Simpa Samson

So nice to meet you! First off, what’s your name? Tell our readers a bit about yourself—where you’re from originally and where you live now.

My name is Simpa Samson. I was born in Ihima, Kogi State, and grew up in Ajaokuta Steel Company in Kogi State. I obtained my B.Sc. in Business Administration, and other certificates in Project Management, Supply Chain, Filmmaking, Documentary Production, etc. I made my first documentary, titled The Lost Truth, in 2014, while doing my youth service in Kano State, Nigeria. I was working in a nightclub to support myself, while the money from the service was used in the production of my film back then. In 2016, I started my career filming weddings, corporate videos, comedy skits and events before an opportunity to work in news presented itself, and I took it and worked for several international networks for 3 years. Then in 2019, I worked on a documentary with Chika Oduah, and that was the beginning of my going into documentary full-time. I am currently based in Abuja and Lagos, Nigeria, full-time.

Tell us one thing you love about where you live now.

The unique thing about living in Nigeria is the food and the people. Despite all the challenges we are going through with bad and corrupt government, we as a people still love and support each other in every way we can.

Tell us a little more about what your company does and how it started. How does it help your customers?

VisualFarm Production is a full-service visual storytelling and documentary production company, fully registered in Nigeria. We specialise in producing high-impact documentaries, corporate videos, content gathering, impact adverts and creative visual content that tell authentic stories with depth and clarity.

The idea for VisualFarm Production grew organically out of my transition into full-time documentary filmmaking. After years of gaining diverse experience across news broadcasting with international networks and collaborative documentary projects, I realised the power of visual media to drive meaningful narrative change. VisualFarm was established to bring together technical expertise, deep research and artistic vision under one roof.

We help our clients—ranging from corporate brands and NGOs to media organizations and networks around the world—by translating complex real-world stories, organizational missions and human experiences into compelling visual formats. Whether it is highlighting critical social issues, showcasing a brand’s journey or capturing significant milestones, we enable our clients to communicate effectively, build deep emotional connections with their audiences and create lasting visual impact.

If someone wants to start a business, what advice would you give them?

Start with a product that is not expensive and that you can easily break even on, to test your core concept in the market before investing heavily, and obsess over solving a genuine problem for your target audience rather than just chasing an idea you love. Focus relentlessly on cash flow management from day one, as running out of capital is the single biggest reason early-stage ventures fail. Be consistent. Once you commit to offering a service or selling a product, come rain come sunshine, you have to be consistent.

What is one piece of feedback from a happy customer or client that you won't forget?

One piece of client feedback that always stands out came from an NGO director after we wrapped up a documentary on rural healthcare access. She told me that watching the final cut brought her entire team to tears because it finally captured the raw human dignity of the communities they served, rather than just treating them as statistics. Knowing our work could evoke that level of empathy and help them secure crucial funding for their outreach is a memory I will always cherish.

Where do you see your company in the future?

In the future, I see VisualFarm Production expanding into a globally recognized African documentary powerhouse—expanding our physical footprint and co-productions across international markets while keeping our roots deep in telling authentic stories from the continent.

We have completed a locked rough cut of our short impact documentary about the long-standing war in northeast Nigeria and how a group of women are holding the Nigerian military accountable for the loss of their husbands, sons and brothers.

We are also about to go into production of a feature documentary titled When The Trees Speak. It is a documentary that sees two unlikely groups, eco-guards and tech innovators, form an alliance to use AI and technology to fight illegal logging in Nigeria.

We aim to scale our impact by establishing a dedicated creative hub that mentors the next generation of documentary filmmakers, leveraging emerging technologies like immersive and interactive media, and partnering with major global streaming platforms and international networks to bring untold African narratives to worldwide audiences.

What is the biggest misconception about your industry?

The biggest misconception about documentary filmmaking is that it is simply "capturing reality" as a neutral, passive observer with a camera. People often view documentaries as glorified journalism or plain recording, assuming the camera merely captures whatever happens naturally without much artifice or deliberate craft.

In reality, documentary filmmaking is a deeply intentional narrative art form. Beyond the filming itself, the story is truly built in the research, structure and editing suite—where hundreds of hours of raw footage, interviews and real-life moments must be ethically shaped into a coherent, compelling visual narrative. Balancing stark truth and human dignity with emotional engagement requires as much artistic direction, technical precision and creative vision as any scripted feature film.

What has been one of your biggest struggles building your business, and how did you deal with it?

One of the biggest struggles has been navigating inconsistent cash flow and securing steady funding for long-form documentary projects, especially in a country like Nigeria, where people don't see documentary as a worthy cause to invest their money in, and it's an industry where traditional financiers often view impact-driven storytelling as high-risk.

To overcome this, I shifted toward a hybrid business model. We balanced long-term, self-funded documentary projects by taking on NGO work and every money-making project that could enable us to save and that also provided predictable revenue streams.

We also leaned into strategic collaborations and co-productions to get some projects done by sharing all the risk and profit.

Who was your favorite music artist and athlete growing up?

Growing up, my favorite music artist was P-Square—their electrifying dance steps and incredible versatility were the soundtrack to those years; unfortunately, the duo has split. On the sports side, my favorite athlete was Jay-Jay Okocha, whose mesmerising skill, flair and creativity on the football pitch were an absolute joy to watch.

Any shoutouts you want to make?

Shout out to Kassim Braimah and Romuald Luyindula. These two individuals shaped my career and form the base of the incredible and talented documentary filmmaker that I have become today. They gave me opportunities and showed me the ropes when others refused to.

Where can our readers learn more about you and your company?

You can learn more about VisualFarm Production and our upcoming projects by visiting our official website, www.simpasamson.com, or connecting with us on our social media channels, where we share behind-the-scenes content, project updates and insights into our documentary work. @visualfarmpro on Instagram.