Why It’s Important to Shine Your Light for the Next Generation of Stars - Jermaine Okpe

Jermaine Okpe

Competition in Nigeria’s creative industry is real and often intense. Opportunities are limited, attention is scarce, and many people operate from a place of scarcity; believing that helping someone else means less for themselves. That mindset is understandable, but it is also short-sighted.

The industry does not grow when people treat every other creator as a rival to be outmanoeuvred. It grows when those who have gained access, knowledge, or visibility deliberately pass some of it forward. Shining your light is not about reducing your own brightness. It is about recognising that the next generation of stars will either build on what already exists or start from zero because no one made room for them.

This is the thinking behind BTS Masterclass. What began as conversations during the lockdown has grown into physical gatherings in Lagos, Ghana, and elsewhere, bringing emerging creators into the same rooms as people who have already navigated parts of the industry. The goal is not to pretend competition does not exist. It is to show that collaboration and knowledge-sharing can still happen alongside it. Models get runway time. Designers present their work. 

Speakers share practical experiences. Attendees leave with contacts and clearer ideas about what is possible.

Uplifting others does not require self-sacrifice. It requires intention. When experienced people create platforms, share processes, and treat younger talent as future collaborators rather than threats, the overall standard rises. Audiences notice. Brands notice. The industry becomes harder to dismiss as chaotic or unstructured. BTS continues because the alternative; everyone competing in isolation; produces less durable careers and fewer lasting institutions.

The work is ongoing and imperfect. Not every session produces a breakthrough, and not every person who receives support immediately pays it forward. But the principle remains straightforward: if those who have some visibility refuse to use it to open doors for others, the industry stays smaller than it needs to be. Shining your light for the next set of stars is less about generosity than about building something that can outlast any single person’s moment in the spotlight