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For this article, I wanted to understand the nuances of being an event compere, and Gloria Olufeko came in as the perfect person to speak with. While many would see it as a career jostling between media and entertainment, event anchoring is a lucrative venture in its own right.
A 2016 Vanguard report valued the industry at N1B annually - forget the meme "Nigeria from top to bottom", event comperes are still making their money steadily!
In July, Gloria Olufeko was in Kigali, Rwanda to host the YouthSpark Leadership X-Change and Mentorship program organized by YOUTHSPARK AFRICA. She had been referred by the organizer of a previous event she anchored in February, and this was going to be a phenomenal point in her career.
Before this, she won in the Media and Communications category of the 25 Under 25 Awards, 2021. And in between, there have been months of being a radio presenter, voice over artist, and compere.
Here, Gloria speaks extensively about her journey and the compering industry. And for starters, she it’s the story of her greatest feat yet; from free gigs in Nigeria to anchoring a paid event in Rwanda.
How did the Rwandan event come into the picture?
It was an answer to my prayers. When I turned twenty six last year, I asked God to give me a word to run with for the new year and he gave me “Going global”, which led to the hashtag I used for my birthday: #GlobalGlo.
At the beginning of this year, it felt like nothing was happening and the word wasn’t coming true.
But I anchored an event for Selar in February, and their Growth Manager was signed on as a brand ambassador for YouthSpark in May. He posted the flier for the Rwandan event, announcing to those who would like to attend. I reached out and expressed my interest as an anchor and that was it. I got an invite and a WhatsApp message confirming me as lead anchor and compere for the event, all-expense paid.
I had anchored an event for his company in February and he saw how well I did it, so it was easy for him to pitch me for this one.
Lovely. And how did compereing start for you?
I’d been anchoring since secondary school; I was in the press club, read news on the assembly, and did all that stuff, but I really wanted to be a lawyer. I loved the wig, gown, and ambiance that lawyers carried with them. But some of my teachers and friends called my attention to how well I did with the press club and advised that I pursue a career in Media.
When I got into university, I continued to anchor events and did it for free; department, faculty, fellowship, events, and I even had my own talk show on campus. During youth service, I also anchored several events for free, but it was then I also got my first paid gig; I was paid 10k.
After then, I did more free gigs but decided to get more professional and build my brand after service. I started to reach out to people who had events and pitched myself, and they gave me chances. It was either I came in as a co-host, or handle a segment of the event. That was how I built my portfolio -free gigs, and I advise people who want to become comperes to accept free gigs when starting out. That way, you build your portfolio and gain credibility.
My very first paid gig in Lagos was early this year; on January 15th. People find it hard to believe, but I did a lot of free gigs. But I embodied those events and did it well; I dress and look the part, and I prepare for them as I would prepare for a paid job. I still anchor events for free though, but not as much as I used to.
People value me more and I position myself better now, but I still do a few free gigs that I know would give my brand the needed visibility. The last I did was for the United Nations Solutions 17th Global Climate Program. It was a webinar I anchored for free, but the kind of people that were there are dignitaries who could call me for any event they may have, so doing gigs for free now is really strategic.
Nice. You mentioned having your own talk show…
Yes, I held my talk show, Exposure with Glo during fellowship services when I was in school. During the lockdown, I revived the show and filmed an entire season for YouTube. It was difficult filming during the lockdown. I had no job and I didn’t have the funds to employ a crew; everything I got came from people who were learning and wanted to grow their own brands as well; from costume to set design and all. The first season didn’t come out as good as I wanted it to. Season 2 is still cooking because it’s a lot of money, but I’m looking to revamp it
And the Radio…
Yeah, AfricaTech Radio. I left the radio station in March this year because I felt it was time to move on to more challenging things. AfricaTech Radio taught me what I needed to know about doing radio properly, but people didn’t get to know me as much as they do now. It’s an online radio, so I wasn’t really known.
Plus, radio didn’t afford me the time to anchor events. I had to move on to face anchoring squarely and explore other parts of media. I’m still on the radio though, it’s my first love; I’m a contract staff for a new radio station, Access24 Radio, here in Lagos
Cool. So, what’s the nitty gritty of Event Anchoring?
Event anchoring is such a phenomenal art you have to master. Most times, you are not talking to people you know, except a few times when you’re anchoring for your friends and you can flop and get away with it. The industry is so overpopulated with everybody calling themselves MCs and comperes because they feel it puts them in the spotlight and they get to meet a lot of important personalities. That’s a benefit of being a compere, yes, but it’s such a dynamic art that you need to master.
