Star Profile: 237Xclusive meets Gervais Ngongang…
First we like to apologize for posting this week’s edition late. Due to unforeseen circumstances we couldn’t post it on time but we do hope you enjoy it. There are a lot of people who have created and are still a mile stone in the Cameroon Entertainment Industry. Today we are honored to have one of such people with us today. Gervais Ngongang who is not only a talent manager but co-founder of Big Dreams entertainment. A graduate in communication and marketing from the Catholic University of Central Africa, Gervais started off as a model and fashion enthusiast. Without much ado let’s get down to business…
237Xclusive: Welcome Gervais and thanks for having us. First we would like to know; How did you get into music management ?
Gervais: I have been into fashion and entertainment for a long time just didn’t take it seriously until a few years ago. I worked with a clothing line “Jasaïd” . In the course of my work, I had to contact artists and labels to feature the brand in their video clips…I worked with friends like Jovi, Numerica, X Maleya. That was when I realized I could do this.
237Xclusive: Wow that’s quite impressive! As a talent manager, what are the attributes you look for when scouting for artists?
Gervais: The first thing is we seek to bring to the lime light undiscovered yet talented artists who need a certain amount of exposure. Humility, talent and hard work are the key attributes we shoot for. Hard work because an artist can’t be fully asserted with one song. I have to listen to more than just one song before I can sign you. They could be songs, freestyles or covers … we just have to listen to more. Sometimes the age matters too; because every artist has a life span. It’s not a main attribute but it’s important.
237Xclusive: Sounds like quite a tough task. You recently did a commercial for a trade mark in Ivory Coast – Heart Angel. How do you handle talent management and modeling at the same time?
Gervais: Well , I’m not a full-time model anymore but when I get the chance to I dive in. This brand in question belongs to the Co-founder of Big Dreams. We met a few years back during a fashion show and he asked me to work with him. He wanted me to model for him and I accepted so we started working…3 years ago, when I wanted to start up with Big Dreams, I told him that I have and artist I want him to dress and he accepted. He got interested in my project Then we continued together and got bigger and the rest is history. Of course that artist is Locko. We later signed two other artists, Ko-C and Krys M.
237Xclusive: After the Canal D’or awards, Jason Saïdou Diakite (CEO of Jasaïd ), whom we happened to notice is a good friend uploaded a throwback video on Instagram. Can you tell us how you felt watching it?
Gervais: The truth is when I met Locko I was working with Jasaïd. I met Locko at a concert and I approached him because I loved what he was doing. As time went on , I proposed to Jason to start up a music part of Jasaïd so that we could promote Locko but he wasn’t ready. He told me “J’aime bien Arthur, j’aime ça musique, j’aime ce qu’il fait, mais en ce moment je ne suis pas prêt...je veux me concentrer sur les vêtements”. So I went on alone and that is how I gradually diverted from Jasaïd to Big Dreams. We still work together though not officially but we help each other from time to time. It brought back a lot of good memories!
237Xclusive: Thanks for having us Gervais, was a pleasure talking to you. We wish you the best in your career, have a good day.
Gervais: The pleasure is all mine. Thank you too… Keep up with the good work!
#MCM: Meet Gervais Ngongang, Co-founder, Big Dreams Entertainment Star Profile: 237Xclusive meets Gervais Ngongang... First we like to apologize for posting this week's edition late.
