Idris Elba, star of “Luther,” and Nigerian media mogul Mo Abudu are teaming up to promote African and diaspora talent through their respective production firms, Green Door Pictures and EbonyLife Media.
The new collaboration aims to create opportunities through capacity building and large-scale global productions. The alliance will start new education and mentoring activities to promote both the lost generation and a new generation of creatives.
Elba and Abudu hope to foster a more inclusive and diversified media ecosystem for tales from Africa and its diaspora through their collaboration. They are appealing to industry leaders, the broader public sector, governments, and multilateral organizations to assist them in developing talent globally and building capacity across the African continent.
To encourage and empower African talent, the duo want to expand on industry education. This will be accomplished mostly through EbonyLife’s Creative Academy in Lagos, Nigeria, which will provide assistance to program graduates.
Meanwhile, Elba and Abudu will establish a fresh development slate of stories originating in Africa or set in the diaspora for the worldwide market as feature films and TV shows. The slate will be focused on providing authentic, Afro-centric storylines that will resonate with audiences worldwide. The co-productions will be aimed at broadcasters, streaming services, and the theatrical sector.
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.”
Abudu added: “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.”