Innovating Distribution in West Africa with Moses Babatope

Moses Babatope has over 20 years of experience in cinema operations management, film production and film distribution, gained from several locations around the world, including the UK and Nigeria. He is currently the deputy managing director of Filmhouse Group and Managing Director of FilmOne Entertainment, Nigeria. FilmOne Entertainment and Filmhouse Cinemas have a combined workforce of over 500 employees and generated an annual turnover of $11m in 2019.  Filmhouse is the largest cinema chain in west Africa and partners with cinema premium format companies – IMAX, Mediation (MX4D) and DBOX. FilmOne Entertainment is the fastest-growing studio-styled organization and leading film distributor in west Africa. Their list of outstanding distribution successes includes Spiderman: No Way Home, Aquaman, Wonder Woman 1984, Angel Has Fallen, Shang Chi and The Legend of the Ten Rings, Chief Daddy, King of Boys, and Nollywood's all-time highest-grossing film, Omo Ghetto: The Sage, to mention a few. FilmOne has also co-produced and distributed blockbusters including The Wedding Party & The Wedding Party 2, Merry Men 2, Sugar Rush and Prophetess, amongst others.   As managing director of FilmOne Entertainment, Moses manages a 20-man team who together, oversee the theatrical distribution interests of Hollywood studios – Walt Disney, Sony Pictures, Warner Bros, Lionsgate and STX, in Anglophone west Africa. In 2019 & 2020, Moses oversaw the aggregation arrangement that delivered the highest batches of Nollywood films to the world's largest internet TV platform, NETFLIX.  Moses is also a co-founder of Talking Drum Entertainment, a UK-based company, specializing in the distribution of black film and TV content, whose credits include the successful international theatrical releases of award-winning Nigerian films, such as The Mirror Boy, Anchor Baby, Last Flight to Abuja, Tango with Me, Flower Girl, When Love Happens, A Trip to Jamaica, King of Boys and The Wedding Party 2, which became the highest-grossing Nollywood film in UK cinemas, making its entry on the UK Top 10 box office chart on boxing day, in 2017. Moses was elected as an Endeavor Entrepreneur in 2020 and a member of the 49th International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (International Emmy Awards), in 2021. He is also a renowned speaker at global stakeholder events and international film conferences. He holds a bachelor's degree in Money Banking & Finance, and a master's degree in International Finance, both from Middlesex University, UK.