I imbibed giving spirit from my parents –Sunky O, luxury and experiential lifestyle guru
Sunkanmi Ojulari, popularly known as Sunky O, is a leading personality in luxury and experiential lifestyle.
His company is one of the foremost entertainment and premium lifestyle brands with base in Lagos.
He has established a strong network with celebrities, young corporate and high-profile individuals for vibrant guest listing and lifestyle services.
He is the founder and chief executive officer of The Sunky O Lifestyle Company (TSOLC), a premium entertainment and lifestyle outfit, designed to create, develop, maintain and improve on brands. He is also a fashion enthusiast with love for good food.
In this interview, he spoke about his vision for parties, entertainment and Lagos nightlife. He also shed light on his forthcoming documentary of nightlife in Lagos.
Is there more to Sunky O than we already know?
I am a Lagosian; I was born in Lagos State, Ebute Metta, to be precise. I am a graduate of accounting from the University of Lagos. My sojourn into curating growth experience for brands started as a student evolving narratives for fun and youth-focused brands. Before the establishment of TSOLC, I had a stint working with the corporate communications department of a commercial and investment bank where I gained knowledge of corporate brand execution.
How long have you wanted to be in the lifestyle and entertainment space and what were the early signs of this?
As far back as when I was in the secondary school, and part of the early signs was my friend’s 17th birthday. His name is Simi. We tried to plan it together, bring drinks for him and give the party extra tunes. It started all the way back in secondary school. I have always loved to organize parties or bash, as we called it then, for myself and my friends. Then it was just for fun and because I had the passion for it. But in the university I realized it could be a means of livelihood. So, upon graduation and after a brief stint in the corporate world, I decided to invest in myself and start my own lifestyle brand.
From accounting to entertainment, how did your family take the career switch?
My father was not in support of this from the get-go. Even when I was in school studying accounting and I was throwing parties, It’s just a thing for me, following my path and just having that intuition that there’s something in this for me, that I’m about to unlock a new thing. My dad was an accountant, so (studying) accounting was for my dad. You know, back in the day, parents didn’t believe any responsible person could earn a living or build a career off music, organizing parties, lifestyle or entertainment. After I graduated, I put my certificate up on the wall, and now I’m doing my own thing and following my passion. I was done gaining the corporate knowledge of brand execution I needed so I moved on to starting out my lifestyle company. I have always wanted to start my own thing and now I am doing just that. It’s been great so far. It hasn’t been an easy journey though; well, nothing good comes easy but God, family and friends have been supportive. So, it has been worthwhile.
You were nicknamed ‘Ginger of the Party’. How did this nickname come about?
It was way back in the university as well as in the Reeve Club. I was a representative of the Reeve Club and fellow members just felt I was the ginger of the party. I knew the freshers girls, because everybody just ran along with the narration. I have driven awareness for prominent nightclubs, including Aura, Club DNA, Kabaal, W Bar, Hotbox, (formerly Xhale), and the Library as well anchored promotions for numerous beach houses such as Cove Beach House, Sencillo Salt Beach House, BARVA Beach House and HOV Beach House. I have also overseen exquisite events for SOUL Lagos, ELYSIUM (food tasting with Sunky O), Moonshine Café and 343 Degrees North. I launched the Sirocco rooftop and lounge with Sirocco Sundays, creating weekly unique experiences for guests. In my social influence capacity as Sunky O, I have driven campaigns for Star Radler, Neubelle Beauty and Spa, Amalagos, Emmy Kasbit, Vetlify, Outerspace, Heineken, “33” Export, and Desperado. I’m also a brand ambassador for Ciroc and Chivas. I hosted the only party with the Lagos State Government post-COVID at Auto Club. My other projects include partnering with the IJGB (I Just Got Back) yearly December event. I am also the executive producer of Nightlife in Lasgidi, a series that showcases the affluence and opportunities in living and running business in Lagos.
As a humanitarian, in what way did your early years/ background influence that aspect of your life?
Growing up, I had a very generous father and mother. My dad and mum at every point, they get to see that they show empathy, assisting people. We were doing what Yoruba called Sara, just going to the masses and the beggars to give them gifts. I learnt that spirit of giving from my parents. I have led various social causes, including the ‘Back to School’ initiative, an educational drive to support select public schools with teaching aids and donation of learning materials, as well as visitations to hospitals to create awareness in commemoration of World AIDS Day.
What’s the next project for Sunky O?
Sunky O currently is about to drop the first of its kind documentary about the nightlife in Lagos, which captures the essence, the educative and the tourist attractions of nightlife in Lagos as an industry as a whole.
The Sun
