Ghana Events Awards(GEA), a creative industry player has awarded over 20 of its members in the creative art sector to boost their morale and encourage them work assiduously to make the industry a lucrative job for the upcoming artists.

The host and co-host, Jay foley and Roselyn Felli both of Joy Prime television at multimedia were very magnificent and hilarious as they are on top of the game throughout the ceremony giving the audience and invited guests the pleasure needed to enjoy the awards night at Movenpic Hotel in Accra.

Also at the 4th GEA night, citations and plaques were presented to winners in various categories like Best MC of the year, Best Disc Jockey (DJ) player of the year, Best Event Planner of the year, Best Event of the year among others.

Speaking to journalists, the Chief Executive of GEA, Kelvin Kenneth was delighted and expressed his appreciation to the Board of Directors and all stakeholders who were involved in making the event possible and successful.

He explained that the nomination and selection of winners in the various categories is based on lots of considerations from the public, Board members and the economy which includes good lightening system, sound system, stage and the environment in which the event was held or occasioned.

” the public, Board members and other economic issues were considered and other issues factored in during the nomination and selection of Best possible winners in the various categories”, he said.

Mr. Kenneth added that his next option is to focus on how to improve and extend the awards ceremony to other African countries, adding that, this will even place Ghana on the limelight and also enhance the creative industry across the African continent.

He therefore called for unity among the industry players in the creative arts in order to fight a common course or agenda for the benefit of the upcoming artists.

The founder of Jandel Limited who own the overall Best award in the creative industry, Afia Moro advised her colleagues to have a passionate feeling for the creative art rather than seeking for money, stating that, your passion for the job will let you earn good money at the end.

She tasked all stakeholders in the creative art industry to be innovative and creative through learning in order to enable them reinvent new things and bring new ideas to the table which can be a tool to remain in business even in this era of the pandemic.

“try to be driven by passion whiles you try to earn good money and also educate yourselve and be in track by using the advance technologies like the internet and social media that will make us in the creative industry be at par with our competitors in the outside world”, she added.

She further outlined some challenges like failure to recognize the industry by government, division among members, failure to be paid the right amount among others that are facing the industry and wished they can be addressed as soon as possible to drive them forward.

” we lack so many things and when it comes to certain things, government fail to recognize us like the sharing of the stimulus packages during the COVID-19 era, most of our members who also placed in their request were sidelined and never get anything”, she said.

But she was grateful and optimistic that the challenges will be addressed due to government’s establishment of the creative art alongside the tourism sector, adding, we can voice out our grievances at that department to be addressed by the appropriate authorities.

Also, the Best Master of Ceremony (MC) winner from multimedia, Andy Dosty appealed to government to include the industry in the distribution of the stimulus package or offer some of the members some loans that will cushion them since the pandemic have already caused a huge damage to the industry and things are difficult for most of the members in the industry in Ghana.

He also praised the award planners and stakeholders for making the event successful because according to him, there has been an improvement in this year’s ceremony and very optimistic the previous award ceremonies will be greater.

” am considering and wished stakeholders will come together and put their resources together to ensure a massive awards ceremony in the next occasion “, he noted.

The winners of the various categories are as follows:

REGIONAL EVENT OF THE YEAR- UPPER WEST CREATIVE ART AWARDS

EVENT ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR – DIANA HAMILTON

EVENT OF THE YEAR – EXCLUSIVE MEN OF THE YEAR AFRICA AWARDS

BEST EVENT COMPANY OF THE YEAR – GENET SERVICES

BEST EVENT VENUE OF THE YEAR – ( ACCRA CITY HOTEL)

EVENT INFLUENCER OF THE YEAR (BLOGGER) – RONNIE IS EVERYWHERE

BEST EVENT SECURITY OF THE YEAR – ASUAVO SECURITY

GHANA’S FAVORITE EVENT – 3MUSIC AWARDS

EVENT MC OF THE YEAR (FEMALE)- MZGEE

EVENT PHOTOGRAPHER OF THE YEAR – MANUEL PHOTOGRAPHY

CSR EVENT OF THE YEAR- MASK4ALL CHARITY CONCERT

EVENT MC OF THE YEAR (MALE) – NATHANIEL ATTOH

EVENT DJ OF THE YEAR – DJ VYRUSKY

YOUTH EVENT OF THE YEAR – GHANA TERTIARY AWARDS

MOST PRESTIGIOUS EVENT OF THE YEAR- RHYTHMS ON DA RUNWAY

MOST INFLUENTIAL EVENT OF THE YEAR- GHANA OUTSTANDING WOMEN AWARDS

BEST VIRTUAL EVENT OF THE YEAR – EXCLUSIVE MEN OF THE AFRICA AWARDS

BEST EVENT SETUP OF THE YEAR – VODAFONE GHANA MUSIC AWARDS.

