As technology reshapes storytelling and social media changes who controls cultural conversations, Chude Jideonwo is pursuing an ambition that extends beyond the next platform or viral moment: building African media institutions that endure for generations.
What is your long-term vision for African media, and what legacy do you want to leave?
I am building a powerful African media and storytelling ecosystem that influences outcomes, from individual lives to the wider culture. That is why we have adopted a conglomerate model integrating content, communications and creators. We are the only company of our size that fully integrates those areas while preserving the independence of the businesses.
Combining client services and content can create tensions. We address that through clear boundaries and independent operations. The communications companies do not necessarily know the clients of the content companies. They have different leadership and ways of working.
Shared ownership provides a common purpose, while operational independence allows each company to do its work. The founder has no material involvement in the vast majority of their daily activities. It is a distinctive model, and we believe it can demonstrate a different way to build a media group.
Our ambition is for HBC to become the continent’s largest combined media, content and communications conglomerate by revenue, audience size and impact. We are already one of the largest. We intend to become the largest.
We want to create enduring institutions that serve as models for existing and younger media companies. Too many media businesses struggle because creative ambition is not matched by investment in structure, strategy and systems. Most creatives care more about storytelling than the business that supports it.
We are demonstrating what is possible when storytelling ambition is supported by the same seriousness about business. That is why WithChude has developed a subscription model, and RED has worked across the continent, not just in Nigeria. We are working across Africa to show, for instance, that our political communication model does not depend on the local politics of our country of origin. Our model can work in any country.
READ ARTICLE: https://businessday.ng/interview/article/why-we-are-building-the-dangote-group-of-media-in-africa-chude-jideonwo/?amp