Tribe X Entertainment has a simple mission.  To promote talent from Africa and help make Nollywood and other african actors and movies as mainstream, if not more so, than Bollywood.  Talent from Nigeria has drawn the interest of  various people in the Diaspora including Akon.  Movies  have been made about Nollywood (Nollywood Babylon, This is Nollywood, etc.), and MTV Base is hosting it’s second MTV Africa Music Awards in Nairobi, Kenya.  People are definitely taking notice.  Jamati Online caught up with Harrison Nwozo to learn more about his company, Tribe X Entertainment, and his vision for it’s future.

Nollywood stars promotion

Jamati: What was the impetus for your starting Tribe X Entertainment?

I felt there was a need to promote African unity in the Washington DC Metro area through the marketing and sponsoring of African related events. Tribe X simply means that we all originate from mother Africa. Regardless of what tribes we currently belong to now, we, at some point,  were all one tribe. Since no one can really lay claim to the actual name of the original African tribe from thousands or even millions of years ago, I call it “Tribe X”. In other words we are all one. Therefore my events specifically try to reach out to all Africans, and other people of all races to come together to meet and greet, network, party and have fun.

Jamati: You have helped promote several Nollywood stars in the U.S.  How difficult, or easy, has it been to promote them in the U.S. market?

The very first time over 12 Nollywood superstars and their entourage stepped into the United States as one unit was back in 2004. Tribe X Entertainment, was hired by the Filmmakers Association of Nigeria (F.A.N) to assist in promoting and marketing the events surrounding their arrival. It was not difficult to get the word out [when] promoting the stars. There was an extremely huge demand as Nollywood movies were so popular even back then.

The market consisted of West Africans, Central Africans and East Africans from all over the country. We promoted [the event] online to African blogs and websites; put ads in African newspapers; passed out fliers; and hung posters. The response was incredible. We easily sold out the $100 tickets to the first event at the Washington Times Ballroom. Some of the Nollywood stars in attendance were Genevieve Nnaji, Omotola Jalade Ekeinde, Richard Mofe Damijo, Jim Iyke, and Ramsey Nouah.

So I would say it’s fairly easy promoting them in the U.S. market as they are in constant demand.

Regina Askia Williams and Tribe X CEO Harrison Nwozo

Jamati:  What kind of promotion challenges have you had when promoting screenings of Nollywood movies in the U.S?

I was approached and subsequently hired, late Fall 2004, by Twenty Four Seven Africa to help market and promote an event where, for the first time ever, Nollywood movies would be shown on the big screen of a major theatre in the Washington DC metropolitan area. The location was the trendy, upscale AFI Theatre in downtown Silver Spring, Maryland. Since it had never been done before, my client and I worked extensively, night and day, to make sure the event was a success. My client was able to book the theater for the entire month of February (Black History month) to show four Nollywood movies (one per week). The promotional challenges were not that much at all. We sold out every single show. We were just so uncertain of what the outcome would be. We had the message in both African media outlets and American media, online, print and radio. I believe we had an ad in the Washington Post. The films were attended by a diverse crowd, Americans, Africans, Asians etc.

Jamati: The Green October project highlighted U.S. based Nigerian artists. Did you market it in the Diaspora and on the continent? If so, what were the challenges there.

My very first project, musically, after working so many years with Banky W, was the Green October Project 2006. It was a compilation of underground, up-and-coming Nigerian artists based in the United States. The goal was, (and still is), to showcase a different side of Nigeria through music. I marketed the mix tape mainly in the Diaspora. There were challenges in the sense that it was something new to most people–they had either never heard of the artists or were unfamiliar with the music at first. Certain tracks stood out and we got a great response during a show we hosted at the 21st Annual Black family reunion. Right there on the Washington mall, where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his “I Have a Dream’ speech, people of all races and backgrounds were able to hear and see African hip hop and R & B performed live and direct.

Jim Iyke, Harrison Nwozo and guests

Thanks to the internet I was able to get the music out to hundreds of thousands of people who were able to listen download and enjoy the music. In the same way that Reggaeton was introduced and now has worldwide acceptance, we believe it’s just a matter of time before people catch on to African hip hop and R & B. We just have to keep pushing it.

To learn more about Tribe X Entertainment, and see what new projects they are working on, visit their Myspace page or join the Facebook page.  You can send an email to tribex2000@yahoo.com