BEST EVENT VENUE OF THE YEAR (DOME, GARDEN, CONFERENCE HALL) – UNDERBRIDGE EVENT CENTRE

BEST EVENT VENUE (BAR/LOUNGE) – FRONT/BACK ACCRA

EVENT HYPEMAN OF THE YEAR – KOJO MANUEL

EXPERIENTIAL COMPANY OF THE YEAR – BTL AFRICA

EMERGING EVENT OF THE YEAR- UPPER WEST CREATIVE ARTS AWARDS

CORPORATE EVENT OF THE YEAR – CHARTED INSTITUTE OF MARKETING GHANA AWARDS

EVENT SPONSOR OF THE YEAR-

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One of the key players in the YouTube Algorithm is watch time. When you increase your average watch time, YouTube will reward you by promoting your channel through both natural search and in recommended videos. This ultimately leads to more exposure for your channel. This article will dive into 5 different ways you can get more watch time on your video.

1. Start a Youtube Series Playlist

A series playlist allows you to compile similar videos into one convenient location. This tool not only makes your channel more user friendly and easier to navigate, but by placing similar videos into one convenient location, you are encouraging users to continue watching.

This is the age of binge watching and if people see one video they enjoy, they’re likely to stick around and watch the next. Organizing your videos into a series playlist puts them into a loop where one video plays automatically after another, thus having your viewer hooked and reaching for the popcorn while they spend more time watching your videos.

You can create a playlist from existing videos on your channel or create videos specifically for a series or themed playlist. Aim for quality over quantity and don’t upload more than 10 videos in a series. This is a win-win as your watch time increases and your viewers get to see more of what they love from your channel.

2. Incorporate Youtube Chapters in Your Videos

Youtube Chapters allows you to add descriptions to individual segments of your video and break it up into more digestible pieces. The more information you can provide to the viewer, the better. This helps users find exactly what they’re looking for in your content and they’ll be more likely to watch the entirety of your video since they can clearly read what each segment contains.

Chapters can be automatically or custom created. We recommend custom creating your video chapters so you have more control over how the titles read for each segment and use keywords to further optimize your content. If you choose to use automatic chapters, always read over them to make sure they are relevant and complimentary to your video.

3. Choose an Engaging Title

Your video title should accurately reflect what a viewer will expect from your video. This is important to build trust with your viewers and prevent drop-off. Summing up your video into one irresistibly enticing line may seem a bit challenging but follow these tips help you out:

• Keep it under 70 characters
• Include keywords that match your topic and will naturally increase your search rank
• Use all caps on certain buzz words within your title and add a call to action
• Write your title in the same tone and voice you use in your videos

4. Create A Complimentary Thumbnail to Support Your Title

A good title deserves an equally good thumbnail to go with it. Youtube will help you choose one out of a variety of shots, but we recommend making your own for an extra personalized touch. There are tons of professional design softwares you can use that are free, our most recent favorites are Snappa and Canva.

To create a good thumbnail, stick to your branding. This includes everything from font, colors, tone of voice in text and everything in between that defines who you are as a brand. Make sure your branding shines in a clean and simple design that doesn’t overwhelm the viewer. Find a relevant and eye-catching photo that will stop users in their tracks as they scroll. A good thumbnail makes the viewer excited for what they’re about to watch!

5. Track Your Progress Using Youtube Analytics

Tracking your progress on Youtube Analytics helps you gain insights about what is working to increase watch time and also what isn’t. Try new things to see what works. Learning what doesn’t work is just as important as learning what does. Be diligent and create a system for tracking your analytics and how you will use that information on your channel.

To access your insights, log in to Youtube Studio and click on “analytics.” Once you’re in, you can view everything from your watch time of subscribers vs non-subscribers to how certain impressions led to more watch time.

Watch time is an important element of the YouTube algorithm and influences how your video will be listed. Use these tips to get more watch time and have more of your content appreciated!

We hope you enjoyed this blog.

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Whoopro, a self-service influencer platform creating value and connecting brands and digital influencers, has received an award for offering smart digital innovation in the influencer marketing space in Ghana.

The Honorary Award for Innovation of the Year was received at the recently-held Pulse Influencer Awards.

Influencer marketing has been a key strategy for brands since the boom of social media. There are over 11 million internet users in Ghana. The continuous growth in the use of the digital space by people has led companies to see the need to reach their target audience through people of influence.

