Renowned actor and content creator Abel Mutua narrated how Phil-It Productions, a company he co-founded with Philip Karanja, lost millions in just a few months.

On his Stories of My Life series on YouTube, Mutua recalled the company’s biggest breakthrough in 2017 when it was contracted to produce two shows, Hullabaloo and Sue and Johnny, that aired on Maisha Magic East.

“We were over the moon. We knew that we had officially made it. We were millionaires…I had never come into contact with such an amount of money,” the former Tahidi High actor revealed.

However, bad decisions by the directors made the company run out of funds even before it could finish producing all the episodes.

Among the decisions was increasing the salaries of their employees before figuring out the amount of money that would be used in the entire production.

“We made a decision to ensure that our employees were given generous salaries. At the time, we did not have an accountant, and we thought the money was in excess,” Mutua stated.

Abel Mutua: From Tahidi’s Freddie to one of Kenya’s top film producers

They had not anticipated the high cost of the productions and had a dream of ‘changing the industry’ by ensuring that thespians and the crew were paid accordingly.

“Initially, we had wanted to pay everyone and use the remainder to pay ourselves, but this was not to be; we suffered a major loss,” he said.

The father of one revealed the company ended up with a Sh5 million loss and unfinished projects, prompting them to seek financial help from friends and family.

It was, however, not long before they received another contract where they used the money to clear up deficits that were needed for the other two shows.

Mutua advised Kenyans to support the film industry in Kenya, indicating that producers went through a lot to ensure that their shows got on the screens.

Mutua, who has also played a role in top shows, including the Real Househelps of Kawangware and Hapa Kule News, is known for his bubbly storytelling.

The script writer revealed that between 2010 and 2012, he wrote for two shows, Tahidi High and Mother-In-Law, taking home Sh200,000 per month.

“We were paid Sh20,000 per episode and wrote four episodes a month, which came to Sh80,000. I wrote on both Tahidi High and Mother-In-Law. In total, between 2010 and 2012, I earned approximately Sh200,000 a month because I was also acting and doing camera work,” he said.

He admitted that it was challenging balancing the two shows and recalled collapsing in the bathroom due to work pressure. He later decided to quit the job to take a rest.

“I’d overexerted myself. I felt I had nothing left to give, so I quit my job, which some thought was very stupid and some thought was very brave.” He said.