SEETEAZAIN: Greetings Sir, you are welcome to #INTERVIEWFRIDAY. Who is Cecil Hammond?
CECIL HAMMOND: I’ve always been a laid-back person. And only my workers know the other side of me. I get to show it only when my workers don’t do what they ought to have done. I started with Rhythm Unplugged. I had my secondary school at Corolla and went to ISL. From there, I travelled to the UK and later came back to Nigeria. Cecil Hammond ...I’m a sort of intruder in the business. I studied Business Technology at Boston University and had my Masters in Hotel Management. And I returned to Nigeria immediately after my Masters. I wanted to go into network business but things didn’t turn out the way I planned. So I decided to start with Silverbird.
SEETEAZAIN: How did it all start?
CECIL HAMMOND: The challenge we had was in getting sponsorship for the show. But I believed in it, Nigerians and the world also believed in it. The first show was successful and then we had the second. Then, I used Tuface and other big shots in the entertainment industry. At first when we just started, the seats were empty within the first three hours into the show and I thought I’d lost the money my father gave me. My father gave me the first money I ever spent. I can’t remember how much . But it wasn’t the millions that we spend today. It was around a hundred thousand Naira. Then, my neighbours were the owners of Lindsel so it was cheaper. After that, the show became a success. Then I decided to take it out of Lagos to other places. I left SilverBirds to concentrate on building my brand. I did the next show with D’banj, then Basket Mouth and others. Later, I became tired of the big shows because people just want a cool and nice place, not a rowdy place. So, I bought a banter with Eko Hotel.
SEETEAZAIN: How did you get involved in the Nigerian entertainment industry?
CECIL HAMMOND: My uncles (Ben Murray Bruce, Guy Murray Bruce and Roy Murray Bruce) run an entertainment company called Silverbird and I watched them build their empire since I was a little kid. When I moved back to Nigeria in 2003 from the UK, I started working with Silverbird, enjoyed it and believed the entertainment business is what I was meant to do.
SEETEAZAIN: Why the focus on Nigerian entertainment?
CECIL HAMMOND: The Nigerian entertainment industry has enormous potential both in terms of creativity and opportunity. Just look at the evolution of our music over the last decade. It´s been phenomenal! I focused on Nigerian entertainment because there was and still is a huge gap in this industry that has to be filled and so much to be done. It’s also all bringing Nigerian entertainment closer and more accessible to the people and making them happy.
CECIL HAMMOND: Fascinated by the work my uncles were doing with Silverbird Communications, I joined the company when I moved back to Nigeria in 2003, working directly with Silverbird for a year and a half. It was during that period that I started putting together plans for Flytime, registering the company while still under employment at Silverbird. I also organized the first Rhythm Unplugged concert in 2004 while I was still a staff of Silverbird.
SEETEAZAIN: What values define your work ethic?
CECIL HAMMOND: Focus and innovation. It is very important to the business that the fans are happy. To make them happy, I have to put myself in their shoes, and think about all the different elements that matter to Nigerian fans, from ticket pricing to seating arrangement. For example, we were the first concert organizers to introduce the concept of tables at concerts. We understood the need for certain individuals and corporate organizations to have their own “party” within the concert. It worked for us and has now become an industry standard. Understanding the needs of our fans is what helps us innovate. We are not afraid to take risks and happy to learn from our mistakes.
SEETEAZAIN: What is your vision for Flytime?
CECIL HAMMOND: Flytime is a proudly Nigerian entertainment company. My vision for the company is to be the most respected media and entertainment house in Africa. I want to see Nigerian content on the global stage, competing at par with Western content. Our goal is to provide a platform for the best Nigerian content, helping to showcase it to the world. That is actually the motivation for Rhythm Unplugged; to create a platform for up and coming musicians and entertainers to thrive and be discovered Nigerian music and movies are already starting to go beyond Nigeria into Africa, but not mainstream in the way that it needs to be. Hence, the industry needs Nigerian media and entertainment houses dedicated to promoting our content.
