voices to the forefront. This partnership is a step towards creating a more inclusive and diverse media landscape, one that represents the voices and experiences of Africa and its Diaspora around the world.”
“We believe that Africa has the talent and the stories to captivate the world. It’s our mission to offer the best in industry education, mentorship, and production opportunities, so that our graduates can become valuable contributors to the global media landscape. We plan to hit the ground running and explore the very best that African and Black stories have to offer global audiences,” Mo Abudu said.
Idris Elba is an award-winning actor, producer, director, and musician continually securing his place as one of the most versatile performers in Hollywood. In 2016, he became the first male actor to receive dual SAG awards in one evening – Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role and Outstanding Performance in a TV Movie or Miniseries. His screen credit includes ‘Luther’, ‘Beasts of No Nation’, and ‘The Suicide Squad’
Mo Abudu made her mark in the corporate world as a human resources executive, before venturing into media with her ground-breaking pan-African talk show, Moments with Mo. She went on to create EbonyLife TV, an entertainment channel known for high-quality drama series, talk and movies, which was available in 54 African and Caribbean countries before moving into film production, ‘Fifty’, ‘Oloture’, ‘Blood Sisters’, ‘Wedding Party’, are among her productions.
