It's My Amzing Birthday Fam

I haven't been this excited about my birthday in ages, yes I haven't!!!

Thinking about my birthday and activities that preceded this day, I thought about many things I have dreamed of ever achieving in life and how far I have gone...

I may not have gotten to where I want to be but I have gotten through processing like raw gold in the furnace moving into greater possibilities...

Let's rewind the tape to a few years ago:
LIGHT! CAMERA!! ACTION!!!

In the year 2006, I was determined to take my dreams of becoming a filmmaker and non linear video editor to a new level, but I didn't have cash to pay for my training. Growing up in Aba gave me enough motivations to make my dreams come true no matter what it takes...

THERE WAS A NEED FOR SOME PARADIGM SHIFT
So the journey to raise this money started as I travelled to a city called Uyo in Akwa Ibom with the cash on me : I had come to join a group of young guys and girls to peddle DVDS of Nollywood films on the streets of Uyo. Not having any other cash, I had to make sales just immediately to be able to have food in my bowels. You don't want to know the number of miles I had to cover on foot to make sales daily.

The desire to raise cash to do my training and also help my family was huge in my heart and I couldn't trade it for anything in this world...
Days ran into weeks, weeks into months as I continued the quest for cash so that this dream wouldn't die in my heart...

I kept walking and working until the need to leave town arose: one of the guys who went to Aba to buy films to sell, went with me, got stuff on credit and didn't want to pay his creditors after days of making great sales; he was greedy I should say. I was caught, embarrassed when I was trying to protect his name until I couldn't keep hiding his family from the creditors even when I knew his family house.
I wouldn't say I regretted keeping his family out of trouble even though boy missed up finally because I took the incident as a necessary experience...

DREAMS COMING TRUE AS MY TRAINING STARTED...
In 2007, I started to train as a video editor when I moved to Port Harcourt while I felt a new air doing what I loved. My boss got involved in an accident so we had to move back to Aba to continue my training because I was nursing him.

One thing I can't take for granted in the process is God's grace which kept me going. I basked in the pain that came by and became one of the most sought after non linear video editors in eastern Nigeria with the nickname MUSA.

A NEW DOOR HAD TO OPEN...
My craft started loosing value as high paying clients were out of reach, so the need to relocate to the entertainment/ media hub, Lagos arose...

THE REAL HUSTLE BEGAN...
Dealing with the challenge of taking care of a family of 7 with poor cash flow necessitated my travel to Lagos on a night bus when I couldn't afford to pay for a day trip, sitting in a bus for 'amazing 8 hours'



Coming to Lagos came with a new vibe, even though I didn't come to the city with up to five thousand naira (#5000) pocket money, I decided I was going to see the bitter and sweet sides to the city regardless...

I didn't have a house to stay in a CRAZY Lagos so the real HUSTLE started!!!

You don't want to know the challenges I encountered trying to get to this level that I am now: a trained editor, photographer, cinematographer... covered a few events, shot some music videos, recorded some TV shows etc...




I haven't done much though as compared to the big picture, praying to get some support or investor in my startup "NATIVEGROUND PRODUCTIONS" sited in Lagos...

REWARDS AND MORE WORK!!!
Awards, yeah I have won a few awards in the industry as a video director and editor!!
I know more are coming!!!

And I have met a couple of celebrities too

I want to spend my life creating movies, TV shows, documentaries centered on family, relationship and marriage...

ANY FORM OF SUPPORT FROM MY STEEM FAMILY WILL GO ALONG TO MAKE MY DREAMS OF CREATING MEDIA CONTENT LIKE SHORT FILMS, TV SERIES, DOCUMENTARIES A REALITY AND PUSHING MY MUSIC WOULD BE REALLY APPRECIATED...

I AM SO SUPER EXCITED TO BE HERE, STEEMIT FAM!!!

As I celebrate this special day, appreciating GOD for bringing me thus far and making me a blessing, JOINING AN AMAZING PLATFORM LIKE STEEM , it is my prayer that my life will be spiced up, garnished with the best ingredients of life such that I will 'stain' others with Yahweh's extraordinary greatness, peace, love and joy...

I say to myself: Phil, stay put, keep growing because your greater days are here, disregard the status quo and let Yahweh continue his great work of faithfulness on you...

I AWAIT MY BIRTHDAY GIFTS FROM ALL OF YOU HERE BECAUSE I WANT THIS WOULD MEAN A LOT TO ME.

THANK YOU...

Wishing myself a HAPPY ROYAL BIRTHDAY...!
Philip Okwy Udeagbala (ifulphildreams)

My family
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