Nollywood actor and filmmaker Kunle Afod has revealed that he was barred from participating in certain productions after he began earning money through online film distribution.
The veteran Yoruba actor explained that his choice to bypass traditional marketers and embrace digital platforms led to his exclusion from the industry circles that once supported him.
In an interview on Oyinmomo TV, Afod said his move to online distribution was a response to the rapidly evolving media landscape. As the industry shifted from CDs to DVDs and eventually to digital streaming, he realized early on that online platforms would transform how audiences consumed movies.
According to Afod, he attempted to advise movie marketers to adapt to the changing times, but his advice was ignored. Taking matters into his own hands, he boldly launched his own online channel, where he uploaded and monetized his films directly.
His success with this digital approach reportedly ruffled feathers among some marketers, who then allegedly blacklisted him. Producers were said to have been instructed not to cast him in their projects, effectively pushing him out of the mainstream Yoruba Nollywood scene.
Despite facing backlash, Afod noted that venturing into online distribution granted him financial independence and creative control. As digital content gained popularity, more actors began to embrace the model, realizing the advantages of managing their own distribution channels.
He added that the same industry stakeholders who initially opposed the shift later sought to make amends—but by then, he had already established a successful and self-sustaining system.
He said: “As the world evolved digitally, we also had to adapt and improve our involvement. There was a time when we used CDs, and later we upgraded to DVDs. We, the actors, advised marketers to make the switch to DVDs too, because that was what the audience had moved on to at the time. Later, when online streaming platforms emerged, I personally warned the marketers that physical discs could soon go extinct due to these platforms. Unfortunately, they didn’t listen to me.”
“Since they ignored my advice, I created my own online channel and started uploading my movies directly. When they realized I was earning revenue independently without going through marketers, they banned me from acting in their productions and instructed producers not to feature me in their films. Thank God the online streaming space grew rapidly. When they saw how fast my platform was growing, many other actors joined in. I was later invited to a meeting to discuss how to remedy the situation, but I told them I had already moved on. Now that people understand they can distribute their own films online and earn directly, everything has changed,” he added.
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