From Passion to Poshness: Victor Oluwole
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It is obvious these days that no positive traits, talent or character exhibited by children can go to waste through proper parental guidance and counseling, focus and positive vibes to make such talent or passion turn into a career or an enviable enterprise. The abilities inherent in each of us can always be brought to life and brought to yield income if it is encouraged and if we can develop it more and more. Such is the story of Victor Oluwole who was once dubbed a talkative but now becomes a fast rising “posh talkative” and highly sought after MC in the United Kingdom, delivering posh events in an equally posh style.
Read his interview:
1. Tell us about yourself?
I am Victor Olusegun Oluwole, a trained and seasoned broadcaster, I am also known as Posh MC within the UK events Industry where I live and work as an award winning master of ceremonies, voted best MC in the United Kingdom in April 2015, I also was nominated and won the C.Hubb Creativity Entertainment African Awards as the Best Nigerian MC in the UK in November of the same year.
My God given, cool, classy and collected upscale style inspired one of UK's top bloggers to come up with that stage name about three years ago and it's been Posh MC since then.
A well spoken, articulate, versatile event host, I'm married to Vanessa Oluwole and we are blessed with two of the most amazing and beautiful girls in the world.
2. What motivates you to do what you do?
Simply put, I have a passion for talking. I recall taking my report card home in my primary school days at (Anthony Model Primary School) and getting seriously punished by mum and dad, why? My teacher had set me up by writing the words "He is talkative" on the teacher's comment line. I love to talk to and with people depending on what the occasion demands, I believe in talking, it's a gift human being have not fully exploited for its tremendous powers. If you listen around you today, you hear drumbeats of war and if you look, what you see all around you are the devastating consequences of human's inability to talk to each other; there wouldn't be this much killing of innocent lives if we could just talk.
I'm motivated to do what I do because I believe I will one day have the opportunity to inspire the world to talk a bit more. whoever you notice running away from an opportunity to talk definitely has a negative energy and that isn't great for our relationships and our world in general.
3. How has your past experience trained you for this career?
I'm a Mass Communications graduate from the Prestigious Ogun State Polytechnic which has since been renamed Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, I knew even before applying for any tertiary studies that that was the school I needed to go to, the track record was visible for all to see as most of those who were successful then even till now within the communications industry had passed through the institution at some point.
My mission was very clear to me even though mum wanted me to go to University Of Lagos (where all my beautiful younger siblings went) to study the same course and My biological dad wanted me to be a lawyer, I guess I was determined and clear about what exactly I wanted to do.
Those who have been in the communications industry will tell you it's one thing to be trained in school and it's another to be professionally trained, the golden age of broadcasting in Nigeria came too early for some of us, the professionalism and class of the John Momohs, and others had ended, they were the inspiration for some of us. Even though he tried to reproduce that class in this generation, through his Channels Television, the standards he John Momoh and his then colleagues of newscasters and reporters set via the NTA are almost unattainable today.
With the likes Uncle Bode Alalade, Yinka Criage and a host of others gone, there are very few members of the golden age left to impact the new generation. I was one of the lucky ones as I had the privilege of being trained earlier on at Channels Television by the now late Uncle Bode Alalade and my Egbon Ladi Akeredolu-Ale. Uncle Bode Alalade who was then a man power development consultant at channels ensured we had the necessary diction and broadcast ethics, what studying my course in a polytechnic also made possible was the opportunity to have gained amazing experiences with some NTA greats like Yusuf Jibo, Kayode Williams, Adesuwa Oyinukwe, Augusta Maduagbuna and others during Industrial Attachments. I also had the privilege of learning from Miss Duro Onabolu who was then the Public Relations Chief Of UACN PLC also in the 90s.
And I guess having a father who is an amazing communicator has also helped me a lot, so you could say it's a genetic trait too.
