OH THE IRONY: Judge Ian Says That You Can’t Make Money In Showbiz

Despite being a judge on Tusker Project fame(which serves to bring up new artists), we’ve dug up a recent interview between Ian Mbugua and the Star newspaper in which Ian says that the same artists he is trying to bring up on TPF have little chance of making it big on their art alone. Here is the interview:

Ian Mbugua is an actor, director, singer, teacher and drama coach who has a passion for the arts. He explains why most artistes can’t live off their talents.

The hard economy times have not spared personalities. They also feel the pain and have to take up jobs to make ends meet. After all, a celebrity is just a name. Arts are not considered as serious careers in Kenya, so people are not willing to pay artistes their due rights. It is near impossible to live entirely off the arts in Kenya. However, managing two careers can be a bit tricky but some do succeed, especially those who have good time management skills. Many fail because they can’t serve two masters effectively, one suffers. Letting go a profession for the sake of the arts is a huge risk because you cannot be sure when the next gig or role in movie will come around.

In some unique cases where you find an individual getting into arts after a long time in a ‘formal’ career, poor upbringing is to blame.   Parents need to listen to their children when choosing careers. Many people do first degrees for their parents then pursue their passion. We all can’t be doctors, lawyers and engineers. To have a balanced society, we also need actors, musicians and sports representatives to sell our country. Most people do not understand that it is not always about an individual’s success but also a sense of pride for the country.

Artistes need proper training, including on business management, to enable them invest and create opportunities for other people. Corporates and individuals only invest in the artistes they believe will pull crowds and that is why very few have been succeeding especially through the endorsements. They are afraid of betting on up-and-coming artistes. To be successful in the arts industry, you need to manage your time professionally otherwise you will only manage to do some tasks or jobs and be mediocre in others. Also, take your art seriously because if you don’t, others won’t. And finally, be trustworthy and learn to deliver.