Long before Oluwaferanmi Makinde was designing complex audio distribution systems for landmark UK venues like The O2 and Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, his work began on the floor of a local church hall.
There were no permanent sound installations, no digital consoles and no instruction manuals. Every Sunday morning and rehearsal evening, a young Makinde and his peers set up the audio system from scratch – running XLR cables, positioning loudspeakers, balancing analogue boards and tearing everything down at the end of the day.
“That environment was where I first learned the fundamental grammar of audio – input, path, and destination,” recalls Makinde, founder and technical production director of FKLEF Productions.
“It wasn’t learned from a textbook. It was a physical, weekly routine. But above all, I genuinely loved it. That joy was the seed for everything built afterward.”
That early experience laid the foundation for a career that would eventually take Makinde from grassroots church sound setups in Nigeria to some of the UK’s most prominent stages.
His professional career began in Lagos, Nigeria, where he joined Tehila Sounds as a professional sound engineer, managing high-stakes live audio in one of Africa’s most demanding live production environments.
But as his experience grew, so did his understanding that practical knowledge alone would not be enough to build a lasting career in the industry.
Makinde relocated to the United Kingdom to pursue academic mastery, earning an MSc in Music Production from York St John University.
“I pursued postgraduate study because I firmly believe that the engineer who understands why sound behaves a certain way will always outlast the one who only knows how to operate a specific piece of gear,” he explains.
“Theory without practice leaves you slow on site; practice without theory limits your problem-solving when systems fail.”
The combination of practical experience and academic training became a defining feature of Makinde’s approach to audio engineering.
In July 2025, he formalised his decade of industry experience by founding FKLEF Productions Limited in London.
Established as a full-service AV and live technical production enterprise, the company quickly earned a reputation for technical precision, serving high-profile live concerts, corporate conferences and cultural events nationwide.
But while building a company capable of delivering complex technical productions, Makinde remained connected to the environment where his own journey began.
His early years as an unguided volunteer exposed him to the challenges faced by church sound engineers and live technicians who often had to learn through trial and error.
That experience led to the creation of Sound4Church, an international education and training initiative aimed at upskilling church sound engineers and live technicians.
Under his leadership, Sound4Church has educated more than 2,000 volunteers across 40 countries, hosting masterclasses with renowned global production directors.
Today, Makinde holds several leadership roles across the industry. He serves as technical production director at FKLEF Productions, audio lead at Harvesters London, co-founder of Music & Tea UK and head mentor at the Sound4Church initiative.
For those who have followed his journey, his progression represents more than professional success.
“Oluwaferanmi’s journey from a church hall to the UK’s premier stages isn’t just about professional success – it’s a model of intentional leadership,” says Jah-Timileyin Ojebode, brand consultant.
“He hasn’t just built a successful AV production company; he has built an ecosystem that elevates every technician, artist, and organization his team works with.”
For Makinde, technical excellence remains rooted in the fundamentals he learned during those early mornings and evenings in a church hall.
“Excellence in sound is never accidental. It is always the direct result of someone who cared enough to prepare, to understand the physics of the room, and to show up fully every single time.”
From running cables and balancing analogue boards in a local church to designing complex audio systems for some of the UK’s most recognisable venues, Makinde’s career has been shaped by the same combination of curiosity, discipline and practical experience.
His trajectory remains clear: expanding FKLEF Productions’ footprint across Europe while continuing to equip the next generation of live audio professionals.
