Tuesday

THE CEO: Meet 'Anyanwu Augustine' (CEO ACE SAID SO)

Anyanwu Augustine
[CEO: ACE SAID SO]
Don't be tricked by the serious face he's putting on; this guy is a clown. On this week's edition of 'THE CEO' we were able to get in touch with this extremely humorous young CEO. Those who have met him in person can testify to that. He is the founder of ACE SAID SO.... Let's get to meet his "indescribable" personality.

Kindly Introduce Us To Your Family/Educational Background And What You Do?
I am by name Anyanwu Augustine and I’m a graduate of Television Production/Mass Communication from the Nigerian Television Authority Television College in Jos, popularly known as NTA TVC. The institution is actually affiliated to the prestigious Ahmadu Bello University Zaria. 
I come from a family of six (6) children and I happen to be the first. I was born in Maiduguri, Borno state. I happened to grow up in Jos. 
For now I am the founder of ACE SAID SO, a multipurpose blog accessible from any part of the universe.

When, Where And How Did You Get Into The Blogging Industry?
Quite a long story but to cut it short, I’ll say blogging for me all started in February 2015 when I accidentally stumbled upon the CEO of Sweet Naija Music Blog in Jos. 
He introduced me to his blog and blogging. As a nerd, I took interest which obviously turned into an obsession and that’s how I got here.

What Does Your Blog Focus On?
Like I did say earlier on, my blog ACE SAID SO is a multipurpose blog but I can say I focus quite too much on Media and entertainment. 

So How Will You Describe Your Commitment To Your Blog Content?
I can’t really say. But I started off my own blog as an entertainment blog, along the line I realized that entertainment bloggers were gradually running out of market despite the seemingly steady increase in upcoming artistes. It was the realization that prompted to me to diversify my content. So I can still say I’m on track with my content.

In What Ways Can You Say That Your Blog Is Different?
In every way; my blog name is different from all others. I am particularly choosy about content and so I really don’t publish often, except when I deem it necessary. There may be millions of bloggers out there who literarily are entertainment bloggers or whose blogs are multidimensional, and though we might have or share the same content, mine has that touch of an ace. I’m just me. I am my only edition.

Some Bloggers Say They Blog For The Passion And Others For Money; Where Do You Stand? 
I will actually be deceiving myself if I say I blog for the passion. What my boss at Sweet Naija Music taught me was that every business has a learning curve. Sometimes when we get too focus on something, we end up losing touch of it. It was then I discovered I had to develop and sustain my passion for blogging before I started looking forward to raking in the cash. 
My boss said money for an upcoming blogger should only be a side attraction and not the main event. 
So I can literally say that presently I blog for the passion and this passion is paying off little by little. There’s always a small start.

Have You Done Any ‘Major’ Job That Pulled Off A Great Pay? 
No and Yes! No depends on what you term as major. If you’re talking about a major job like the Linda Ikeji kind of jobs, I haven’t. But if you’re talking about a major job from my own point of view, I have done so many. I mean I take every post so seriously because it’s just a one time opportunity. As meager as the pay might be to some people, I call them major because I was chosen amongst other alternatives. 
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Have You Gotten Any Major Recognition As A Blogger Since You Started? 
Like awards? Not at all; but some day we might get to that point. 

What Can You Tell Us About Your Audience And Traffic? 
You know, there’s this saying that a prophet is rejected in his own town. As for my traffic, I would not say I drive a whole lot but 70% of my audience is accounted for by foreign audience who spread across Europe, Australia and Asia. Africa and Nigeria precisely constitutes a little part of the audience and traffic. 

What Is Your Family’s Take On This Chosen Career?
Well my guardians don’t really think much about blogging considering the fact that it is one of my ‘hobbies’. Considering the way other bloggers from other parts of the world are being treated, my aunt often advises that I really be careful what I publish. Sometimes they can’t really differentiate being a blogger from being a fraudster especially when I talk about making money from the blog. 

How Do You Deal With The Misconceptions About Bloggers And Fraudsters?
Well, that is a major problem I particularly face. Because I happen to always be online, I am perceived as a ‘yahoo-boy’. Well I can’t really blame Nigerians about that because we haven’t become digitally inclined and learned so it’s particularly easy for people to tangle blogging and internet scamming. 
In person, I don’t really care what people think about what I do. It’s not their opinion that makes me what and who I am. It is what I do that really counts. Like Mr 2Kay will say “their opinion no be bank alert”. That’s it.

Do You Ever Feel Like Giving Up On Your Blog?
Yes! Considering the amount of time one invests in it and also the funds and the no/slow yield from the platform, I am forced to think of giving up. But, never, that’s not me; I’m a nerd. I can’t give up. No! Not now. 

What Are The Challenges You Face?
I have quite a good number of them. Basically, unsteady traffic; though I will attribute it to my inconsistency in posting. Another is finance; buying data, subscribing and all of that. You now have annoying artistes who don’t understand that you must give to receive. These artistes are willing to spend hundreds of thousands of naira to shoot a music video that doesn’t deserve shooting let alone airing – but they will want to offer a blogger just a token amount to help publicize their works. You can imagine an artiste offering you #100 naira recharge card to promote his track/video on prominent sites. All these, when considered can make one want to give up. But as such, I work with the serious ones. 

So Apart From Blogging, What Other Things Do You Engage In?
Well….. I am a Television Producer/Journalist. I specialize in Children Programmes Production especially social campaigns. I am a thespian – I do stage acting. I also write for a prominent National newspaper and a couple of other magazines. 

If You Were To Describe Yourself In One Word, What Would It Be?
“Indescribable”

Sell yourself to your readers in 60 words. 
Hmmmm… I’m a Children Television Programmes producer with a flair for social campaigns and Information and Communications Technology. I love to inform and stay informed. I can survive any condition (thick and thin). I’m single (l0l), I love playing games, watching cartoons/animations and reading motivational books. I also love learning languages. Don’t tell me don’t; I love challenges. I’m a mine to be discovered

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