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Alex Okosi: The Catalyst Projecting the African Media

by InlandTown Editor
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Written By: David Ugbabe

The name Alex Okosi resonates so well amongst professionals in the media due to his outstanding contribution to the growth of the African digital and conventional media industry. With a strong background in Business Development, Corporate Strategy, Advertising Sales, Distribution, Digital Media and General Management, as well as being a thought-leader, and innovator, Alex Okosi has been featured in key global media outlets including BBC, CNN and Forbes for his mastery of creating the result.

Inlandtown delves into the life and successes of this media mogul whose over 21 years of entertainment experience has helped change the narrative in the entertainment sector of every country he has worked.

ALEX HAILS FROM ONITSHA

Ogbuefi Akunne Alex Uche Okosi was born in Enugu, Nigeria, the youngest of seven children (2 sisters and 4 brothers). Despite his strides and achievements abroad, Alex is thoroughly connected to his root. It is worth mentioning that Alex is from Ogbeabu Quarters in Onitsha same place as Zik of Africa and is a member of the Agbalanze cultural association, his title is Akunne. Also significantly recognized as an Onitsha Prince, his grandfather and uncle have once occupied the throne as Obi of Onitsha. He is also a chief in his village – a title his father ensured he and his siblings took.

Alex Okosi: The Catalyst Projecting the African Media

ALSO READ: The Onitsha Man Behinds Africa’s Biggest Entertainment Company

HAD HIS EDUCATION IN NIGERIA AND USA

Alex Okosi attended Zik Avenue Primary School, Enugu before proceeding to the United States at the age of 12. He earned a scholarship with which he attended university, and received strong grades. He also attended various schools in Florida, Nebraska, Missouri, and New York before attending Philips Exeter Academy in Exeter, New Hampshire.

Nigeria born, Okosi was educated in the US, graduating magna cum laude with a dual major in Business Administration and Economics from St Michael’s College in Vermont

STARTED HIS CAREER AT MTV

Alex Okosi developed a lot of interest in music while in school and this gave him some relevant experience that enabled him to land the job with MTV. He revealed that MTV was the only firm he applied to for employment at the time after winning a basketball scholarship. He started off as part of the Trade and Integrated Marketing team where he developed a valuable skillset that stood him out having successfully developed multi-platform marketing opportunities for advertisers that were integrated into marquee, MTV franchises such as Video Music Awards, Spring Break, Movie Awards, and Wanna Be a VJ.

Scaling several heights and working with top management of the organization, Okosi influenced the creation of strategies that became effective in expanding MTV in Africa securing distribution for MTV Networks brands such as MTV, Nickelodeon, VH1, CMT, MTV2, and Spike TV as well as successfully pushed for distribution of MTV2 in key markets. This resulted in transforming the niche, “alternative” music channel into a core brand with broad appeal and distribution in the US market.

Alex is credited for spearheading the launch of the music channel MTV Africa on the continent, and today oversees Viacom’s Africa subsidiary, which includes a number of channels such as Comedy Central and Nickelodeon. Since his return to the African continent, Alex revealed that his passion is to “really to champion African culture.” Some of the key campaigns created by Okosi include the MTV Africa Music Awards, MTV Shuga, MTV Base Meets, Nickelodeon Genius, Comedy Central Africa International Festival, NickFest, BET Experience Africa and the BET Awards Best International categories.

HIS ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Alex Okosi has some incredible accomplishments to his name having garnered over 21 years of industry experience. Some of such are his recognition as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2013, and an All Africa Business Leader Award Finalist in 2018 and an honorary Fellow of the Nigerian Institute of Marketing of Nigeria (NIMN) in 2019.

Alex once noted that under MTV he identified a business gap for youth music and lifestyle channel in Africa, after which he developed the business plan and launched Viacom’s first localized channel in Africa, MTV Base, in 2005. The success of the idea became noted as one of the personal and industry milestone he wanted to achieve and he did. He noted that at the time there were not great content from the African continent were plagued with low quality. Therefore, his strategy found success when he created a model for generating quality video content from a continent. To achieve this, he set up a team of Talent and Music Representatives in key African markets that trained local video producers to create high-quality videos.

INTERESTS

Alex Okosi has a great interest in music which as stated above was at the fore at the early stage of his career and the background which gave him an edge for the role at MTV.

Alex loved and played basketball but shared the story of his early days in America how his dream of playing in the NBA ended due to a knee injury.

OTHER GIANT STRIDES

Alex Okosi has levelled up launching into bigger endeavours leaving his position as Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Viacom International Media Networks Africa (VIMN Africa) to take on bigger opportunities becoming the Managing Director of YouTube Emerging Markets in Europe, Middle East and Africa. Okosi noted that his mission is to develop engaging content and campaigns that not only entertain and showcase great creativity and talent but also serve to socially empower audiences.

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