Inspiring Conversations with Nnamdi Ejiogu of Tammah

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nnamdi Ejiogu.

Hi Nnamdi, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
My story is as fun and adventurous as it is circuitous and sinuous. I’m a 1st-generation Nigerian immigrant, I’ve lived in the U.S. for close to 20 years and I have called Los Angeles home for the last eight years.

I’ve had a few different careers and worn a few different hats over the years but my foray into tech entrepreneurship starts in 2013.

In the summer for 2013, I co-founded my first tech startup, focused on mobile-first, event-based social interaction.

We weren’t scaling fast enough so we shut down in 2015 and I started a second one in 2015. Called tammah, it’s a free video platform for African indie content – think niche YouTube for African content.

The impetus for tammah is to create a platform created by and for marginalized voices of every kind, to empower these creative voices to tell their own stories on their own terms and in their own way; through music, TV, film, video games, and all forms of performed expression.

As part of my work at tammah, I also create content, including music videos, TV and film, currently in development.

Today, the latest version of tammah is in beta and we’re also creating content to put on the platform, just like our users – one community of creatives.

The lower barriers to entry and proliferation of great content in the media and entertainment space present a challenge and an opportunity for us and we’re excited about the future!

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Struggles aplenty! The largest obstacle has been and remains access to capital, from which the majority of other difficulties result. As a minority, I do not have the same access to pools of resources: from affluent and connected friends and family to Venture Capital firms willing to invest in minority companies to the same degree as non-minority companies. As I acknowledge progress made, especially stemming from the social justice reckoning of last year; I’m compelled to also mention that there remain significant, multifarious structural inequities.

As we find success, we all have a perpetual responsibility to continue to create opportunities for all of the rest of us.

As you know, we’re big fans of tammah. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
tammah is a free online video platform focused on African indie content but open to anyone to use.

The platform is to amplify marginalized voices.

We’re created by and for monitories and our entire staff are minorities. We’re also focused on creators, the creator community and indie-first content.

We’re proud of our latest version release and can’t wait to have it go live.

We’re looking to do a lot of innovative things around an enriched experience for creators (i.e., tools they can use to create and distribute content) and consumers (fine-grain control of how they consume content).

We’re 100% free to creators and consumers and we’re working on revenue share with creators.

As part of my work at tammah, I also create content, including music videos, TV and film currently in development and under NDA.

Some of my work is viewable on YouTube under NNAMDISSIMO.

We’re always looking for the lessons that can be learned in any situation, including tragic ones like the Covid-19 crisis. Are there any lessons you’ve learned that you can share?
Life truly is too short not to do what you love, what moves you, what makes you want to make this world a better place, contribute to society and become a better person for yourself and for everyone else. There is always opportunity in chaos, this crisis is no exception. Even if you were not in a position to have your best year ever, through technology, we collectively see and understand the plight of others more than ever before and that’s a great thing for society and humanity. We can simultaneously see those we can uplift and the heights we can reach.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: http://www.nnamdissimo.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nnamdissimo/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nnamdissimo
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/nnamdissimo
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrrD2PbMwuVBcbznBufaJcg
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/nnamdissimo