Today we’d like to introduce you to Davidfnycountry Austine Ogbadu.

Hi Davidfnycountry Austine, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?

I think I’ve always wanted to be a Creative Artist. When I was much younger, I was always genuinely captivated and curious about the Arts; I would participate in school plays and dramas, eager to learn and collaborate with my peers. I would, during recess, tell stories to my peers. I wrote short stories, was always singing and acting, and was eager to learn about the creative process of artwork. And I made everyone I came in contact with who cared to give a listening ear that I was going to have a career in the arts.

When it was time to apply to universities, I applied for theatre arts and God being God aided me, and I got admission. I was overjoyed! Fast-forward, I participated In all my class’s theatre productions and volunteered for several while also participating in competitions. What always stood out to me were the rehearsal processes, how therapeutic they were, and how they always gave room for critical thinking and proffered solutions to societal issues – And I just knew. So after school, I ventured into a career In the arts, and though it hasn’t been an easy journey, it has been very productive, I have worked on several projects as Writer (Playwright, Musical Theatre writer, Screenwriter, prosaist), Actor (Screen, Radio, Voice, Stage), Director(Screen, stage, children’s theatre), and Singer(Musical Theatre Writer and composer, musical Artist) with credits “Pain,” ‘I’m in love.”“Ogiehgieh The Musical,” “Ogwu The Musical,” and “Locked Up: What is Justice?” “Rebel,” “Dear Immigrants,” “Behind These Walls,” “Just Us Two” and more. And I look forward to creating more Creative transformative Artworks.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

I was having this exact conversation with a friend a few days back. I think everything in life involves lots of hard work because life is not easy, but I think when you’re doing what you love, there’s a profound contentment that comes with being alive because you have a purpose.

The first struggle, from my little experience as a Creative Artist, is that there is a visible stigmatization of the craft, and as a Creative Artist, it is very easy to get resentful about that. But what I have come to understand is that a lot of people do not understand what being a Creative is, and the stigmatization comes with stereotyping, and oftentimes, believe it or not, out of fear or love due to the concern the community has about having a stable, righteous career. And this is very difficult cos I know that everyone wants what they do to be taken seriously and as an Artist that isn’t the case and what we do it matters. So I as often as I can, whenever I am allowed to, or get the chance to, lovingly explain to as many that care to be educated that this is a valid profession, that what I do is also important and takes a lot of work.

This brings me to my next point, living invoice to invoice; unlike a lot of professions, most full-time Creatives live invoice to invoice, especially when starting. And that’s scary! Even for the Artists, cos you have no freaking idea what your next job is going to look like.

Then there’s the creation of artworks, Art is imagination brought to life, and that requires a lot of soul searching, research and vulnerability, and that’s a lot of work for anyone especially since we are in a world that’s still getting accustomed to how being emotional is valid, so it takes a lot of courage to be open and that’s hard. Cos you’re always sharing a part of yourself with your listeners, readers and audience.

Then finally, funding for projects and investors; as Artists, nobody teaches you about marketing and when you start a career in the arts, you realise that having talent is one thing and marketing your craft is another, because for Art to reach a wider audience, you need grants, sponsorships and investors, and a lot of us don’t know how to go about that, and it’s easy to get misled by a lot of people and organisations when starting out, or even as an established creative.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?

Before I go any further, I’d like to openly share that I feel immensely grateful and lucky to be able to do what I do. I feel fulfilled and happy for myself and my community because this is what I believe I am meant to do.

I am a Nigerian based very passionate Creative Artist. I sing, I act, I write, I direct. I am very proud of what I am able to do because I have been fortunate to collaborate with other national and international talented Creatives while learning from them and relishing in the fact that with every new collaboration comes a fresh perspective and experience. Some of my frequent collaborators, all talented, are Beauty Anyawu, Valentine Onogu, Jadis Camila and Samuel Alidu.

My entire career is dedicated to the representation of Women, Marginalized groups, Minorities, pressing Social and Political issues, and African stories. I find reality, parity and relatability very valuable in my works.

I was so lucky and privileged with my works that centred on the empowerment of Nigerian women and the inequalities that they faced to be one of the winners of the Inaugural 2023 sub-Sahara Screenplay Contest, organized by LA-based BOM PIC Global TV with my work “The Visitor.” And one of the winners of the JB Ghostwriting Contest for publication in Issue 26 of Intellectual Ink Magazine, with my work “Óná Ibíyé.”
Currently, I have a lot of uncompleted projects from 2024, which hopefully will be brought to life this year; they include my upcoming EP, three feature films, the publication of five of my works, and the staging of three of my plays.

I have been told that I am very empathetic, observant and passionate about my craft And that I believe in the good in everyone, and it reflects in my works; if that is true, then I’d like to think that that’s what sets me apart from other Creatives.

If we knew you growing up, how would we have described you?

Ohh! I was obsessed with music, films, school theatre and books, novels, short stories and plays. It was like I breathed art. You would always see me whenever I wasn’t preoccupied with house chores or academics, with any of the above listed. I would conduct playlets with original stories with my siblings or classmates as actors, and as time progressed, I became an active member of the Drama Club and Drama unit in my secondary school, earning myself the Post of the Drama Club President and The Assistant Drama Unit Coordinator.

These schools were Saint Francis College Zonkwa, Kaduna State, Nigeria, where I did my Junior Secondary School education, and Federal Government College Rubochi FCT Abuja, where I completed my Senior Secondary School education.

I’d like to believe that these are the reasons that I am very passionate about my craft to date and will continue to strive to thrive with it.

Thank you so much for the opportunity to air my views.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://davidaustine4u.wixsite.com/ogbadudfa/blog
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/davidfnycountry_/profilecard/?igsh=b2pyeDUzOW52ZGY=
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/david.austine.332
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ogbadudfa?utm_source=share&utm_campaign=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=android_app
• Twitter: https://x.com/Fnycountry/communities
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@davidfnycountryaustine5633?si=lp22gMz0U3gtUgw8
• Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/5GWsAkQzDRRamQOzNspCuu?si=pRVay2ccTHS_t93BnhS61A