Helen Paul also known as Tatafo is a Nigerian comedienne, compere, singer, media personality, and actress. Helen began her career at the Eko Remix Studios as a front desk officer. She then worked as a back-up singer and voice-over artist. Today, she is not only a successful entertainer but also a successful entrepreneur who motivates and inspires young ladies.
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As an entrepreneur, she established Massive Fabrics and Bridal in 2012 and the Helen Paul Theatre and Film Academy in 2014.
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Helen Paul Early Life
Helen Paul was born on January 29, 1978 and was brought up by her grandmother in Lagos. After her secondary education, she attended the University of Lagos where she obtained her Bachelor, Masters and Doctorate degree in Theatre Arts in 2010, 2012 and 2019 respectively.
Also, she holds professional qualifications from reputable institutions. For instance, she obtained a Certification in Media Enterprise from the School of Media and Communications, Pan-African University. In addition, she has a Basic Presentation Certificate from the Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria.
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Early Entertainment Career
With a strong mindset to succeed, Helen Paul started as a front desk manager at the Eko FM studios. Thereafter, she became a back-up singer and voice-over artiste. She featured on several music projects with professional artistes and music groups like Yinka Davies, Infinity, Olufunmi and P-Square.
According to her, doing the intro in P-Square’s Tell us a Story (2005) was a major breakthrough for her in the entertainment industry. Her unique voice was noticed. Not only that, she also recorded radio jingles for companies and brands like Bank PHB, Indomie Noodles, Cowbell, Peak Milk, e.t.c. Moreover, her comic role as Tatafo on Radio Continental 102.3FM, Wetin Dey also brought her to limelight
Thereafter, she got into the university and her first professional comedy attempt was when she attended a show and the MC didn’t show up. Her friends encouraged her to fill in the gap, she did and to the delight of everyone, she performed exceptionally. That made people to start inviting her to events. Subsequently, she met veteran comedians who mentored her on the business side of her talent.
Basically, Helen has worked and presented in several media houses in Nigeria. She worked with LTV8, Radio Continental, Naija FM, Continental Broadcasting Service and even Mnet where she still co-presents JARA with Uti Nwachukwu on Africa Magic till date.
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Helen Paul Personal Life
Helen got married to Femi Bamisile in 2010, and the union is blessed with children.
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Movies
As an actress, she has released some short stories and has also starred in several movies, some of which include;
- Damage, 2011
- The Return of Jenifa, 2011
- The Place, 2012
- A Wish, 2012
- Igboya, 2012
- Mama Put,
- Osas (Omoge Benin), 2012
- Alakada2, 2014
- Akii The Blind, 2014
- Abiodun Kogberebe, 2014
- When Love Happens, 2014
- Life Burial, 2015
- Alakada reloaded, 2017
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Songs
From childhood, Helen has always been a chorister singing in the church group. Then, she became a back-up singer and worked with some artistes. Later, she became a professional singer. She released her debut studio album Welcome Party in 2012. Welcome Party album is a mixture of Afro-pop, Afro RnB, e.t.c.
Her songs include;
- Boju Boju, 2012
- God Forbid, 2012
- Children of the World, 2012
- Use Calculator, 2012
- Gbedu, 2012
- Vernacular, 2012
- Take it Back, 2016
- Never Knew, 2018
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Helen Paul Net Worth
Informationcradle.com cited Helen Paul as one of the richest comedian in Nigeria with an estimated net worth of $1 million. She is also an ambassador to some companies.
In 2014, she became an ambassador to Glo. In 2015, she was endorsed by Harpic. Subsequently, she became an ambassador to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) during the March 28, 2015, general elections. Also, she is an ambassador to Ajinomoto seasoning and GoTV.
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Massive Fabrics And Bridals
Helen established Massive Fabrics and Bridals in 2012. The business was created in an attempt to provide brides with quality and beautiful dresses for their wedding.
Massive Bridals’ major branch is located close to her alma mata, Unilag, with other outlets still in Lagos city, Nigeria.
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Helen Paul Theatre and Film Academy
Dr Helen Paul created the Helen Paul Theatre and Film Academy in 2014. It is an institution that offers trainings on audio production, studio recording, graphics, editing e.t.c. It was created to be a professional platform where budding artistes can learn profession skills.
At the Academy, trainings are provided in accordance to the standards of the Federal Ministry of Education and National Board for technical education (NBTE)
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Awards And Recognition
- Female Comedian of the Year, City People Entertainment Award, 2011.
- Comedienne of the Year, African Film Awards (Afro-Hollywood, UK), 2012.
- Female TV Presenter of the year, Exquisite Lady of the Year Award (Exquisite Magazine), 2012.
- Outstanding TV Presenter (Female), Nigerian Broadcasters Merit Awards (Entertainment/Talk Show), 2014.
- Award of Honour, RCCG Teap Teens Conference, 2019
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Helen Paul Quotes
“Men have brain, women have connection.”
“When you are pretentious, there is no way you won’t get into trouble. So be true to yourself.”
“If you cannot dazzle them with brilliance, then baffle them with bullshit.”
“The ability to strike a balance in the things we do, helps us to improve our daily activities.”
“Don’t live on mere suspicion…Research and be sure.”
Don’t sniff what you won’t eat.”
“Understand your circle and operate in the same frequency or just change it, if you are not comfortable.”
“When a Nigerian leaves the country to do exploit abroad they term it ‘African’ or African champ but when they do not do something to be proud of, they are pointed as ‘Nigerians’ specifically.”
“Pride is one thing we all unconsciously have but with conscious effort to be humble, it will help you not to fall.”
“Identifying the different roles people play will help you enjoy life like a television.”
“Keeping your secret very secret is the power of your achievements.”
“The easiest way you can educate and entertain people is by talking issues they can easily relate with.”
“A successful woman is not known by the number of material things she has, or how expensive they are, but by the number of lives she has impacted positively.”
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Entrepreneurial Lessons From The Life Of Helen Paul
Build Capacity
Firstly, an individual who wants to succeed must first build capacity. This is evident in the life of Helen Paul who went through different stages of growth before she finally arrived at the apex of her career. Even at her ‘level’, she is still willing to learn and do more.
Be Determined
According to Helen, there were so many times when she felt the tasks were enormous and wanted to give up. But, her determination to succeed kept her going. At a point, she was juggling many things at the same time; career, studying, running her businesses and keeping up with her family.
It wasn’t easy, but she came out strong because she was determined to succeed. Today, she is not just an entertainer with a PHD degree, but a successful entrepreneur as well.
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Surround yourself with positive Minded people
Helen mentioned that her husband and her inner circle are treasured sources of motivation. She believes that being around positive people makes life easier.
Entrepreneurs should be mindful of the company they keep. You should surround yourself with people who motivate you and bring out the best in you.
Photo Credit/Source: Instagram
1 thought on “Helen Paul – Biography And Net Worth Of A Famous Female Entertainer”
I really feel the impact of her words, her dreams, aspirations, and subsequent fulfillment of those dreams even as she continues to move higher. Thank you for not giving up on yourself, even when it seems you can’t move forward again.