"Power is strength over time," says former real estate wizard Chioma Ikejiani. A little over a year after telling Share staff that she would have a TV show on the air - despite having minimal broadcast experience and training - Ikejiani's well on her way.
And if you don't know Ikejiani's story, you should. While her rapid ascent had become African-Canadian lore - within three years she went from social service cheque recipient to becoming one of the top real estate agents in Canada (Prudential Sadie Moranis Realty) exercising six figure options - she's about to add another sequel to her "rags to riches" story.
While most people of colour are paralysed by the fear of getting involved in broadcasting in Canada - there aren't any African-Canadian owned or themed productions in the Canadian TV landscape - Ikejiani who was bitten by the broadcasting bug in 1995 when she went to Chicago to meet Oprah ("After meeting her I became by this spirit to become a talk show host") recently hired a crew from CBC using Old Ed's Restaurant as a studio to produce a TV pilot called "Up Close with Chioma". And the venture has been getting rave reviews from industry insiders.
"With Canadian TV I knew a network would not put me on the air like that, so I knew that in order to show people what I could do I had to be classy and professional about it," explained the Glace Bay, Nova Scotia raised, Nigerian born beauty as she lounged in her couch in her exquisite townhouse in the Annex. The 60-minute pilot features interviews with Canadian arts and entertainment moguls like Juno awards founder Stan Klees, African Canadian art gallery owner Elaine Tennyson, and renowned actor Gordon Pinsent.
Flaunting big name and monied sponsors like MAC, Towne Shoes, Inniskillin Wines and Mirvish Productions, the Chioma Productions pilot has been picked up by Upfront Entertainment production house which is currently in the process if selling it to the major networks.
So how does one hook up with an entrepreneurial bigwig like Ed Mirvish? "When I was at Rogers, I got the opportunity to interview Ed Mirvish. One day I approached David Mirvish who had some friends in from Jamaica looking for good jerk chicken and fish. In the parking lot I pitched an idea to interview Dave's father Ed at the restaurant. And the rest is history."
Interestingly enough, in the process of shooting the pilot Ikejiani said she encountered some discouraging episodes form a few upstanding Blacks in the broadcasting biz. "I hired a crew from our community and lost $2,271.00. I got burned."
With books like "Power with People" and "Portraits of Perseverance" lying around her townhouse, it's easy to see why she has not only overcome the odds, but obliterated them. "I live every day like it's my last. I could walk down the street right now and get bumped off," she says. Ikejiani still cringes when she's referred to as the "Oprah Winfrey of Canada" by the mainstream media but maintains that the title doesn't bother her if young kids can view her as a role model. "My story motivates kids," she says. "And besides, I work around the clock and time is very short."