Beverly Naya is an award-winning British-born Nigerian actress, model, producer, scriptwriter, and entrepreneur. She is the founder of the #FiftyShadesOfBlack campaign, and the Be Naya Company.
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Beverly Naya Background
Beverly Ifunanya was born on the 17th of April 1989, as the only child of her parents, who hail from Ibuzor, Delta State, Nigeria. She had her early education in the United Kingdom and studied philosophy, psychology, and sociology at Brunel University, Uxbridge, England.
Beverly felt she wanted to do something different, so she abandoned her initial course of study, and went on to study drama and dance at the same university. She also studied script-writing and directing at Roehampton University.
Beverly Naya Career
Beverly Naya commenced her acting career at 17. While studying drama and dance, she grew into loving drama and knew that was what she wanted to do. Since then she has been acting and has no intention of quitting.
Beverly Naya is inspired by Mo Abudu and Oprah Winfrey because of their huge achievements. Her mother is also a source of inspiration and influence to her because she’s hardworking, industrious, and also a goal-getter.
Beverly Naya’s Movies
- Tinsel – 2008
- Guilty Pleasures – 2009
- Home in Exile – 2010
- Death Waters – 2012
- Up Creek Without a Paddle – 2012
- Weekend Getaway – 2012
- Alan Poza – 2013
- Forgetting June – 2013
- Make a move – 2014
- Stripped – 2014
- When Love Happens – 2014
- Brother’s Keeper – 2014
- Before 30 – 2015
- Oasis – 2015
- Skinny Girl in Transit – 2015
- Suru L’ere – 2016
- The Wedding Party – 2016
- Dinner – 2016
- The Arbitration – 2016
- Affairs of the Heart – 2016
- Shift Lemme Faint (Stage Play) – 2017
- The Wedding Party 2 – 2017
- Dibia – 2017
- Something Wicked – 2017
- Fractures – 2017
- Catch.er – 2017
- Chief Daddy – 2018
- Shijuwomi – 2018
- Lockdown – 2018
- Fifty Shades Of Black (a documentary) – 2018
- In Sickness and Health – 2018
- Demon Inside – 2018
- The Eve – 2018
- The Picture Perfect (10 years later) – 2019
- Skin (a documentary) – 2019
- Cold Feet – 2019
- Jumbled – 2019
- Across The Rising Sun – 2019
Endorsements Of Beverly Naya
- Beverly Naya is currently a brand ambassador for Schweppes Nigeria.
- LG Africa endorsed Beverly Naya as one of its brand ambassadors.
- Beverly Naya was the host of the Verve Life 2019 edition.
- Darling Nigeria signed an endorsement deal with Beverly Naya, to be the brand ambassador of its numerous range of products.
- Beverly Naya is an ambassador for Nivea Nigeria.
Beverly Naya Quotes
“Limited edition; No one is me and that is my power.”
“Some people are going to reject you simply because you shine too bright for them. That’s okay, keep shining.”
“It’s 2020 in less than two months, don’t let anybody waste your time. Be intentional about your time, get aligned with your goals and be brave enough to make new choices.”
“Happiness never goes out of style.”
“If you don’t have big dreams and goals, you’ll end up working really hard for someone who does.”
“Don’t give anyone the power to disrupt your equilibrium. Recognize energy that’s not for you then keep it moving.”
“EVERYONE needs to speak up…YES, that includes you! Spend less time paying attention to who is/isn’t speaking up and more time ACTUALLY SPEAKING UP! Every voice counts…”
“If you want to achieve your greatest self, be your own biggest fan.”
“In a world that profits from your self-doubt, loving yourself is a rebellious act.”
“Make sure you’re living a colourful life; the world will adjust.”
“Let your smile change the world, don’t let the world change your smile.”
Beverly Naya’s Awards And Nominations
- Most Promising Talent at the Best of Nollywood Awards – 2010
- Fast Rising Actress at the City People Entertainment Awards – 2011
- ELOY Awards nominee for the TV Actress of the Year – 2014
- Nominated for the African Magic Viewers’ Choice Award (AMVCA) in the Best Supporting Actress – 2016
- Best Actress at the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival (TINFF) – 2018
- Forbes 30 under 30 Awards, Africa – 2018
- Official selection (Skin) at the Urban World Film Festival – 2019
- The Skin was officially selected to play at the Slum Film Festival – 2019
- Official selection (Skin) at the San Francisco Black Film Festival – 2019
- The Skin was officially selected at the Africa World Documentary Film Festival – 2019
- The documentary – Skin, is an official selection of this year’s iREP International Documentary Film Festival – 2019
Entrepreneurial Lesson From Beverly Naya
Don’t Put Pressure on Yourself
As an entrepreneur, don’t you ever be deceived by all the glam you see on social media. Some people borrowed to look that good, while some are even indebted in cash or in kind.
As the saying goes, not all that glitters is gold. Don’t let anyone’s social media glam pressure you into doing the wrong things. Be patient, start small, be diligent, and the sky would be your starting point.
Beverly Naya started small, even though she came from the UK. She started with small roles as an extra until she got into Tinsel, and gradually rose to the limelight in the Nollywood industry.
Appreciate your little beginnings, and don’t ever feel pressured by either the society or another man’s success. We’ve all got our race; just as all plants don’t have the same maturity time, so does our individual success timelines differ.
Image Credit: @thebeverlynaya (Instagram)
