- Arese Ugwu, an author and filmmaker, has disclosed the impact of Netflix’s rejection on her career.
- Netflix declined her request for sponsorship to produce more seasons of her TV series “The Smart Money Woman” despite its massive success on the platform.
Author and filmmaker Arese Ugwu has candidly shared how Netflix’s decision not to support further production of her acclaimed TV series, The Smart Money Woman, deeply affected her.
Although the series performed remarkably well—ranking in Netflix’s top 10 for 13 consecutive weeks—Ugwu revealed that her pitch for sponsorship to expand the project was turned down by the streaming giant. Speaking in a recent interview with Afropolitan, she admitted the rejection left her devastated and nearly crushed her creative spirit.
“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. Wait till you give me money and I go and do this thing bigger and better and the thing that was my biggest shock was that Netflix was like they did not want it. That rejection almost broke me.”
Originally launched as a book in 2016, The Smart Money Woman focuses on financial education and empowerment for African women. Its strong following led to its adaptation into a TV series, which resonated with audiences both locally and internationally.
Despite the setback, Ugwu remains determined to carve a space for herself in the film industry—not just as an author whose book was adapted, but as a storyteller and filmmaker in her own right.
“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.
