Actors who participated in a First City Monument Bank (FCMB) television commercial in May are still awaiting payment from Insight Communications, the advertising agency responsible for the project, as reported by the Foundation for Investigative Journalism (FIJ).
According to the actors, who spoke to FIJ in August, they have been waiting for three months to receive their fees.
However, the agents who recommended them for the job have repeatedly claimed that the agency has not yet paid them.
Bolaji Kolawole (a pseudonym), one of the actors, revealed that he signed a contract guaranteeing him N250,000, with the expectation of being paid within one month after shooting the advert.
However, Insight Communications told FIJ that the contract included a clause stating payment would be made one month after the client approved the final copy of the commercial.
None of the actors received copies of their contracts, and despite requests, the agency refused to provide one to FIJ.
As of now, four months after the project, the actors remain unpaid.
Kolawole shared his experience with FIJ, stating, “We auditioned on April 29 at Insight Communications’ office in Ikeja GRA, and we were told it was for an FCMB commercial. After being vetted, we returned on May 9 for the shoot. We signed our contracts, provided our bank details, and were told we’d be paid within a month.”
However, when June passed with no payment, the actors began raising concerns.
“The agents kept telling us that the company hadn’t paid. Initially, we thought the agents were the problem, but we later discovered that Insight Communications was withholding our money,” Kolawole explained.
When Kayode Ajayi, one of Insight Communications’ managers, was contacted on August 9, he acknowledged that the actors had completed their work but explained that payment was delayed due to technicalities and the client had not provided feedback on the final commercial.
Ajayi said, “There is no breach of contract. There was just a delay in delivering the ad due to some technical issues. The contract states that payment will be made one month after client approval. The client approved the ad today, and we are preparing the invoice. Once the client pays, we will pay the actors.”
When asked if the actors would be paid if the ad wasn’t approved, Ajayi responded, “If the ad is never approved, we would pay a rejection fee. But this is not the case here. The client has approved the ad, and payment will be made soon. We have never failed to pay actors after completing a job.”
Despite Ajayi’s assurances, a month later, the actors were still without their payments.
On Friday, Kolawole sent a message to FIJ, “I have bills to pay and a family to take care of. My contract is with Insight Communications, not FCMB or any agent.”
The actors are still demanding answers and their rightful wages from Insight Communications.
