Building my brand from scratch in the US was tough, says comedian Jedi

Nigerian stand-up comedian, Jedi, says he found it challenging to build his brand from the scratch after relocating to the United States.

The comic said although it was initially difficult to start afresh in a new terrain, of late, his brand has witnessed growth.

“The United States first of all is a leveling ground. So you may be known in your own terrain or country or community of function but getting here, is a different thing entirely. This place is big and well respected all over the world,” Jedi said.

“So one of the challenges I may say is building my brand from the start. Though I had a good push or start off but to build and maintain it was one of the real jobs I had to do. And at that time, the social media wasn’t as busy and influential as it is at the moment.

“So, me coming from a place that you had build a certain level of brand for yourself to a place where you hope to expand your brand relevance was challenging. Now it’s different, there’s been an exceptional growth and success in the brand.”

Comparing the entertainment industry in Nigeria to the US, Jedi said there are more money-making opportunities in the latter than the former.

He however admitted that there’s been progress in the Nigerian entertainment industry, adding that challenges are prevalent in the both the US and back at home.

He said: “There are more income revenue opportunities in the United States for artistes than Nigeria. There’s so much that still needs to be done in the system to help generate good income revenue for the artistes.

“There’s a certain measure of developments in some areas in the Nigerian entertainment industry especially with the use of social media platform which there’s are certain revenue income that is generated. In addition the current economic state of the world affects both sides in different ways. The current exchange rate is a particular example.

“The basic challenge is like what I mentioned before, the structure for the entertainment industry in both worlds. In as much as we may look at how glamorous it may look in the American entertainment industry, there are still some challenges they face. There’s progress so far in the Nigerian entertainment industry but there’s a whole lot more to be done.

Jedi is set to host a stand-up special ‘The Family Man’ on September 1.