Ayo Makun worked as a personal assistant to the godfather of modern stand up comedy, Ali Baba, before going out on his own. He’s never been the funniest of them all, but those who pay attention will tell you AY is dedicated to his craft and invested in his art. He was one of the first comedians in his generation to invest in his own studio and staff and to pay attention to personal branding.
AY, as he is popularly called, is a Nigerian actor, producer, and comedian. Having studied Theatre Arts at Delta State University, he went ahead to pursue his dream.
He started with a TV show he called ‘AY Show’. Then he went on to launch a series of live events that became more successful than anyone could have imagined or predicted. He now organizes one of the biggest stand-up comedy shows in Nigeria, AY Live.
As a comedian, AY has won a couple of awards. But the one that stands out the most is the United Nations Peace Ambassador Award. He received this in 2008 after winning six awards that year. He has also been recognized several times as Comedian of the Year.
AY dived into movie production in 2016, with his debut movie being ‘30 Days in Atlanta’. This movie broke Nigeria’s box office record as the highest-grossing film, making a staggering 163 million naira. It was listed in the Guinness Book World of Records.
AY dived into producing movies in 2016, with his debut movie, ‘30 Days in Atlanta’. This movie broke Nigeria’s box office record as the Highest Grossing Film, making 163 million naira. It was listed in the Guinness Book World of Records.
AY went on to produce another movie, ‘A Trip to Jamaica’ in 2017. This movie blew fans away and grossed N168 million at the box office within three months of debuting at the cinema. His movies are always exciting as he thrills his fans with comedy and adventure. This movie also earned him an award as the Best Supporting Actor.
Other movies produced by him are ‘10 Days in Sun City’ and ‘The Merry Men’. Recently, AY has gotten everyone talking about his new movie ‘Merry Men 2’ in which he spearheaded the production. This movie has attracted widespread praise from movie lovers.
Ay started as a show promoter and a comedian and has moved to organize one of the biggest comedy shows in the country. He has now successfully diversified into Nollywood. It is evident that AY isn’t putting his eggs into one basket.
Like the comedian, Banky W and some other musicians have diversified from music to Nollywood. The singer has even tested his feet in politics. Falz has also moved into the movie industry by making his debut in ‘Jenifa’s Diary’. AY’s own boss, Alibaba has also recently starred in movies like ‘The Wedding Party’ and ‘Head Gone’.
AY is also the CEO of Corporate World Entertainment, an organization that is focused on organizing events and providing content for radio and TV.
We are all anticipating what next big thing AY would do next. Would he go-ahead to build his own cinema, like Mo Abubu or continue with his successful movie productions? We can only wait and see.