I Never Planned To Be A Video Director – TG OMORI

TG Omori is a music video director, filmmaker and cinematographer. He is the founder and CEO of Shot and Shopped by TG Omori, a production company that specializes in the realms of the performing arts.
Born ThankGod Jesam  he is a very creative video director who put himself through in video directing because he never went to school to learn directing but his crave to earn better and sort his bills made him who he is today, TG is quite one of the youngest and freshest acts in that sector but his jobs are touch notch and they never fall short of standard.  He recently had an interview with City People Entertainment Reporter PRECIOUS POMAA, where he talked about how video directing started for him and how he gets his inspiration to work.

Take us through your family and educational background?

My full names are Omori Thank God Jesam, I am from the family of 4 and has  born June 8 1995. Being in Lagos all my life, I grew up in Agugi, had my primary school in Agugi then I attended Kumaro College for secondary school then I went and proceeded to the university and studied Performing and Media Art for 2 years and I graduated  and I started working for red art group as a script writer.  

How did video directing start for you?

When I graduated from the film school I started working for a Red Art as a writer from there I started developing my craft for directing that was when I got my passion for it. But back then in film school I used to direct stage play so after film school I started doing my research on how to be a cinematographer, searching on YouTube and other online platform. I had a camera to myself eeven though it was not mine but. It was always with me. With this camera I will go out, shoot viral videos with friends, come back and edit it so with this I was getting more experience and trying to discover myself, so luckily for me a friend of mine introduced me to a group that gave me contract, he believed so much in me that I could deliver which I actually did and the videos were played everywhere and I have been kept the hustle going till today.

How did you discover your talent?

Well, I always wanted to be in the entertainment industry since I was young, I started up as an actor in church when I was about 9 years then from there I use to direct the rest of the kids because I happened to be one of the best actors in children’s church. Then I groomed myself to talking to people and making them do what I want. I tried to create what people will love and come up with better ideas. After my secondary school someone advised me to go to a film school and better my art work. So basically my going to a film school was to become a better actor that was why I studied performing art, I was in Unilag for a while though but I wanted to be an Actor so I had to switch to a film school where I mastered my craft in stage performance and other things, I was around people who had film making ideas and it bettered my mind and enlightened  me a lot on film making and everybody I was around with just wanted to be a successful film maker then I had no idea I was going to be a music video director,  it was later after film school and I stared working as a writer I picked interest in video directing. So from there I stared developing myself though it was really not what I wanted to do and secondly why I switched to directing was because the hustle of an actor in Nigeria is really craze. You only see yourself going for different auditions and at the end of the day it never comes through, eventually when you have  been picked you go on stage for over a week and then you are being paid peanuts  and they will be feeling inside that they have done you one big favor. I had bills to pay I was not in for the hand to mouth thing so I put myself together and taught myself music video directing.

How do you get your jobs?

Most times the client reaches me and most times I do that. From the first video that I shot I have never really struggled to get clients because the video was banging.  I had calls and they kept coming   weeks and one calling in a week and the will just be like Yo I saw your video I like it and I have an artiste I would like you to film for so it has just been a steady process from the newer generation and in every video, I try to put in my best. From here people started noticing my works and people keep coming and recommended me to people, my social media accounts especially Instagram played a very huge rule in my life because they just go to my Instagram watch my pervious works and find it interesting and people calling in everyday so it has just been me trying to put in my all in making classic videos with creative content. So basically I have never really had issues trying to get clients, I just finance my videos and have people calling through.

In a scale 1-10 how good do you see yourself?

Well, I feel like am the best in Africa right now. But shout to every other director because they inspire me but I feel like on a scale of 1-10 creativity wise I am 9/10, but labor wise I will probably say 7/10 because I still have a whole lot to learn and a long way to go then conquer the world because sometimes I look at myself in the mirror and I am like yeah I am good.

How do you get inspiration to translate a song and let the artiste fit into it?

The first thing I do when I listen to a song is try not to do what someone else has done. I try to think out of the box, most times my childhood memory, the places I have been too, things I have come across and every other thing. Like Teni and King Perry video I had a part where ladies tied wrapper and the inspiration came from when so many women had to come to our house every Sunday to have meetings with my mom. My experience when I travel out also inspires me and even children dancing under the rain. I just put so many things together and come up with a very creative script for an Artiste.

How long have you been doing this and what are the challenges you’ve faced?

Let’s say 4 years now. Challenges, basically just Lagos traffic, thugs and people not being punctual. 

Have you ever thought that if a particular job was given to you, you could have done better?

Oh, yeah, every time. I have that feeling but it’s actually a wonderful feeling right now because I can shoot any video I want. I have gotten to a stage that I can Dm any artiste and be like yo I want to jump on your video I heard your song and I like it. Growing up some time back as a younger director there are some songs that I watched the videos and I will be like No this aint it at all but trust me I don’t want to mention names. One thing most video directors don’t know is this, videos are attached to songs forever, because for 100 years to come we still go back to videos so think of what will happen when you go back to a video 100 years to come and its trash. But still, shout to everyone doing great out there.

Do you look up to any big video director and be like yeah I want to be like him or better?

Well, I actually don’t look up to anyone but I like Clarence peter, Daps and Meji Alabi. I don’t look up to anyone but I respect their hustle because they have been here for a long time and me that has just been here for a while I know how stressful it can get.