Nollywood actress Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde has revealed how fellow actress Ruth Kadiri inspired her to start making films for YouTube.
Speaking on the Nollywood on Radio podcast, Omotola shared that Ruth persistently encouraged her to join the digital filmmaking space and take advantage of YouTube’s growing influence.
“I came on vacation in 2023, and Ruth called me. She said, ‘Mama, there’s a whole revolution on YouTube.’ She showed me the numbers and explained how it gives creators full control of their content,” Omotola said.
According to the 47-year-old actress, Ruth’s persistence eventually pushed her to give it a try.
“She didn’t let me rest. So I called my producer and said, ‘Let’s just try something.’ We shot the first project in four days and used the fifth day to wrap up. I was shocked at how well it turned out. I’m grateful to her for pushing me,” she said.
Omotola revealed that the success of her first YouTube project motivated her to create *Mother’s Love*, a feature film that later premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
“*Mother’s Love* happened because I was under pressure. I told my producer, ‘What if we did a feature film?’ and we started planning right away. We finished shooting in less than two weeks,” she explained.
The actress also admitted that she was nervous about returning to the screen and feared criticism.
“It took a while to release because I was scared people might laugh at me or say it wasn’t good enough,” she said.
Omotola’s successful move to YouTube highlights a growing trend among Nollywood filmmakers using the platform to reach wider audiences. Ruth Kadiri had earlier shared that YouTube gave her more creative freedom compared to the traditional Nigerian film industry, which she described as having “too many regulations.”