My maternal Grandmother was an entrepreneur, she was such an enterprising woman, like her mother before her, she turned the most insignificant thing into a livelihood she and my great grandma who was called (Mama Ologiri) were an inspiration and I had the privilege of living with both of them. I guess, they inspired my interest in my wife who happens to have my grandma's kind of industrious energy so that formed the basis for the connection. After we both worked full time for the NHS here in the UK for some years, we realized there was a vacuum that needed to be filled in the events industry so we decided to start LVLV Events. People call it love love events, but in actual fact those are the first letters of both of our names and both of our daughter's names.
Going round the UK planning, managing and decorating events made me realize that there was a need to professionally manage the order of events as they were mostly quite disorganized and chaotic. So I thought why don't I begin to do this professionally? Meanwhile, I've had several friends and acquaintances insisting on me anchoring their events over the years (pro Bono) laughs!
We then decided to join forces to also sell my hosting services alongside our event planning and decorating services, that was the easy part, selling my style had to be worked on, the misconception had always been that once you are the host of an event you are automatically a comedian; so, over the years we've been able to separate both and those clients who are so inclined after seeing what I offer via clips of one or two of the old jobs that I've done are always quick to hire my services and they do come back with amazing feedbacks like this one by Femi, a bride from last year:
"07.08.15 has so far been the happiest day of my life. I am so grateful to God for leading me to the right suppliers that made our day so memorable. As I write this we haven’t recovered from the buzz of last Friday. After a referral from another supplier I approached PoshMC to be the master of ceremony for our big day. He is very easy to talk to and down to earth. Working with him was so comfortable. Being a professional he gave very useful tips and ideas which we brought on board. Everything worked so well just as we planned.
Most importantly, our guests loved him.... His clear and eloquent voice was a delight and then he sang!!!! Goodness... that was the icing on the top.. He coordinated the day really well and everyone enjoyed his ambience. I am so glad he was part of the team that gave us a fantastic day and I will highly recommend his services to anyone looking for a professional Posh MC.... This guy is sincerely the real deal. I thank God I know him"
Doing what we both do together has helped us in these formative years of our daughter's lives to be always present, though quite challenging sometimes as our business happens to be seasonal and I'm sure you know how horrible the British weather system is, it limits the very active months as most people avoid scheduling their events for the first couple of months of the year and the last couple of months of the year due to the freezing conditions that characterizes winter.
We have, therefore, since last year started taking jobs from outside of the UK, so forthwith, potential clients outside the UK who want to add upscale elegance and poshness to their events can call me for their special occasions, corporate and corporate/national or social/national events.
5. You have hosted several events in the UK and environs, how do you manage to create the proper levels of content, entertainment and motivation together bearing in mind your varied guests at all occasions?
No two events are ever the same as they are obviously commissioned by different clients to satisfy though sometimes the same overall need, but certainly not the same guests, London is the most cosmopolitan city in the world and you've got to be on top of your game to stand before any group of audience at any given time. The Nigerian market, which I serve alongside some other professionals, is indeed sometimes unbelievably dynamic and therefore unpredictable.
Therefore, content dynamism is essential in ensuring certain requirements are met when hosting events in these climes. You cannot afford to be caught unawares as the least of your floors are picked up with ease, you must consider the political correctness, gender, race, colour and age appropriateness of your utterances as today, Nigerians are marrying into and becoming interrelated with Caucasians, Asians and of course our cousins from the Caribbean.
Once you are eloquent, entertaining, engaging and appropriate, you shouldn't have any problems with cosmopolitan London events guests, you must be a bridge for instance, between the Caribbean guests and a predominantly Yoruba guest at an intercontinental wedding, they must be briefed on why certain things are done at our parties. A British/Indian couple once asked me at a 60th birthday party why other guests were showering dollar notes on the celebrant, once they heard from me that it was our way of appreciating and showing the celebrant some love, they were on the dance floor doing exactly the same as others.
6. What and who inspires you?
My inspiration comes from God, for he has been so good to me, I've come through some of the most tempestuous times in my young life and it's only God who has inspired me to just keep moving on, some amazing people around me were the vessels used by God to bring me through those times; in the sand of those difficulties, those people made me see the footprints of God even in the most tumultuous and difficult times of my travails.
