Progress!

Nov 15th 09

I’m actually surprised to have gotten a couple of phone calls asking when I’m updating my blog. I’m glad to know that people actually read what write. Terribly sorry for the delays. Been doing a lot this past couple of days! First things first, my job offer is still pending because apparently they are in the middle of organizing a major event so they will get back to me in a couple of days. PATIENCE is something I don’t have on a normal day, but I’ve developed it by force! Don’t really have a choice. To be honest I have been extremely busy too working on the BE BOLD project event so I'm not bored sitting at home. Infact I do an 8am till 7pm sometimes. There’s too much to do!! Things can be very slow unless you go out there and really follow up on things. Getting sponsors and support letters has been the biggest task! So far we have Lincoln Community School, Koala Shopping Center, Possibly Vodafon and a couple of other independent sponsors sponsoring us. The support we are getting is ridiculous! Been approaching the minister of communication, minister of youth & sports and minister of Education to support the event and also give us some job postings for the website. Companies are calling in to be a part of the event networking aspect and Im doing a lot of individual face to face advertising already! Our designers for the fashion show are Renee Q, Christie Brown, Honey Bee, Allen Davids, Aya Morrison, Duaba Serwa to list a few. We also have several registered up and coming companies going to be present. Greatest news is that TV3 is also going to come and cover the event!! Still working on a lot so i’ll definitely keep you updated at least once a week. For the meantime take a look at my interview with ISO Paely (Ghana’s own TV3’s Entertainment Manager)! And I went to take some pictures of Citizen Kofi Entertainment (venue for BE BOLD project)!!!






Name: Iso Paely Job: Entertainment Manager at TV3 Station

BB Interviewer: What advice do you have for Africans studying abroad?

ISO paeley: First of all I would tell them to get some experience abroad before coming down. I think that is essentially important. The mistake a lot of us make when we travel and get back here is that we look down on a lot of people down here, which is a very big mistake. There are people who come back down here who realize that their friends they left behind have excelled so much that they even have a hard time catching up. So first of all when you come back you should take them as colleagues, even though you studied in the States, Canada, Europe or wherever. You need networking. You need to know somebody that knows somebody that knows somebody THAT can give approval for a job. So you need to make maximum use of your network. So when you come down make sure you build your network so that it is very powerful and can get to where u want to go.
I think essentially you need to adapt fast! It’s not like you went to London or America so you come back and you don’t like banku or fufu anymore for example. If you don’t like it anymore KEEP IT TO YOURSELF. The common thing you hear is “oh the weather is too HOT!” Keep it to yourself. This is how I have been able to penetrate the system even though I’m not Ghanaian (ISO is a Liberian originally and moved to Ghana 17 ago after studying abroad).
Be able to communicate with people in the way that they will understand you. You may be used to talking fast, however you’ve been here before so you should know how people talk here. Communication is KEY. If you’re talking and people keep saying “pardon”, then you should check yourself.

BB interviewer: What was the most difficult part for you when you came down to Ghana to re-establish yourself?

Iso: I started from scratch. It was hard. I was rebuilding a foundation, so my whole life stopped and i had to re-start it. It was difficult, but sitting back now and looking at those days I’m grateful because now I see life from a whole different perspective. This is what i want, i set my priorities straight. Im living a comfortable life, got my own beautiful house, drive the cars i want to drive, but then i know how hard i worked to get those things so i know how to manage those things. Easy come, easy go. The bible says “as a man thinketh, so is he”, you are who you think you are so if you think it then you definitely will be. Back to guys who are coming. You need to be focused and know why you are coming home. Are you coming home because everyone else is coming? Are you coming home because you want to re-settle and contribute? Or are you coming home because your parents want you to come? You need to have that fundamental understanding first, so that by the time you get here you know where the story is going to take you next. And once you do that DO NOT CREATE ANY FORM OF DOUBT. Think: Im going back and Im going to make it and I will do it! For some people it might be fast, for others it might be slower, but the point is eventually you want to get there!

BB Interviewer: So what do you do at TV3 station? Tell me a bit about that.

ISO: I am the manager for entertainment. I manage all the entertainment that you see on TV. The reality shows, the special shows and production you see on TV. I don’t like to just sit there as manager so I also go down to the studios because I love what I do. Another advice i have for those abroad is “LOVE WHAT YOU DO”. You’ve got to have the passion. I speak to a lot of producers and musicians that come onto my show. One of the questions they ask me is “do you love what you’re doing or do you just do it for the benjamins? If I was doing this for the money, I would have been gone a long time ago because of other offers I’ve received abroad. But I love what I do so I even though I’ve tried other places, I always told myself “I have to go back to Ghana” because when I’m here I’m in my environment, back into my zone. This is where I belong. You need to have that natural vibe. It needs to be there.
Understand that when you come back here you are not more important than everybody else here. That is the biggest mistake, because there are smart people down here. Be level headed and humble and see where the story will take you next. If you don’t believe, you will never receive! BUT It also comes with something called hard work.

BB interviewer: Will you be attending the BE BOLD event?
Iso: Most definitely. I would love to talk to those coming back perhaps even before the event in a formal gathering. I would love it!

BB Interviewer: Thank you very much for your time. We look forward to seeing you at the BE BOLD event!