Daniel John Tukura, popularly known as Tee Jay Dan, is a filmmaker, photographer and publisher. He is the Creative Director of Box Office Studios Ltd and Publisher of Praxis Magazine for Arts and Literature. In this interview with IBRAHIM RAMALAN, Dan discusses his resolve to leverage on the potentials of arts and literature to make himself a billionaire.
You seem to put too much into your head as a filmmaker, photographer and publisher. At what age did you decide to give an entrepreneurship a shot?
I have always known that I would work for myself. I used to tell my childhood friends that when I grow up I would never work for anybody. That I would grow to become an employer of labour. I have always known this and without a doubt. So I cannot say at what age I decided to become an entrepreneur. In fact, I had resisted calling myself an entrepreneur for a long time until recently. I don’t like titles. I remember reading about Bill Gates and Steve Jobs then later Rockefeller and Carnegie and J.P Morgan. I spent plenty of time in cybercafés, between 2008 and 2011, reading about the lives of popular entrepreneurs. I was more fascinated by their simplistic way of life. And the things they do for fun. But what touched me the most was when Bill Gates said, while answering a question on whether being the richest man was a blessing or a curse, that he was grateful that his children could get the best education available and he could do the things that make him happy without worrying about money. I think it was that started the process of accepting the title of entrepreneur for me.
You are growing two companies simultaneously; tell us about these companies and your aspirations for them.
Praxis Magazine is a platform for the promotion of arts and literature. It is a digital magazine. We have partnered with prominent literary bodies within and outside Africa, from the Association of Nigerian Authors to the 10,000 Poets for Change organization to festivals like Writivism and Babishai Poetry Foundation. We publish fiction, poetry, nonfiction and photography chapbooks. We recently entered into a partnership with the Whole WoMan Network to execute a project which will be known as Poetry4ChangeAfrica. The goal of this project is to take poetry off the pages and put it on our streets.
The second is Box Office Studios Ltd is a multimedia production and content development company. Apart from the production of feature films and documentaries, we also cover events and produce promotional videos. And very soon we will have a standard photography studio too.
They are actually intertwined in a way; both companies are operating in the same industry of arts and literature. I would have built one of the biggest entertainment companies out of Africa by the time I am 30.
As the publisher of Praxis Magazine, an online magazine for arts and literature, a realm people often tag as no-go-area for business, how do you go about it despite all odds?
When we launched Praxis Magazine over a year ago we came out with so much energy. We had the right people and a shared passion for literature and the arts. But 365 days is enough time for anyone to learn some new truths. Now I know that it will take more than passion for literature and arts to explore all the potentials that Praxis has. So now we are building a better team. I think we are no longer as anxious as we were a year ago. Laura Kaminski has very well settled into her position as Chapbook Editor and I am impressed by the number of projects we have lined up in that department. There is this other yeye girl, Jennifer Emelife – I don’t like her because she likes to sweat me about everything! She is our Lead Correspondent, the brain behind almost all the interviews you see on our website. We have very competent editors like Emmanuel Dairo, Adetutu Olusola and others. And I now have an assistant, Miracle Adebayo.We are building a structure. You will see. But for now we are a little Praxist family really.
I believe Praxis exists more for the promotion of African arts and literature. What effort are you guys making to catapult the venture into money spinning one?
We are exploring several avenues that would enable us monetize without necessarily charging our readers. It is standard practice for magazines to charge subscription fees from their readers. We hope to continue providing free content for as long as we can, if we are able to successfully explore other options of monetization.
Like I said, we are customizing some already existing models to suit our literary climate. By the time we get it right we shall break even. But believe me, it is very possible to become a billionaire in this industry, I have seen the vision.
Let me point out a gold mine that nobody seems to be interested in, well, other than complaining about it. Book distribution. The book industry, as with the movie industry, suffers from the near nonexistence of distribution channels.
I think that publishers who say that Nigerians do not read are not entirely right. I mean, if we do not read the booksellers by our roadsides and under our bridges would have all folded and gone home for good. The irony is, bookstores in places like Silverbird keep running out of business. Because they pay high rent and publish at ridiculous cost the cover price becomes too expensive for plenty readers. Because the publisher is not making money the writer too cannot make money, society will then conclude that there is no money in that sector.
Some weeks ago I had a discussion about this problem with Ado of Gidan Dabino publishers and Labo Yari who has an impressive track record in the business of publishing in Nigeria. They all agree, from insiders’ perspective that the problem is rife. Now, wherever there is a problem there you have an opportunity to create wealth by providing solution. Simple economics. People like Nurdin of AMAB and Solomon of Wamillion are trying to solve this problem of book distribution in their own ways. I hope they succeed and eventually make huge fortune from that area. There are challenges, yes, but to say the some of which you are already familiar with. But see, I see opportunities everywhere across every sector in Nigeria and Africa as a whole. By the way, we conducted a series of interviews on the business of publishing in Africa at Praxis Magazine. You should go and read the series on our website: wwww.praxismagonline.com for a better appreciation of the challenges and opportunities in this industry.
Now, coming back to film-making, you are currently crisscrossing this country filming places and interviewing people for the Association of Nigerian Authors’ (ANA) documentary. What is all about this documentary?
The aim of the documentary is to record the association’s 35years of existence. And I tell you, from the materials we have gathered so far, ANA is more than what it is perceived to be. And it has the potential to be more. We have travelled across the country, speaking with different people about the association of Nigerian authors. It is an interesting project really. And I tell you, from the materials we have gathered so far, ANA is more than what it is perceived to be. And it has the potential to be more. I still wonder why it took the association this long to tell its story. But then, I believe I was destined to tell the story!
You are indeed writing your name in the annals of writers’ history. How has the experience been like and when are you likely to round it up?
The ANA documentary is one of the landmarks of my career as a filmmaker. For the first as a filmmaker I got to interact and manage people outside my usual circle and crew, different characters from different backgrounds. My biggest challenge however was telling the ANA story with very limited archival materials and there was no money to enable us reconstruct some very vital. I have also had the opportunity of interacting with writers I read at secondary school level and even much later as an adult. Most important than just meeting and interviewing these very important people is the fact that I have established personal relationship with almost all of them now. And the inspiration from this people is awesome. We are currently editing. A first cut will be ready very soon and it will be screened at the Association of Nigerian Authors’ international convention later this month..
You also have passion for photography. When did it start?
I have always loved the idea of being a photographer. I enjoy photography and talk about more than I discuss film. My father was a photographer by hobby. So I grew up in a house with Polaroid cameras. Funny thing is, I never actually bother about them, never even touched them. But I’d create images and frame them inside my head, the lines on the ceiling in my room, the woman frying Akara in the clouds, my friends frozen midair as they back flip. Like that. But I refused to acknowledge the photographer inside me seeking to manifest, even after I bought my first camera, even after I started taking pictures and storing them away in hard drives, even after practicing photographers encouraged me to take it seriously. I just could not share my pictures. Even now, there are images I have not developed the courage to share yet. The attachment is so strong!
Now that I have accepted I am a photographer I have become restless. I want to capture new images every day. I want to travel far and wide (and maybe wild) to capture beautiful moments. Therein lies my weakness, I have so much energy and so I am unable to do anything averagely.
How viable in your opinion is photography business in this part of the world?
I think that photography business in Nigeria is growing. It is actually more viable than writing since there are more photographers here who live off taking pictures than there are writers who live off writing.
