My parents help me come up with skit ideas – Samspedy

Samspedy, a content producer with 373,000 Instagram followers, speaks with BLESSING ENENAITE about his profession and other challenges.

What is the origin of your company name?

Our class representative once requested that us come up with nicknames while we were in secondary school. Several of my classmates got themselves nicknames that included the word “don.” When it was my time, I gave myself the nickname “Don Spedy.” I originally had no plan for it. I used the moniker for a time, but I changed it to Samspedy after ‘Don’ fell out of favor.

What influenced your choice to create skits?

I was never motivated by anybody. After just a few hours of sleep, I had an idea that I turned into my very first YouTube video. There were five potential causes of rage discussed. I didn’t have a camera or editing software back then. My phone at the time was not even functional. At the Zaporizhzhia State Medical University, I was a medical student.

At the time, I was in Ukraine, but I ultimately managed to convince my Indian buddy to give me his phone, which I utilized to record some of the video’s (and content’s) classroom scenes.

People praised me for being amusing in the many comments I received after posting the video on Facebook. They pushed me to do additional videos, which is how my dream materialized in 2015:

What difficulties do you have in creating skits?

I had a lot of difficulties in the beginning since I was still in medical school. The goal of merging humor with medicine was exceedingly difficult. My friends were concerned about how I was doing as well as if I would graduate and pass my tests.

But I generally made time for my academics and content creation.

I also struggled to come up with content ideas. I attribute my success to the amount of imagination I put into my job. By simply filming anything and coming up with concepts that would live up to the bar I had set for myself, I would be letting my audience down. I have a script writer, but I still wind up authoring the majority of the scripts.

What kind of skits do you produce as inspiration?

I began writing lifestyle-related skits. I once believed that I could depict African parents more accurately than just filming lifestyle films. I began as a father from Africa. I saw it wasn’t drawing the audience I desired when I first started out as an African father.

I then began behaving like an African mother. People were amazed when I began doing that that I could behave like a lady. I didn’t have a beard back then, and some folks didn’t even realize I was a man. I received a lot of views when I first began doing it, and even my parents supported me. My father encouraged me to concentrate on my education even though he begged me to.

His encouragement was motivating since he was covering my education expenses while yet urging me to produce material.

They sometimes offer me ideas for skits. If my mother told me that my father had done anything to her, she may advise me to write a comedy about it. My siblings supported me as well.

I was also influenced by Basket Mouth and Bovi, two comedians. They were stand-up comedians, but they impressed me so much that I wanted to be well-known like them.

What was the skit that got you your first break?

I stayed with the character since it was the one with Mama Ojo as the main character. I was stealing from the kitchen in the skit. It gained a lot of popularity and went viral.

Have you thrown away medication to make a skit?

Since I still had my certificate, I did not discard medication for a skit. But I developed a liking for making stuff. After finishing my education in Ukraine, I was meant to go to Nigeria to complete my internship, medical tests, and community service. But it will still take place. I’m only trying to teach people so that I may further my medical profession once I stop creating material.

Have you ever considered quitting?

In reality, sure! This is so because it takes a lot of effort, time, and sacrifice to represent three personalities. I often need the whole day to complete a single-character piece of information. Then I would have to start again with a different persona. That may be really exhausting.

But what drives me on is my enthusiasm for it. I like seeing joy in others. I’m motivated to keep going despite my exhaustion by it. I sometimes simply want to take a two-month break, but I can’t since it’s my work.

Have you ever considered making characters besides Mama, Papa, and Ojo?

Samspedy steps in as a different persona in that situation. I run two channels on YouTube. The first is for my Samspedy persona, where I may post whatever video I want, and the second is for the three roles I portray. Although it’s considerably simpler to make films for Samspedy, that channel doesn’t get as many views as the other one.

I sometimes get letters from individuals warning me that they would unsubscribe from my channel if I didn’t post videos for two weeks. I think people enjoy my stuff since they send me such emails. That is why I invested so much time and effort on the Ojo characters’ channel.

What skit-writing instances stand out in your mind?

I can recall the times I used to photograph in the cold in Ukraine. My friends were worried about my health since I would purposefully go outdoors in the snow to photograph. But since it was something I was enthusiastic about, it felt enjoyable.

Have you ever created a skit that was embarrassing?

The bulk of my sketches were filmed in Ukraine, a nation that does not speak English. People there sometimes had trouble understanding what I was saying. I didn’t comprehend anything they said to me, either.
As a content developer, I haven’t actually had any really uncomfortable situations.

Since my home is where I feel most comfortable in Nigeria, I develop and film the majority of my work there.

How did you manage the language barrier when you were attending school in Ukraine?

There were platforms for lecturers to teach in both English and Russian. The cost of the Russian medium was, nevertheless, lower than that of the English one. I was taking English classes.

Nevertheless, we were still required to study Russian. I picked up a few words and, to the best of my ability at the time, I could converse.

But because English was the primary language used by professors, there wasn’t much of a language barrier.

How do you respond to approaches from your female admirers?

The majority of my followers—about 60%—are women. People appreciate me since I don’t create skits that celebrate sex or other vices because of the kind of stuff I produce. I provide stuff for African mothers. Really, no one has ever shown disrespect in any way. Even some individuals fear the persona Mama Ojo (laughs).

Did you grow up in a rigid environment?

Yes. Although he is no longer that way, my father used to be a strict guy. I was born and raised in Abuja, yet I have no local knowledge. It is really horrible since I barely ever went out and I was unable to have people over. Some people believe that Mama Ojo is modeled after my mother, yet my mother does not act like that. I just go overboard.

What interests you?

I like using the piano. When I lived in Ukraine, I was a choir master. I also like traveling, playing table tennis, and listening to music. Due to my job, I haven’t had the opportunity to travel or discover new areas.