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The conversation around Mark Angel and his alleged treatment of some content creators has dominated the Nigerian social media space for a couple of days now.
It started when Denilson Igwe, a name less popular than the face it’s assigned to, lent his voice to The Honest Bunch podcast. He claimed he was the one who started Mark Angel Comedy, one of the most popular comedy groups to have come out of Nigeria, and that Mark Angel had robbed him and Emmanuella of the rightful proceeds of their hard work.
Several claims were made during the podcast. He accused Mark Angel of buying a car in 2014 when they were still struggling, paying Emmanuela the little stipend of twenty thousand Naira a month while the Facebook page raked in about a hundred and sixty thousand dollars monthly, lying that someone gave him the car he bought as a gift, etc.
Mark Angel; the big man
Basking in the fact that he is an orphan and has nothing to lose, Denilson is unfazed. He went on to declare that he is the only person who can talk about Mark Angel right now because the latter has a history of his enemies dying or having accidents once they talk about him.
On the podcast, he tells the story of how he met Mark and they started doing skits. How the group was supposed to be Mechanic Pictures, but Mark created and monetized Facebook and YouTube pages without telling him. He detailed how he was the one who started shooting with Emmanuella and how Mark told him to stop shooting with her, how he was sidelined for most trips outside the country, and more.
Hearing all that he said, one can only assume the things he didn’t say. The thought of making a hundred and sixty thousand dollars monthly on YouTube in 2016 is heavy. If Denilson is to be believed, one of the YouTube channels makes about ninety thousand dollars monthly to this day and the group has eight such channels, with an additional five on Facebook. When you think about it, the Facebook accounts have even more followers and reach than the YouTube pages.
He calls Mark Angel a ‘Strong Man’. A term notably used for people who are either spiritually powerful or have a lot of influence on the streets, with people moving behind them as soldiers. Either way, they’re almost untouchable and only accessible by other ‘Strong Men.’
He prophesies that Emmanuella will one day be in his current position and say the same things he said on the podcasts. He says Mark Angel is by far the richest comedian in Nigeria and the gap is not close. There’s so much more he says, that you have to hear from Denilson himself.
The contracts signed by Denilson himself and Emmanuel provided by Mark Angel were read by a lawyer on set at the podcast and she was in total dismay. She claims the contracts were structured to benefit the person offering the contract in a very detrimental way to the receivers of the contract.
There’s a shock in my system. There’s awe in my thoughts. There’s a large presence of bewilderment in my heart. As Nedu said on the podcast, it would only be right to hear from both parties before passing a credible judgment.
However, most of the claims around the contract are backed by facts (as read by the lawyer) and snippets of some of these issues have appeared on the social media scene in the past. It looks like a situation that can not be salvaged, and my heart bleeds for Denilson Igwe.
There is more to the story, and we can only wait for what unfolds. ‘First-speaker advantage’ and the presence of compassion and humanity would incline most of us to pitch our tents closer to the floors of Denilson, but I wait in the hope that Mark Angel comes out to speak on his reputation. Netng reached out to Mark Angel Comedy for his comments on Denilson’s claims but no response was received at the time of this publication.
To creatives collaborating in the entertainment space, and to anyone involved in business really, there’s one simple lesson here. A gospel that has been preached on numerous occasions and will forever continue to be relevant.
Contracts exist for a reason.
Draft them, read through contracts you’re presented properly and have some legal backing to fall back on. Let’s share the grace in fellowship.
