Nigerian author and filmmaker, Arese Ugwu, has narrated how streaming giant Netflix dealt her a huge blow after refusing to partner with her on a larger scale.

The 39-year-old writer revealed that she had approached Netflix for sponsorship to make her 2021 TV show, The Smart Money Woman, bigger following its success on the platform and Africa Magic, but the streaming giant turned her down.

She explained that the rejection almost broke her.

Speaking in a recent interview with Afropolitan, Ugwu said, “We were able to produce Season 1 of The Smart Money Woman and got a fantastic reception on Africa Magic and Netflix. We were in the top 10 for 13 weeks on Netflix. I then approached Netflix for sponsorship to make the project bigger and better, and shockingly, they turned me down. That rejection almost broke me.”

Ugwu also spoke about her desire to become an established filmmaker and not just an author whose book was adapted for a film.

“I want to establish myself as a filmmaker. I feel like some people still see me as the girl who wrote a book and the book was turned into a TV series,” she said.