If you are active on social media, then you must have seen the ‘Gerara Here’ Video or any of its memes.
The actor in the clip Francis Odega has been counting the gains of the video clip that turned him into an online hit, to the extent that it has also earned him an endorsement deal with telecommunications company Etisalat.
“I am pleasantly surprised that just one scene from a movie, which I starred in three years ago, has suddenly brought me so much attention and fame,” Odega recently told Punch. “I don’t really know why it has taken the movie three years to garner this sort of recognition. I joined Instagram two months ago, after some social media-savvy friends of mine played the Gerara Here video, which was posted on Instagram for me. The number of comments that trailed the post blew me away and I decided to join the platform almost immediately. Within a month, I had 3000 followers and currently have 18,600 fans,” the actor said in respect to the sudden popularity of the video.”
Ironically, none of the past movies in Odega’s movie career since 1996 that he joined Nollywood has brought him as more popularity as the video. In fact, so popular is the clip that it got the attention of American rappers, 50 Cent and Snoop Dogg who found it very funny enough to repost on his Instagram page to his millions of fans.
According to Odega, “It was an indescribable feeling and I also felt honoured when 50 Cent began following me on Instagram. Snoop Dogg also followed suit shortly after. Both artistes are obviously huge fans of mine. Don Jazzy, PSquare, Patoranking, M.I, Sound Sultan and many other Nigerian music stars also follow me on social media. Etisalat also recently made me its ambassador because of the attention I have been receiving. I recently had a photoshoot for the billboards and will shoot the television commercial for the brand very soon. The concept of the billboard adverts revolves around the ‘Gerara Here’ concept,” he said.