Commenting on the award, Eli Daniel-Wilson, Team Lead at Whoopro said “We are humbled to receive our first-ever award since we officially launched in 2020. It complements our quest to be disruptively innovative in bringing to market the very much needed structure in how influencer marketing is done.”

“We have built a smart solution to ensure both brands and influencers are getting the best value out of their engagement. Whoopro’s unique selling proposition is that it is simple, automated, cost-efficient and self-serving,” added Mr. Daniel-Wilson.

Developed by Global Media Alliance, Whoopro is Ghana’s first digital product providing cutting-edge seamless solutions to address challenges faced by brands and influencers during digital marketing campaigns, using a software application.

Whoopro offers three key solutions – Helping brands to find the right influencers; Allow influencers to know their worth and earn more; and provide real-time tracking, reporting and analytics for both brands and influencers.

• Main screen: This screen includes a special form of superfeed that highlights the main special cameras included in the broadcast. The base feed will be the view from the master camera, complemented by views from the rest of the cameras, drone shots, graphics and live stats.
• Following the ball: Aerial camera combined with detailed shots. These cameras are always focused on the ball and the player in possession, providing a closer image to follow the player’s actions in detail.
• Around the goal area: This window shows all the action around the goal area where viewers see the very best shots from every attack on goal as well as highlights of each and every intervention from the keepers.
• Camera on the bench: This feed alternates between shots of the home and visitors’ benches. The viewer will be able to follow the coaches’ instructions, reactions to key moments in the match and also keep a close eye on the subs.
• Stats window: The four-image feed leaves space at the bottom of the screen for a layer of dynamic graphics and visuals featuring stats from the match.

Paradigm Initiative (PIN), a pan-African social enterprise working to advance digital rights and inclusion in Africa, will on Wednesday, October 20, release its second and latest short film entitled ‘FOCUS’ to the public on the YouTube platform where it can be accessed for free.

The release was preceded by a premiere on Thursday, October 14, which was attended by a rich and influential cast of prominent social and digital rights activists, journalists, policymakers, members of the diplomatic corps, social media influencers, and others.

FOCUS was directed by acclaimed filmmaker, Tolulope Ajayi, and produced by Up In The Sky, a creative and production agency based in Lagos. The short film creatively explores and dramatizes PIN’s 2020 annual digital rights and inclusion report dubbed Londa, which depicts the health of digital rights and inclusion in 20 African countries.
It follows PIN’s first and widely-regarded short film, Training Day, and marks a continuation of the organization’s innovative trend to harness the power of story-telling in raising awareness on its research findings and spurring citizen-led actions on the protection of digital rights and government accountability.

The newly-released short film FOCUS especially accentuates the importance of citizen vigilance in confronting and halting the disturbing wave of restrictive policies enacted across several countries in Africa to constrict social spaces online, muffle speech, and subvert online mobilization and democratic movements.

Its release on October 20, 2021, a date when last year the Nigerian government violently quelled the nationwide ‘ENDSARS’ protest against police brutality that received global attention with an attack on protesters at the Lekki Toll Gate in Lagos, has refocused attention on the state of online freedoms in Nigeria and the power of citizens to mobilize freely.

Commenting, PIN Chief Operating Officer, Nnenna Paul-Ugochukwu said: “Focus is an exploratory way used by PIN to best impact the society through storytelling while spotlighting key issues plaguing the digital rights inclusion ecosystems. With this short film, we hope to inspire change and bring about radical thinking and adjustment.”
Twitter, the service that played a central role in how young Nigerians were able to mobilize and coordinate actions for the protest, remains inaccessible in Nigeria following a suspension enforced by the government since June 2021.
Internet blockades and arbitrary bans, a continent-wide problem in Africa, formed part of the central theme of the short film as PIN presented options to citizens facing such repression on how to maintain access using tailored tools it developed to boycott the blockades.

FOCUS also alerts citizens to means to identify and take collective actions against the subtle but increasingly desperate and broad-ranging plots by the government to slip through policies and other restrictive measures aimed at limiting online freedoms and censoring speech.

With the support of The Kingdom of Netherlands, Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) and the United States Department of State, FOCUS continues Paradigm Initiative’s efforts to mainstream topical issues using the medium of story telling as a vehicle of social transformation.

The short film is available for free viewing on PIN’s YouTube channel @ParadigmHQ, in English and French versions to cater to reach audiences from the anglophone and francophone parts of Africa.
Watch the film for free on YouTube below.