Dolapo Adeleke

EARLY LIFE

Born on September 6, 1990, in Kano State, Nigeria, Adeleke began writing at an early age, publishing two literature books before university. She had her secondary education at Dansol High School, Lagos State. She graduated with a second-class upper in Mass Communication from Covenant University in 2011.

CAREER

Dolapo Adeleke, also known as LowlaDee, is a multiple award-winning filmmaker from Nigeria. She stated that she began directing films at 21. In 2012, she was included in Vanguard's list of young Nigerians making a significant impact and was noted to have won Best teen writer of the year award by Angles Magazine for writing Flesh and Blood and The Little White Hen. With her break out short film Brave, she was nominated for Best Film Director at the Nigerian Entertainment Awards (NEA 2015). The short film won Best Short film at the Best Of Nollywood Awards and was nominated in two categories at the African Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA) for Best Short film and Best Actor in a Drama. In 2015, she produced her first critically acclaimed Television Film A Place Called Happy. In 2016, she released her first highly acclaimed Mini Series This Is It on her YouTube Platform, which gained over 8 million views and won Best Television Series at the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards (AMVCA) 2018. LowlaDee wrote, directed, and edited the 20 episodes. She was also nominated for the EbonyLifeTV Sisterhood Awards Africa for 'Film Director Of The Year' in 2016 and the prestigious 'Future Awards Africa' for New Media in 2017. In March 2018, she was listed as Leading Ladies Africa's '100 Most Inspiring Women In Nigeria.' LowlaDee wrote, directed, and edited the 60-minute Valentine's Day Digital film, PLAN B, which became an instant hit and won the Best East African Film at the Africa Magic Viewers Choice Awards 2019. She currently runs LowlaDee Productions Co. (formerly Doreen Media) and shuffles between Lagos Nigeria and Nairobi Kenya.

PERSONAL LIFE

At 16 years old, on August 20, 2007, Adeleke was involved in a brake failure accident that resulted in multiple surgeries and scars on her forehead. This led to her signature fringe/bangs hairstyle, which she states empowers her to rise above the trauma. She revealed she once struggled with depression but found joy and creative inspiration watching Mindy Kaling's TV show, The Mindy Project, which led to her successful Romcom web series 'This Is It.'