Popular Nigerian music video director and cinematographer, Praise Onyeagwalam, better known as Director Pink, has opened up on the painful reason she abandoned her dream of becoming an actress.
In a candid chat with Hip TV, the award-winning visual storyteller revealed that she quit acting after being repeatedly exposed to the dark side of Nollywood; harassment, humiliation, and sex-for-role propositions.
Director Pink recounted how her early days as an aspiring actress were marked by frustration and disappointment. She described the experience of standing in endless audition queues, only to be met with empty promises and advances from filmmakers who tried to exploit her desperation for a breakthrough.
“I wanted to be an actress, but the humiliation was too much,” she said. “Long queues, shady ‘come to this location’ calls. I said ‘No.’ That’s when I chose to be my own boss.”
Disheartened but determined, Pink decided to take control of her destiny by venturing into cinematography, a move that would later establish her as one of the few successful female music video directors in Nigeria’s male-dominated entertainment industry.
Though the transition wasn’t easy, she shared that becoming a video director has been both challenging and rewarding, requiring long hours, creativity, and grit.
“This career also comes with its own struggles,” she admitted. “But I’m willing to make sacrifices because I love what I do.”
Director Pink, who has worked with several top Nigerian artistes and earned multiple recognitions for her outstanding visuals, used the opportunity to advise aspiring music video directors to stay focused and avoid shortcuts to fame.
She emphasized the importance of patience and consistency, noting that every successful creative figure in the industry today went through years of growth and self-development.
“It takes time. Those you see at the top didn’t just get there overnight. You have to be patient and trust the process,” she added.
With her boldness, creativity, and resilience, Director Pink continues to inspire a new generation of women determined to break barriers in the Nigerian entertainment scene not through compromise, but through talent and hard work.
