You can be anything you want to be

Kevin Ogola, 28, wears many hats – he is a talent agent, a talent manager, a commercial director and a casting director. PHOTO | EVANS HABIL

What you need to know:

  • Kevin describes himself as a freelance casting director for film and TV commercials, and founder of a talent management company he set up late last year, and which he hopes to use as a platform to train artists on the importance of proper financial management.
  • As a talent agent, his job involves tapping talent for film, TV and commercial ads. As a talent manager, he takes care of the business aspect of artists under his management, while as a casting agent for TV commercials, he works with major PR firms in the country to source for cast and crew to execute the different needs of his clients.
  • A factor that has kept him up-to-date in terms of the skills he needs to execute his jobs are the numerous training opportunities that he has had in and out of the country that have enabled him to learn new trends, sharpen his skills and build even further networks that have been very beneficial to his career.

Kevin Ogola wears many hats – he is a talent agent, a talent manager, a commercial director and a casting director.

At 28, he has worked with a couple of big brands, including Safaricom, Isuzu, Google, Airtel and Guinness, to name a few. His acting credits include TV productions such as Santalal, Jane and Abel and Sumu la Penzi; film acting credits include Sirudi Ng’o and Love Ransom. In a nutshell, Kevin describes himself as a freelance casting director for film and TV commercials, and founder of a talent management company he set up late last year, and which he hopes to use as a platform to train artists on the importance of proper financial management.

No doubt, his profile is a long one, impressive for one in his twenties, and one that must be demanding of his time.

“I work with a schedule, so it becomes easy to set aside time for each of the different things that I do. I think it also helps that all these jobs are related, so in a way, one skill develops the other,” he comments on how he is able to fulfill these multiple roles with ease.

As a talent agent, his job involves tapping talent for film, TV and commercial ads. As a talent manager, he takes care of the business aspect of artists under his management, while as a casting agent for TV commercials, he works with major PR firms in the country to source for cast and crew to execute the different needs of his clients.

“Most of the talent that I manage approach me and ask me to be their manager – when you do a good job, word gets round. As a talent agent however, I have to really scout, especially when I am looking for an uncommon individual, for instance a four-year-old poet or someone who can speak several languages fluently,” Kevin explains.

The fact that he has been in this field for a long time means that he has been able to build his database over time, and it has therefore become relatively easy to identify people he wants to work with or people he can get references from.

WELL TRAVELLED

Regarding how he was able to build his clientele and win the trust of such big brands and the big names he manages, he explains that he started out in the field early in his life.

“I started out as a model actually, so I know how this field operates. My experience of working with different people and different companies ensured that I understood exactly where I was going from the get go,” Kevin says, and adds that it is very important to leave a good impression during your initial career stages because to a large extent, the impression you leave will determine the referrals that you get in future.

A factor that has kept him up-to-date in terms of the skills he needs to execute his jobs are the numerous training opportunities that he has had in and out of the country that have enabled him to learn new trends, sharpen his skills and build even further networks that have been very beneficial to his career.

“Though I have no formal training in filmmaking, I attend as many workshops as possible – learning is continuous.”

Kevin remarks that for his kind of job, a serious online presence is indispensable, your presence has to be felt and people need to know what you are doing because apart from the connections that he has and the referrals that he gets, a lot of his branding and marketing happens online through his social media platforms.

“To do well in this kind of job, you need to get out there and socialise, because this is the only way you will know what is happening in your field.”

Kevin feels that film has a much bigger role than plain narration or telling stories, a lesson that he has come to appreciate overtime, and is one of the reasons he continues to seek skills and learn to be a better casting and commercial director.

“Film has the ability to unify people because it encourages interaction and the exploration of different issues in the society, and hence provides a good avenue for the exploration of the problems affecting people.”

To the young people getting into the field, he encourages teachability and being open to learning because the fact that you are just beginning means that there are plenty of things which you can only learn from the people who have been there before you.

“Artists getting into this field need to be careful of how they spend the money that comes their way because unlike an 8am to 5pm job, the money is not regular. Invest part of what you make each time,” he advises.

For him, the most fulfilling aspect of his career is being able to work on his creativity and bring this about audiovisually. And for this type of job, he highly doubts that any school can properly prepare you for it – to make it, you must be gifted, be constantly on the lookout for new information and have a sharp eye.