Amaka Akukwe: crafting Nollywood premieres and large public events

Amaka Akukwe builds events around how audiences feel

Amaka Akukwe designs event experiences that extend film stories beyond the cinema, according to a profile published by Vanguard.

Akukwe is, Vanguard reports, the founder and chief creative director of RedBox, an events agency she has grown over more than 13 years to handle premieres, brand activations and cultural productions. Her work is said to include event experiences for Nollywood films such as Call of My Life, Sugar Rush, Palava, Omo Ghetto, Lisabi and Colours of Fire.

Through RedBox, she has reportedly provided services for corporate and cultural clients including Netflix, Meta, Tolaram, IFC and Access Bank. Vanguard also says RedBox supported five consecutive editions of the Africa International Film Festival, providing production and branding across workshops, film premieres and gala events.

Akukwe told Vanguard that her approach centres on the audience. “I’m always thinking about what people will feel, not just what they will see. The best experiences stay with you long after you’ve left the room,” she said.

The profile sketches how RedBox has worked at the intersection of entertainment, creativity and event production to develop concepts intended to complement the themes and narratives of film projects beyond screenings. Vanguard reports the agency’s portfolio spans corporate gatherings, brand experiences, festivals and large-scale public productions.

Among the large public projects Vanguard links to Akukwe and her team is the Black Market event planned for Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos. The report says organisers expect the event to draw more than 50,000 people.

Vanguard describes Akukwe as having built RedBox around the idea that events should become part of the cultural moments and stories they represent. The profile notes the agency’s experience in creating branded experiences and festival activations alongside film-industry work.

The picture painted in the Vanguard piece is of a practitioner who bridges film premieres and broader experiential events, working with both entertainment productions and corporate clients to shape audience-facing moments.

This article is based on the feature published by Vanguard. For details see the original profile: Vanguard: Amaka Akukwe, the creative force behind major Nollywood premieres.