Take for example a Government event that’s such a sensitive kind of event, you would see a tenure having just one anchor for all its events. So, you would see someone anchor a Lagos State Government XYZ event, and the same person anchor a Ministry of XYZ event, and you begin to wonder if Lagos has just one compere. But the thing is he/she already knows Government protocols and understands the current Government’s structure.
Then, there are physical events, online events, and hybrid events - a fusion of physical and online. Many people are good with physical events that they don’t know how to anchor an online event. They could do well on stage moderating, but do not know how to carry the virtual audience along, and vice versa. So, anchoring is a dynamic art that has to be mastered. For me, I anchor weddings but I do not do it well like I anchor Corporate events. I do not have the “energy” wedding MCs have. If you put people like that at a formal or corporate event, they could flop.
You are an event compere as long as you are the one driving the affairs and everyone is looking up to you for a smooth run. There are formal, semi-formal, and informal events, and you have to understand the components of each to do well. Weddings are informal events and they do not require the seriousness you would need for a formal event. In the same way, you must not go to a corporate event to crack jokes and entertain.
What’s a growth and success secret you’d like to share?
Where I am right now is an offshoot of mentorship. For me, in a particular order, I have Mojibade Sosanya, Olive Emodi, Temi Badru, and Ayo Mairo-Ese. I celebrate these people a lot and if you follow me on social media, you would see it. What you celebrate, you attract; it’s the law of greatness that I have learnt.
When I was starting out, I reached out to Mojibade Sosanya to put me through. I asked to be referred for events she gets invited to but is unable to anchor. She is a celebrated figure in the industry and she will definitely have events that clash because a lot of people will book her for their events, and perhaps on the same day. So I asked her to refer me to such events where she would not be available to anchor, and also for events where the pay is little for her. There is an amount I can take because I’m still growing while she would not take it because she’s gotten to that point in her career.
I also follow her, as well as the other comperes, to events where I understudy and work behind the scenes for them. Doing solo in this industry is not the way at all; you need people who have gone ahead of you to be able to thrive.
Did you have to take any course or certification for this?
I do not have a degree in event anchoring, I do not even think there is something like that. But I have a certification from West Africa Broadcast Media Academy; I took the course, wrote the exams, and was certified as an event compere. There are other brands that train people to do this, but it’s not really about the certificate; It’s about your skills and talents, and these courses could help you improve your skills.
Nice.
Let’s talk about money -have you made your first million?
Yes, but not from event anchoring though. I was a marketer for a German company before youth service, and that was where I made my first million.
Great. For events though, how well does the money come in?
I don’t have a rate card yet but will do it eventually. I feel it limits the kind of opportunities I could get while I’m still growing. Imagine I present a rate card that says 200k for a client whose budget is 350k; that’s shooting myself in the foot. My charge depends on the program; what sort of event is it? What time of the day is it? Who are the dignitaries attending? What location is it?
In Lagos, events on the Island pay more than those on the mainland! Even asides the payment for the anchor, everything that goes into preparation costs more. I take all these into consideration ti charge clients. I don’t have a fixed amount; it could be as low as 80k, and as high as 200k. For other who are far ahead in the game, they make much more.
So, it’s really lucrative…
It’s a very lucrative career! Imagine I get like ten gigs in a month and each pay about 200k, that’s a lot. My best month so far was June this year; I had events back to back, and they paid between 100k and 150k. But there are some months nothing would come up though, and it’s because I’m still growing.
I’m curious though, how was the market for comperes during the lockdown?
I hadn’t started anchoring seriously during the lockdown, but online events were common at that time. However, these online events are not as lucrative as physical events, so it would have been a difficult time for comperes.
Hmm. With that experience, what would be your advise to comperes in combating unforeseen circumstances?
I’d always advise anchors to have other things they do. Even big comperes don’t get gigs all the time. Like I said, there are some months when nothing would come, so what happens then?
Mojibade Sosanya has her own communication outfit where she consults for companies; Olive Emodi is a TV Presenter and TV will always go on in spite of any lockdown; Temi Badru has her own communications outfit and a lawyer; Ayo Mairo-Ese is also a radio presenter. Asides anchoring, you should have another source of income. I am also the Head of Media for a real estate company, and if there’s a lockdown, the company will continue to function. Plus, you also want to master virtual event hosting because that would is what the world turns to during a lockdown, and it has its own dynamics.
How do you get jobs? Asides referrals of course
Asides referrals, I also reach out and shoot my shot! But majorly, my gigs have come from people who saw me anchor an event once and trust me enough to refer me for another.
What would be a high point for you in this career?
I’d always go high in my career! There’s never going to be a peak for a maximum. People now look at me as an “international compere” since I went to Rwanda, but there are still events in America, Asia, and Europe to anchor, and there are still events that would have world presidents in attendance. Even Grammys and Oscars are not left out; it’s very possible!