Life has no linear playbook, and the detours are often unpredictable. Olivia started her career as a teaching assistant in a secondary school in Ondo. From shooting dance videos encouraging her students to face their studies, she has gone on to focus on content creation and today stands as a renowned content creator, the brain behind EpisodewithOlivia. In this edition of The Lane, she speaks on her journey, finding a balance and the vision that fuels her creative path.
This is Olivia Umeh’s story as told to Godswill Inneh.
Today, I am known by many as a content creator, but I was first a model before content creation came on board. I opened my first Instagram page when I was in my 400-level at the University of Ibadan. I had created the account to share pictures from test shoots and fashion shoots that I participated in. Back then, we used to get thrift outfits, style them, take pictures and post on Facebook, long before Instagram became a thing. Later, during my service year at St. Joseph’s in Ondo town, I started making short videos in the school compound, dancing with students and encouraging them to balance their studies with their passions, which people liked. Those videos were fun and relatable; they showed me that I could create works people connected with.
When I returned to Ibadan after my service year, I tried YouTube seriously for a while. I was doing long-form vlogs while juggling a 9-5 role, and soon after, I couldn’t keep up with the time required for editing and shoots. I sold my Instagram page, which had grown to about 23k followers, because I didn’t know how to convert that audience into a sustainable creator career. I later realised that was a mistake, but at the time, I didn’t have the structure or knowledge to go further. So I started again from scratch.
For a while, I made content on the side. I would learn a trending dance in the evening, set up my camera after work and film my own version. I posted consistently and gradually built momentum. But a turning point came in 2023 when my contract as a teaching assistant was terminated. We had jumped on Beyoncé’s Drop Challenge at school, a colleague posted the clip on his WhatsApp status, and somehow it got to the head of the school. After a meeting, our contracts were terminated. I didn’t know it then, but losing that job was a blessing in disguise, as it forced me to take content creation seriously.
Before I went full-time, I did more face modelling to get good photos and content. I kept at it for about a year, posting every day, sometimes two or three times per day. I did free work for friends and small brands to build my portfolio and master how to film, edit, and pitch. Then my first paid gig came through: a salon paid me ₦30,000 for a video. That transaction gave me confidence to start charging properly and say no to gifted collaborations when I needed to be paid.
My process has always been gradual. I discovered myself while creating, experimenting, copying trends and recreating them with my own spin, and ultimately learning what resonated with my audience. I didn’t have a mentor at first, so I built my community by befriending other creators and sharing opinions on rates and strategy. Those exchanges were crucial as learning how other creators set prices gave me much-needed background to value my work. When I started getting small recognitions and encouraging DMs from people recounting how my videos helped them, I realised I was actually doing something useful. My first award was The Blinks Magazine award as content creator of the year in 2024, followed by Africa Creative Choice’s Fashion Influencer and Female Content Creator of the Year in 2025. Being invited to speak at the University of Ibadan’s Theatre Arts Department was another moment that reassured me I was on the right path and people were eager to hear what I had to say.
Despite this, I had serious doubts. I once thought content creation would make me go hungry. As the first daughter, responsibility was always looming; I often took ushering jobs and other gigs because I needed to help out with bills. I once bought a laptop and used it mostly to watch movies because I didn’t feel like I had what it takes to be a creator. In fact, I had a lot of reasons not to be a creator. The country is not always friendly to creatives. Gigs can be inconsistent, and tech careers are pushed as the “safer” option, but I kept coming back to content because it felt like something God put in me. It gave me a little corner of the internet where I could be a TV host of my own life: bold, expressive, and honest.
Being honest is central to my work. I try not to package myself into a person who only shows the highlights and portrays a perfect life. I post both the good and the bad. I shared when my mum died because people need to see that creators are humans who also live through real pain. That vulnerability has created a deeper connection with my audience, as several students and young people from Ibadan have messaged me to testify that my dressing videos gave them the courage to be themselves. When I post a video about me being from Ibadan and the way I dress, UI students tell me how they get looked at differently when they try it, but they also confirm that it changed things for them. Those messages mean so much to me.
Practically, my strategy has always been to start with what I have. For a long time, that was my mum’s living room. Filming there meant I had no excuses, no transport fees, no location costs, just the freedom to post daily. Over the years, I’ve learned that consistency beats grand ideas. So far, I’ve mastered my craft by watching creators I admired, recreating trending formats with my own spin, and using my wins to build a voice. When I decided to stop doing content “for fun” and start charging, the ₦30k job proved that brands would definitely pay if you present value.
If there’s one central message to my work, it’s authenticity. I want people to feel seen. I want to be as real as I can be. When people ask how to start and what to post, I always say: Don’t fabricate. Just be yourself. Post your interests. Post your work. Post the behind-the-scenes. Speak to people like you’re talking to your best friend. That’s what makes something relatable.
Anytime someone asks me how to start, I always tell them: be authentic, start where you are, and post your interests. You don’t need to fabricate a lie. Share what you love, whether it’s crochet, fashion or cooking and show the behind-the-scenes. Post your interests, about you discovering yourself, your BTS, you making something for a friend or your mum. Don’t compare yourself to others; comparison steals joy. Be content, grow at your own pace, and be proud of what your wins mean to you.
Content creation is powerful. It’s a way people connect, interact, believe, inspire and influence. If content creation weren’t powerful, influencer marketing wouldn’t exist, and brands wouldn’t pay. I’ve had strangers enlighten my understanding on certain matters, share advice, and tell me their stories. That kind of connection matters to me. I try to be the kind of creator who doesn’t pretend life is a fairy tale. I post both the good and the bad; sometimes I don’t post on my feed, but I put it on my story: “I am facing this.” My circle of close friends is small, but thousands more know me because of my content. When I started posting videos about dressing boldly in Ibadan, corpers and students started messaging me about how they felt seen. That’s the impact I want.
Looking ahead, EpisodeswithOlivia would push beyond Ibadan and Nigeria. I’m trying to work with fashion brands and put Ibadan designers on the map because our pieces are top-notch and should compete with Lagos. I’m also working on a personal project: a tribute to my mum where I turn her wrappers, ankaras and laces into contemporary pieces I can wear, like tradition meeting modern flair. I want to find a designer who understands that dream and brings it to life.
The Lane is a journey and process-focused interview series with emerging voices in Africa’s culture ecosystem. You can also share your story by contacting us today.