SEETEAZAIN: Who have you worked with in the industry?
CECIL HAMMOND: As a company, Flytime has worked with the biggest brands in the music and comedy business. We have been organizing shows since our Rhythm Unplugged debut in 2004. Over the years we have produced concerts and album launches for D´banj, Wande Coal, P-Square, Wizkid, Davido, Tu Face, P-Square, Omawumi, Bez, 9ice, Sound Sultan to name a few. We´ve also produced comedy shows, most notably Bovi Man on Fire. Flytime also owns a music label; Tiwa Savage and Seyi Shay were the first artists signed under Flytime Music. Both artistes were with Flytime for about 2 years before moving on. Flytime also helped to launch Davido’s music career before starting his own music label. Flytime now owns a booking and talent agency that provides all types of talent for all events. Flytime has also ventured beyond music and comedy. We´ve also produced television shows 3 Live Chicks and the Pepsi Top Ten Countdown as well as worked with renowned director Wole Oguntokun to produce the highly acclaimed stage play For Coloured Girls: The Nigerian Adaptation.
SEETEAZAIN: What are Flytime´s greatest achievements?
CECIL HAMMOND: Believing, building and sustaining the Rhythm Unplugged brand for 10 years. It´s easy to create but sustaining the brand is the hardest part. I´ve nurtured the Rhythm Unplugged brand and watched it evolve from our first show at Fantasy Land in 2004. Back then, the infrastructure was basic, elements such as the set and lighting were basic. These days we invest a lot of time, effort and technical expertise into delivering a highly experiential event for the crowd. Everything from the lighting to the sound, to the set and the routines is designed to create a sensory experience for our fans.
SEETEAZAIN: How do you spend some quality with your family?
CECIL HAMMOND: Although I’m not an angel and I love to enjoy myself. My wife understands. She’s not an all-party person which is very good. I couldn’t have married someone who’s all -out there We met at SilverBirb. She was working with Rhythm. And I didn’t just ask her out. I had to really get to know her first. Then from there, we moved on. She knows I’m a quiet person but I get to meet many people because of my job. I help take care of my son, drop him off at school and by the time I return, it’s just to go to bed.
SEETEAZAIN: Funding is a major problem for the entertainment industry in Nigeria; in what way can this problem be solved?
CECIL HAMMOND: This can’t be solved until the capital market actually decides to understand how our businesses works. The problem they are facing now is they don’t understand how we operate and make profit. They know we make money and they see money coming in and out but just don’t understand it. Most of them also complain over 90% of us are all one man businesses with no full structure in place and if they invest funds into our business, what happens to it if something happens to us. The truth is quite a few of us have structure but once again, they haven’t taken the time to sit down with us and learn how we run our businesses and how they can help us grow. Once the capital market understands how we operate, I believe there would be a big change in the entertainment industry.
SEETEAZAIN: Some have argued that the entertainment industry has failed to tap into the funding opportunity available in the capital market, what is your opinion on this?
CECIL HAMMOND: I’m not aware of any funding in the Capital Market available for us. As we speak, they are yet to understand how we operate and make funds available for us.
SEETEAZAIN: How big is the industry today in terms of its addition to Nigeria’s GDP?
CECEIL HAMMOND: We´ve always known the entertainment industry to be sizeable in terms of economic activity, but now we have statistics. According to the recent rebasing of Nigeria´s GDP, the entire Nigerian entertainment industry -Nollywood, music, comedy, theatre contributes about N9trn to the country´s GDP. This is not surprising at all giving the way the industry particularly Nollywood and music production have exploded in the last 10 years.
SEETEAZAIN: Where do you see the Nigerian entertainment industry in 10 years?
CECIL HAMMOND: I see the Nigerian Entertainment industry becoming as globally competitive as the US. Our content will be fully Global by then.
SEETEAZAIN: Thanks very much for your time and we wish you all the best in the future.
CECIL HAMMOND: Always excited seeing young talented men like you doing the job perfectly well. It's always my pleasure.
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