[Interview] Ibijoke Maxwell, Host/Executive Producer, The JoMaxwell Show, UK
Ibijoke Maxwell is the Nigerian/British host of the Jo Maxwell Show, a show designed to give exposure to the African community in the UK media.
Africa Business Communities has a talk with her:
Tell us a bit about your show and why you went in that direction, please.
The Jo Maxwell show gives women the opportunity to showcase and counteract the lack of visibility for Black women within the mainstream media in the UK. I recently developed a passion for the media when I struggled to find images of Black women consistently on British screens. Rarely saw black women and men on TV who reflected the positive success stories that I am surrounded by within my network and beyond.
I believe everyone exists to add value to the people around them and the world they live in.
I am very passionate about seeing individuals succeed, making positive impacts in the society and always seeking to be a better version of themselves. I decided to channel my gift and passion positively into starting The Jo Maxwell Show to give me an opportunity to showcase the success and achievements of women and counteract the lack of visibility for black women in the UK mainstream Media/TV.
How has it been received by both the African and the British communities so far?
It’s been an overwhelming response and feedback from those that have been part of the journey watching each episode or understanding the full essence of the existence of the talkshow. Being able to discuss series of topics relatable to the black community, which is often overlooked and not tackled due to segmentation or fear of stigmatisation, has made the show insightful, interesting and empowering. According to one of our viewers “thank you for being confident enough to talk about real life issues. Most of the topics you discuss on your show helps women of our time to find solutions to some of the nagging issues we have."
What, if any, support did you receive in the launch and promotion of the show?
Besides the support of family and friends, I had to take full responsibility of promoting the talkshow before it launched, till the end of last year. I recently started working with Ariatu PR. It’s still early days as we only started working together January 2018.
Who have been your guests on the show so far, and what are the most relevant issues you are seeking to explore?
My guests have been of a wide variety so far – SME’s across different areas and fields i.e. Doctors, Engineers, OAPs, Business Owners etc.
The range of topics discussed are very relatable to men and women age 18-65 as they are real life issues concerting the black community, which most people often don’t feel comfortable discussing. I also explore topical subjects such as financial, social, relationship/family, health, domestic violence/abuse, child sexual abuse, politics etc. where I bring in SME’s to discuss.
Where do you plan to take the show this year?
The Jo Maxwell Show Season 2 premiers in March with the intention to be on TV. While I understand that the Terrestrial TV has its own wider reach I intend to continue to stream on Online (Website and YouTube). Online Is a powerful platform. I am hoping for much better coverage and visibility for the talk show in 2018 both here in the UK and across the African continent.
My aspiration is that The Jo Maxwell Show would be a day-time Talk Show on mainstream television.
What do you need to grow your viewership?
Very good internal PR (controversial and more SME’s as guests), as well as sponsorship.
How would you rate the performance of the Nigerian economy in 2017?
Oh dear! That is a rather interesting question, I am not sure we have the time to go into Nigeria’s politics and economic situation. All I know is that there will be a better Nigeria someday and hopefully I get to experience and live the Nigerian dream. Maybe we need to start by getting Oprah to run the country for us?
www./twitter.com/jomaxwellshow
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Africa Business Communities is conducting a series of interviews with African CEOs.
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