Tade Ogidan is a Nigerian film and television screenwriter, producer and director. He started movie production at age 16 before enrolling in the University. After his University education, he began his professional journey at the National Television Authority (NTA), Lagos in 1983.
After working with the local television station for over 7 years, Tade moved on in 1990 to establish himself. Today, he is the MD/CEO of OGD Pictures and OGD Music Ltd., a production company through which he has produced several blockbuster movies.
Generally, Tade is a creative producer. He is one of the movie producers who has made impact in the Nigerian movie industry.
Tade Ogidan Biography, Net Worth, Career And Lifestyle.
Now, Let’s delve fully into the history and background of the filmmaker.
Tade Ogidan Background
He was born Akintade Ogidan in July 23 1960 in Surulere, Lagos to the family of Akinola and Racheal Ogidan. He started his education at Government Demonstration School and then proceeded to Surulere Baptist School, Surulere, Lagos.
In 1972, he moved on to Ekiti Parapo College, Ido-Ekiti. Then, in 1974, he attended Maryland Comprehensive Secondary School, Ikeja, Lagos and finally graduated in 1978.
Subsequently, he attended Eastern New Mexico University, Portales, NM, USA. At the university, he studied Film, Radio and Television Production. Also, he earned a certificate from the State University of New York, USA.
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Tade Ogidan Early Career
Tade was able to get some production skills from David Orere, who was a producer in NTA (then Nigeria Television Service) in the 1970s. At the time, David would take Tade to the studio to act when the need arise, but Tade had no interest in standing before the camera. Rather, he developed interest in handling the camera and telling cast what to do. At the same time, he was writing movie scripts and learning production.
Then, in 1983, after completing his National Youth Service Corp Scheme, he started as an in-house writer, producer and director at NTA Channel 10. He also worked as a Continuity Manager at NTA 2 Channel 5 for a while.
Altogether, he spent almost 10 years at the Nigerian Television Authority, Lagos. While he was there, he produced and directed different drama series and drama specials on the channel and NTA National Networks respectively. After a while, he started gaining prominence with his production and directorial works. For instance, some of his works like: Blinking Hope, The Reign of Abiku won awards in television festivals in the 80s.
Also, he began to work on different magazine shows, projects and drama series. So, in 1990, Tade left NTA to established himself.
OGD Pictures Limited
Tade is the MD/CEO of OGD Pictures and OGD Music Ltd, a media production company. The first production under the company was titled Hostages, one of the movies that rocked in the 90s. Subsequently, he produced the popular Owo Blow, 1995; the movie that shot Femi Adebayo to limelight. Since then, Tade has continued to write, produce and direct blockbuster films.
Under the OGD Music, he released The OGD All Starz Jamz. The jamz showcased several Nigerian movie stars performing in songs. He also did TV commercials and projects for companies and major live events for the Lagos State Government.
Recently, Tade in conjunction with High Impact Amusement Centre released a comedy adventure drama titled Gold Statue, 2019 after 8 years of silence. The movie starred A-list thespians like Sola Sobowale, RMD, Segun Arinze, Gabriel Afolayan, Ali Baba, Yvonne Jegede, e.t.c
Also, Tade has produced some Nigerian greatest movies of all times. And, he has worked with actors like Jide Kosoko, Kate Henshaw, Funke Akindele, e.t.c
Some of his Films include;
Owo Blow, 1995
Out of Bounds, 1997
7 to 12, 1997
Hostages, 1998
Diamond Ring, 1998
Saving Alero, 2002
Ayomida, 2003
Playing Games, 2012
Dangerous Twins, 2004
Aya mi Owon: Madam Dearest, 2005
Family on Fire, 2011
Gold Statue, 2019
Awards And Recognition
Tade started winning awards right from the 90s. Some of his recent recognition include;
Movie of the Year ‘Gold Statue’ Best of Nollywood, 2019
Director of the Year ‘Gold Statue’, Best of Nollywood, 2019
Best Feature Film Award ‘Gold Statue’, Lekki International Film Festival, 2019
Tade Ogidan Quotes
“When a director clearly understands how things work, he can then choose to perform idan (magic), breaking creative rules to achieve something new.”
“I don’t want to do 100 projects in my lifetime. Whatever I do must be memorable, and that opens the door to bigger things.”
“If you are not looking for something demanding then you should go and sit on a cruise ship and enjoy yourself.”
“We all won’t be bankers, we all won’t be oil barons, but we will all work together in the beauty of the world.”
“You could have the greatest wings to fly, but you need to have the budget to fly with it.”
Entrepreneurial Lessons From The Life Of Tade Ogidan
Adequate Knowledge of How Things Works
Overtime, Tade’s films have been widely received because of the excellent performances of his cast and crews. According to him, once he spots a potential actor, his work is to give them the necessary motivation to produce the best. In film making, the entire success is dependent on how different individuals can efficiently deliver.
Also, Tade understand the important processes involved in the success of a film, such as research for perfect illustration. For instance, Gold Statue had a lot of creative works infused in it, to make her audience understand its real intentions.
Similarly, before you venture into a business, first get adequate knowledge of how things works.
Discover Your Strength
From inception, Tade loved handling the console, camera and standing behind the scenes. He was always shy standing before the camera. Therefore, he went ahead to hone his directing and producing skills.
Today, he source for actors to act while he concentrate on directing. He believes that when you know your area of strength, you can work better with others instead of trying to fit into their shoes.
