By Sophie Sandberg
Leicester student Ama Maduako aims to take over the East Midlands with his unique Instagram-based social hub that connects people with their local area and has already hit 2,000 followers.
Ama Maduako, 21, a second-year chemistry student at the University of Leicester, saw a gap in the market and wanted to create something that hadn’t been done before: a platform that would allow people to connect with their local area by showcasing whatever they are passionate about.
The social hub had hit 2,000 followers by yesterday (Monday Oct 8) – just three weeks after the Instagram account, @BaitLeicester, became active and he aims to reach 100,000 followers in the near future.
Ama Maduako, founder of Bait LeicesterMr Maduako said: “I wanted to create a social hub in Leicester, something that no-one else had done before and not just start another promotion page.
“I wanted to create a space where university students and locals could connect with each other.
“I believe that everyone has got a talent and I want to give people a platform where they can showcase their ambitions to an audience, whether it’s through vlogs, gym videos or music, etc.”
Bait Leicester has so far worked with several clubs, bars and universities in Leicester to spread the new platform to the public.
Seven people from different backgrounds have so far joined the new Bait Leicester Ambassador scheme to create original content and promote themselves through the page.
“I would say that I, myself, put in 85% of the work and then the remaining 15% comes from people who generate their own content for the page,” added Mr Maduako.
“I spend, on average, six hours per day on spreading the word, creating videos and promoting Bait Leicester to the public.
“Thanks to the great response, I have just invested in new cameras and other equipment to make sure that the quality of everything I post is up to my standard.”
In the future, he envisions Bait Leicester will be recognised all over the Midlands and hopes to one day even create a national interest for Leicester.
Mr Maduako hopes that projects such as Bait Leicester on Tour, a promotional tour for the project and everyone who is involved in it, will one day become a reality.
He said: “Leicester is full of talented people that deserve to get more recognition for the amazing things they do and that is what I’m trying to do with Bait Leicester.”
