In a conversation with Music Enthusiast and Creative Director, Oreoluwa Peters, where he shared the inspiration behind his creativity in Music business and his approach when working with Artists.

Aside from music, what would you describe as a normal day for you?

I’m pretty sure I don’t have any days I would categorize as normal but any day I’m not working I’m trying to catch sleep, spend time with my loved ones and work out. I basically try to do things I have not been able to in a while like try to eat my favourite food, because once it’s work time, I go all in, and I could even forget to eat. I also try to spend time catching up on my series. I love to watch documentaries about anything and everything because you never know the kind of clients you might be dealing with or talking to, so no knowledge is wasted. For example, lately, I have been really interested in fashion, so I find myself watching fashion documentaries, spending time on Pinterest, being intentional about my personal styling, etc.

We have heard a lot about how tedious the entertainment industry is, especially in Lagos. How true is this? and how have you been able to navigate through?

I agree that the entertainment industry is quite tedious. It is honestly quite demanding because you can’t sleep or slack on the job. While you’re asleep another artist is strategizing and planning how to beat you at your own game. It is a really competitive field so you have to stay on your toes and keep going. The way I have been able to do that is by constantly being open-minded and judicious. I try to always stay ready; that way when opportunities come my way I don’t have to start getting ready, I’m already prepared. It is also very important to have emotional intelligence because in this industry you will meet and work with all kinds of people with different characters. You have to be able to find the balance between being patient and ensuring that you are not walked over.

One thing that is admirable about you is that you have different personal brands. How do you bring everything together? From Ore as a person to Mr Rollout as a Music creative and Davethemc as an MC

I would say that my personality extends to everything I do, and that is why I have built different brands. My mentor once said to me that when you have clients, there are 2 people that you are managing; yourself and that client, so it is very important to build a personal brand for yourself. Also, using the access you have gotten to build businesses for yourself is important. It is not easy juggling all of these, but the fact that they are all an extension of my personality makes it a bit easier. For example, Dave the MC I would say is my fun side, because I love to dance, I love to have a good time, and I know that I bring energy into a room. Mr Rollout is my creative side, the creative mastermind that always thinks out of the box. Oreoluwa Peters is the CEO, a businessman that has corporate insight and experience. It is important to build different brands for yourself because that is how your clients will view your value. If you are unable to differentiate your brand from your clients, you will always be someone’s assistant or someone’s manager. You will never be your own person.

Lagos is a beautiful place but also a very busy place. What is your favourite place(s) in Lagos, somewhere you can go to relax?

I would say 22B Lagos, it is a new spot with a really serene environment. It is owned by a friend, Anu Bello. It is a number of things, an art gallery, a gift shop, there are areas to sit and relax, and they also have a cooking class. I usually go there to destress and cool down. Every Wednesday, she hosts a dinner where she brings friends and family together, and she cooks some meals for us to eat. It’s always a fun time and a good time. The serenity of the space makes me calm, and the art pieces sometimes give me inspiration. I also love going to the beach. The beach is very peaceful and calm. When I go to the beach, I observe the waves, and it calms me down. I guess you could say since my work life can be very chaotic when I unwind, I like to do things that are serene and that keep my mind calm.

You have such a different creative direction and approach towards music, especially when working with artists and building their music brand. What will you say is your edge?

My edge is my experience. Spending over a decade in this industry has made me an all-rounder because when I started out, I always had the belief that talent is not the problem. It has always been the presentation. I always see how commercial brands in other sectors roll out their own products, and I ask myself, how come we don’t do this in the entertainment industry? Basically, the entertainment industry, because it is entertainment is not always taken seriously. But we need to be reminded that it is a business, and all businesses need to be taken seriously. Therefore, I look to work in different areas to learn from them and divert such knowledge into entertainment. For example, I have worked in advertising, which made me learn how to present ideas. I worked in media, and I learnt how journalists think and visualise their thoughts. I have also worked as an A&R, and a talent manager. I understand the emotions of artists, I understand how they think, and I understand the things they are trying to do. I could confidently say that I am the only person I know with such well-rounded experience from the entertainment and corporate side of things.

What has been your most exciting project you have worked on and why?

I would say that my most exciting project to have worked on was Teni’s Wondaland album. I had so much fun bringing ideas to life. I was able to understand exactly what the artist wanted and create a whole new world particularly for that album. We created a wonderland website, a VR experience, we took Teni’s audience to a Wondaland that we created. It was a beautiful thing to bring to life

Do you have other talents you feel you can leverage on asides music business?

I don’t see myself as a person that can be squared into a box. As a creative director and strategist, I believe that I can easily work with anyone. I don’t believe that there is any business that does not need the services I offer. We just find them in different industries but bearing different names. Creativity is something that does not belong to music or even entertainment alone.