Meet the Crew: Kemi Lala Akindoju

She isn’t called Mrs Make It Happen for no reason.

In-person, Akindoju has nothing in common with her character- boisterous and effervescent, people who know her well are clear on two things. Lala will do anything she puts her mind to, and Lala has a deep, seemingly endless well of empathy and love for people she genuinely cares about. As an artist, she can be quiet and charming, almost dogged in her bid to immerse herself in her roles. When she is in her more business-minded role as casting director or producer, a role she plays pretty often now, she is known more for being a solution-oriented, problem-solver- staying cool and calm in the face of the myriad problems that pop up on-set. She isn’t called Mrs Make It Happen for no reason.

Thinking back on her first movie in Nollywood in 2013, Akindoju recalls how her gruelling 5 years in the theatre helped – which is coincidentally what she considers the most formative experience of her career “I thought, I don’t have formal training as an actor, the theatre will be my training ground. ,” she explains. “I won my first award then (The Future Awards 2010)” so in retrospect, she says, it was one of the best decisions she ever made. Apart from finishing up the Smart Money Woman TV show last year, which completed its first flight in December, she is also a casting director on Greek Freak, a Disney+ production. and the first Nigerian Netflix Original, directed by Akin Omotosho; hot on the heels of launching her course for people breaking into the industry – The Actor’s Blueprint Course.

She is also in post-production for one of a slate of independent film under her company, The Make It Happen Productions, in collaboration with another luminary of the Nollywood industry Jadesola Osiberu’s Greoh Studios.

Today, Akindoju is a force to be reckoned with. In the span of an almost 15-year career, she has acted and produced multiple landmark plays, played myriad characters, featured on multiple magazine covers, and walked more prestigious red carpets than we can count – all while casting and producing multiple feature films and plays both abroad and at home.