Mary Nnenna Njoku is a Nigerian actress and film producer, and Director General of the award-winning Lagos-based film house, ROK Studios, in Nigeria, which was recently acquired by French TV giant, CANAL+. She produced and starred in Thy Will be Done, Husbands of Lagos; starred and directed Single Ladies and Festac Town.
Early life and education
Mary Njoku, who is the sixth child in a family of 8, was born in Amuwo Odofin, Lagos, Nigeria. She is from Nsukka, Enugu State. She attended Amuwo Odofin High School, National College Bagada and Navy Town Secondary School. She holds a diploma in Computer Science. From 2010, Njoku attended Lagos State University where she studied for a degree in English Language. In 2012, Njoku attended London Film Academy in the UK where she did a course on Producing: Movie Magic Budgeting & Schedule From childhood, she had a passion for acting and started acting on-stage when she was in Secondary school. Njoku joined the Nollywood industry in 2003, at the age of 17.
Career
Njoku made her acting debut in the 2004 Nollywood movie 'Home Sickness', which she featured alongside with Chioma Chukwuka Akpotha. She came to limelight after featuring in popular Nollywood blockbuster 'Blackberry Babes' in 2011. Between 2011 and 2013, Njoku produced iROKtv, a YouTube platform that featured interviews with Nigerian celebrities, as well as coverage of Afrobeats and Nollywood events. In 2015, Njoku became Chief Content Officer at IROKO Partners. By March, she held her first world premier for her filmThy Will Be Done at the BFI IMAX London, the first ever Nollywood film premiere in IMAX. In August 2018, Njoku produced the movie Nwanyioma, where her role required her to completely shave her head.
ROK Studios
In August 2013, Njoku founded ROK Studios. Since its launch in 2013, ROK has produced over 540 films and 25 original TV series, including Festac Town, Single Ladies, Body language, Losing Control and Husbands of Lagos. In 2016, Njoku launched ROK on Sky, a network airing across the UK. To celebrate the launch, some of her Nollywood colleagues attended the launch gala which took place at the Nigerian High Commission in the UK. Njoku also launched ROK on DSTV, a network airing across Africa, in the same year. In April 2018, ROK Studios launched two new channels, ROK2 and ROK3, to meet growing demand of ROK on DSTV. ROK2 delivers content showcasing the origins of Nollywood, while ROK3 showcases a variety of Ghanaian talent, and has a music channel feature in addition to the 24hr movie and series selection. In 2019, Njoku oversaw the acquisition of ROK to CANAL+, the largest international deal to-date for a Nollywood brand.
Spark
In August 2013, alongside her business partners Jason Njoku and Bastian Gotter, Njoku launched a $2 million investment vehicle for Lagos-based Internet start-ups called Spark.
Personal life
Mary Njoku married British-born Nigerian entrepreneur, and African start-up investor, Jason Njoku, in Festac, Lagos on 18 August 2012, in front of family, friends and colleagues. They welcomed their first son, Jason Obinna Njoku, on 30 July 2013, a second child Nwakaego Annabelle Njoku, was born on 24 August 2015 and they welcomed their third, Amber Nnenna Njoku on 4 August 2017.
