SPOTLIGHT: VJ Adams, the ‘creative solutionist’ redefining event hosting

VJ Adams, the versatile media personality born Adams Ibrahim Adebola, has cemented his status as a household name with his exceptional event-hosting skills. The 36-year-old Ogun-born self-proclaimed ‘creative solutionist’ has also successfully carved a unique niche for his brand, solidifying his position in the entertainment industry. In this interview with TheCable Lifestyle, Adams shares his passion for showbiz, unveiling his ambitious plans to revolutionize the interview landscape and upcoming projects.

TheCable Lifestyle: What made you go into entertainment/hosting?

VJ Adams: I mean just sheer passion drove me into it. I am one of those people that anything I genuinely dream of or believe I can do, I pursue it and I pursue it like my life depends on it. As early as 2008, I did a BBC-certified broadcasting training to equip me with the knowledge of broadcasting.

Because I obviously knew going into journalism I needed to be equipped because it is not a child’s play because journalism is serious business, it is serious work. So whether or not I had the talent or thought I had the talent at the time, I had to make that extra step to get trained and yes, they say the rest is history.

Obviously getting into the media space, I did not know anyone. But luckily for me in 2008, there were tons of talent hunt shows, I am literally a talent hunt baby. I was on the Next Movie Star West Africa in 2008, and that was what gave me a foot in the door into entertainment and television, from there it has been 16 years and I have never looked back.

TheCable Lifestyle: What was the reaction when you got the call that you’d be hosting ‘Off The Top’?

VJ Adams: The conversation around ‘Off The Top’ was not just a phone call. Paramount Africa has just been amazing in terms of allowing creators to live their dreams. If you recall earlier in the year, I had my other show which aired on MTV Base, which is one of the Paramount portfolios.

So that established a relationship and we had a conversation about other things we could do together and I told them about ‘Off The Top’, they said they would power it which is what they did. They gave me all the technical support to see the show come alive because I worked in the capacity of host and producer as well.

They gave me all the support to see it come alive to make sure that the show was tasteful enough for Africa. The casting, everything, they had their team members on set while I was filming to make sure if I needed anything, they were right there. It is just exciting to work with people, professionals, a multi-national like Paramount and just see how their work ethics is and just the whole nine yards.

TheCable Lifestyle: What are you going to do differently to keep viewers entertained and glued to the show?

VJ Adams: To start with, the excitement of the show starts with the name of the show. The name of the show is ‘Off The Top’ and it literally means a show you are speaking from the heart. It means no scripts, and no teleprompters, I do not think there are too many interview shows that run like that in the world. Usually, you have a presenter with a cue card and whatever.

I am bringing my worth of experience to the table. For the viewers, they would have these incredible rollercoaster rides into the lives of these personalities, and celebrities and the cast is just fantastic. From actors to artistes, to those who double three lives for example Falz who is an actor, musician, and lawyer. The conversation is rich and you are going to see them in a completely different light.

For me, one of the reasons why I do this show is that for the past few years when I notice an interview being run and you invite a guest and you have these big cue cards in front of you, the guests kind of get on the edge in the terms of they are very defensive. So if you watch the show, it is very relaxing. It is almost like two people or two friends having a conversation, that is what it feels like.

It is a beautiful ride, thirty minutes is going to fly by and you are going to watch the show again. That is my unique selling point for the show, it is the streaming value even though it is on TV.

TheCable Lifestyle: Should we be expecting any more projects from you apart from TV hosting?

VJ Adams: I have a partnership with a friend of mine who does movies, so I kind of do the PR marketing and rollout for the movies. Even though they are YouTube movies, they are incredibly successful. We have 10 million views in the first movie. The last movie we released got about 7 million views in three weeks.

I do a lot of marketing campaigns for movies, it is something I’m deep into because I am making investments in movies. So I am like an executive producer, I am usually in the background and you probably would not see my name but you would see my company name. Apart from that, I do fashion.

My fashion debut was in 2015 with something called Embruto by VJ Adams. After I sold it out I left it alone because of piracy and I could not control the millions of units. When I make thousands of units, I sell it out and I stop. I created a platform, the name of my clothing is VIF. It is a French word that means lively. In 2021, I debuted it and I have a new collection ready.

I was looking at my rollouts and I am so excited. I am going to announce it in about four days or so. That is how my fashion brand is debuting. Then my gaming platform as well because I own the franchise of the biggest gaming platform in the country. When I talk about gaming, I mean e-sports and lifestyle games generally. My plate is a bit full but when you have money for me, I am available.

TheCable Lifestyle: Finally, we have deciphered that you are a man of many talents, so how would you describe VJ Adams to anyone?

VJ Adams: VJ Adams is a creative solutionist. Over the years, what I have done is find creative ways to answer certain questions. People say they go to events, they are waiting for artistes to perform and everywhere is just very somehow until the big artiste comes to perform.

I created a Celebrity Video Game Challenge in 2013 to answer that and to give support to e-sports. People talk about TV shows are a sort of way, presenters are too uptight and too serious. I created ‘Off The Top’, you can have interviews in a more relaxing way. For me, I am just a creative solutionist. It excites me to create something and watch it come alive.

If I am able to get into meetings and rooms with multi-nationals like Paramount who are willing to give you support, they see your vision and they can go with you, it is just beautiful to see. That is what I think I have morphed into. So whether or not I can rap, I can DJ or host events, all of it falls under the umbrella of my creative work and that is why my company is called Content King Trios.