Lucky Obukohwo, Reporting
Notable on Air Personality (OAP) with the Independent Television (ITV) and Radio, Benin, Sydney Iyore alias Sydney Shocker who was recently branded as the Brand Ambassador of ITV Radio, the first of its kind, will soon begin a process of hunting for his look-alike in the media industry as a way of giving back to the Nigerian society and the media.
The multi-talented OAP disclosed this while speaking with Newstracktoday in Benin City, the Edo State capital.
The prominent Nigerian broadcaster, actor, and award-winning On-Air Personality (OAP) with ITV and Radio, Benin, known for his energetic, witty, and engaging style, that covers entertainment, social trends, and current affairs, including the “Social Trend with Sydney Shocker”
segment, said he has been under high voltage pressure not to let his talent remain in him alone but he should be magnanimous enough to impact it on the younger generation.
So being a good listener, he said has decided to embark on the search for the next Sydney Shocker.
According to him, “A couple of big things are coming up, yeah. I have a lot up my sleeve coming up, and trust me, within some few years’ time, you will hear a lot coming.
“First and foremost, I’ve got a talent hunt show coming up, where I intend to search for another me. I’ve heard a couple of guys every now and then saying, Shocker, man, you can’t just go with this talent, you can’t just die with this talent. You have to unleash this talent on some other persons.
“You have to allow other persons to inherit this talent of yours. Being a media empresario, being an entertainment guru and I said, ok, cool. So, I intend to do a talent hunt show, as part of giving back to the community. It’s still in the works.
“I’m talking to my partners, over home and away. That’s home and abroad. And pretty soon, something like searching for the next Sidney Shocker will be on.
“I intend to do it, and see that person, or persons, that finally emerge the winners being pushed to achieving their dreams and desire, being media personalities, broadcasters, content curators, social media influencers, and what have you.
“So, those are some of the events you should expect from me. Pretty soon, not too long from now”
The ace broadcaster cum actor who has featured in a movie titled “Enakhena” debuted on Multichoice DStv in 2020, where he starred as Honorable Abebe, said as a graduate of sociology, he has been able to break the ceilings and break the barriers in the media industry thereby earning himself the brand ambassador of ITV.
“I was just this very clueless guy who didn’t know what to do. Finished school, served, hanging out at the pub. When I made the Victor Imade. I must always give him his flowers. Victor Imade was a very big, iconic, out there personality back in the days.
“In the early 2000s. And he walked up to me, and we started talking. And he asked me, am I a trained voice? And I said, no.
“The fact is, I never knew what a trained voice meant. A trained voice means someone that’s been through the mill. Has been trained, tried, and trusted. But I had no idea then. I was still a rookie, man. Fresh from school. Fresh out of the camp. And I said, no. And he said, well, you sound like one.
“I didn’t think I was pranking him. Boy, this guy don’t know anything about this job. Well, he took me to the office where I work now.
“And allowed me to go on the mic. And we talked about Tupac and B.I.G. a few then. And next thing was the phone banging. Everybody wants to talk to me. And then I fell in love with the job. And I asked him, bro, is this a job? He said, yes.
I said, please, I want it. And he actually gave me a chance.
“He gave me a 10-minute segment to do my thing called the Peep Zone. And that was where I found my feet on ground.
“And ever since then, it’s been a success story all the way. So that was how I got this. If you ask me, I will tell you, I did that within. I never really cuss I am a sociologist by study or by profession because that i