On the other hand, knowing that there is a higher calling yet to come and of course the generous and very kind words of clients like Femi Oke above gives me an unbridled positive energy and inspiration.
7. Your articles on political matters in your home country has generated lots of interest most especially on social media platforms, do you have any political ambition?
The thoughts expressed in my articles are basically
my views on international and mainly Nigerian Politics, they are views that
have been shaped by my training and exposure and most significantly by my
political upbringing.
I happen to have been born into a political conclave
in Ogun State politics called "Bayode Oluwole Group", my family has
played significant roles in midwifing the political careers of most of the now
notable political gladiators in Nigeria and especially in Ogun state where my
family comes from.
Our political relevance dates back to the very
active days of Baba Awolowo whose UPN my dad later declared support for at Baba
Awolowo's behest in the early 80s, I was about six years old and Baba Awolowo
had requested the venue of my father's declaration to be Isara Remo on the
Asa'Udeen playing ground as that was where my paternal grandmother was from. My
dad then took me along to meet Baba Awolowo whose hand I still recall shaking
at the occasion.
As for my interest in any political ambition, all
powers belong to God our creator, but He only chooses to hand a fragment of it
to some privileged few only for brief periods. There are conspicuous and
sufficient reasons for an individual with my political upbringing and views to
want to enter the fray and contribute my bit to the development of our nation
and the uplifting of our people, certainly. I've been ably prepared for any
political role of my two fathers and my amazing mum, one of my dads, Arch
Deacon Stephen Olabanji Egbinola happens to be a senior priest in the Lagos
Dioceses of the Anglican Communion of Nigeria. Morally, you could say I've had
a great upbringing and my biological dad Aremo Bayode Omololu Oluwole is of
course an amazing political leader of note in Ogun state.
I went through years of grassroots political
tutelage under my dad and his lieutenants and even though I've been away from
home for a while now, the impact of the impression God enabled me to leave in
the hearts of some of the most amazing politicians in Remo of Ogun East
Senatorial District to be precise remains indelible. I guess it's a matter of
time as we look forward to the manifestation of God's will in that aspect of my
career.
Let me leave you with a short story on this subject,
I was once run over by a bus as a toddler on my way to school, my right leg was
broken in two, this was in Isara Remo as I then lived with my grandma and great
grandma. I was quickly rushed in the same vehicle to the Isara General Hospital
where my emergency situation was handled by unbelievably talented Nigerian
health personnel with amazing equipments within the same hospital.
My X-ray, Plaster of Paris and everything that
needed to be done to fix my leg was done without my grandparents leaving that
same hospital premises, today my leg is just as great a God created it, I was
even quite active with athletics in my secondary school days coupled with being
the Senior Prefect of my school, Ojota Secondary School.
Unfortunately, I want to bet that that hospital is
today a shadow of what it was then and that is why I'm definitely going into
politics, to give another toddler in my situation about 35 years ago the chance
to walk again by working hard to ensure our infrastructures are world class and
that they really do meet the immediate and long term needs of our people.
8. Have you handled a difficult situation with
a client who is not easily satisfied?
Oh absolutely! There are highly demanding customers
who are mostly quite rigid and set in whatever ideas they've got for their
event. You must respect their views and where they're gravely unconscious of
the consequences of certain ideas, it is ones duty to subtly educate them on
the subject and why things have got to be done differently or why certain
adjustments must be made.
9. Which is more important to you, the
money , type of job, or client involved?
Laughs! Hmmmmm! Out of these particular options, I
think I'ld say the "client involved" because who the client is will
determine who your future potential clients might be. One classy event
successfully managed through the microphone will most certainly get you other
classy events.
However, one must be dynamic in terms of jobs that
get prioritized you don't want to come across as always only choosing the mega
rich clients over others who aren't so privileged. So what I do is "first
come first booked".
10. How do you determine or evaluate
success?
For me, job satisfaction and the glowing feedbacks
from my clients like the one by Femi determines success in my line of work.
Victor Oluwole
President, LvLv Events
Publicist, Great Rapid Leap
PR || Event Management ||
Branding
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