THE PORTRAIT by✦YACHTLLYWOOD

THE GREATEST SHOWMAN

Every Unforgettable Performance Begins Long Before the Curtain Rises, This is The Story of Emmanuel Akintunde, One of The Most Trusted Names Behind The World’s Greatest Superyacht Experiences

The audience remembers the show. They remember the singer whose voice echoed across the water, the fireworks reflected against polished hulls, the orchestra that seemed to appear from nowhere, the evening that felt almost impossible to recreate. Years later, they will still remember how that night made them feel. What they will never see is everything that happened before the first note was played. For Emmanuel Akintunde, known to many as Manny, that invisible world has become his life’s work.

“Acting gave me my voice. It taught me to understand people, communicate with confidence and, above all, remain authentic.”

Andrea Bocelli, Veronica Bocelli and Emmanuel Akintunde (backstage at London’s O2 Arena, May 2025)

As the founder of GF Entertainment, he has built a company that quietly operates behind some of the most extraordinary celebrations in the luxury world, curating bespoke entertainment for superyachts, private estates and exclusive events. His role is not to stand in the spotlight, but to ensure that everyone else can.

“We don’t just provide entertainment,” he says.

“We create moments where people can truly live in the moment.” It is a simple sentence, but it reveals far more than a business philosophy.

It speaks of a lifelong fascination with human connection, emotion and storytelling, values that have guided Manny from childhood to the helm of one of the industry’s most respected entertainment companies.

“Even then, I knew I wanted to build rather than simply follow.“

Long before there were superyachts and international artists, there was music. Growing up, Manny found himself drawn to creativity. Music became his first language, a way of expressing ideas and connecting with others without needing many words. It was followed by acting, another world where emotion mattered more than appearance.

Looking back, it is easy to see how those early passions would eventually shape the entrepreneur he would become. “Acting gave me my voice,” Manny reflects. “It taught me how to communicate, how to understand people and, above all, how important it is to be authentic.” Authenticity is a word that returns often throughout our conversation. In an industry where image is everything, Manny speaks instead about honesty, trust and relationships. Success, he believes, is never built on appearances. “You can’t pretend to be something you’re not. Eventually people will always see through it. The strongest relationships are built when people know exactly who you are.” That belief would become the foundation of his professional life.

Emmanuel Akintunde and Rachael Hinton-Smith with Martin Solveig at Atlantis The Royal, Dubai, October 2024.

While studying at university, Manny launched his first business, teaching drums. It was not driven by an elaborate business plan or a desire to become an entrepreneur. It was simply a natural extension of what he loved doing, sharing knowledge, creating opportunities and bringing people together through music. “I’ve always enjoyed creating something of my own,” he says. “Even then, I knew I wanted to build rather than simply follow.” Years later, that entrepreneurial instinct led to the creation of GF Entertainment. The company began in the United Kingdom, but its defining chapter started in 2017, when Manny was encouraged to bring his vision to the South of France.

The superyacht industry presented a completely different world. Clients expected the extraordinary as standard. Privacy was paramount. Every event had to feel unique, personal and impossible to replicate. For Manny, it felt less like entering a new market and more like finding the place where everything he had learned naturally belonged. “What excites me isn’t simply booking an artist,” he explains. “It’s understanding the client and creating something they’ve never experienced before.” Thatphilosophy has taken GF Entertainment far beyond traditional event management. Today, the company collaborates with internationally recognised performers, world class musicians and creative talent capable of transforming a celebration into an experience that remains etched in memory. Whether it is an intimate concert beneath the stars or an entirely bespoke production aboard a superyacht, the objective is always the same. Create emotion. Because luxury, Manny believes, is not measured by scale. It is measured by feeling. Perhaps the greatest misconception about his work is that it is glamorous, but in reality, it demands composure, planning and the ability to solve problems before anyone else notices they exist. Manny smiles as he describes his favourite analogy. “I always think about a swan. Above the surface everything looks calm and elegant. Underneath, you’re paddling as fast as you can.” It perfectly captures the world behind every seamless event.

“Above the surface everything looks calm. Underneath, you’re paddling like crazy.”

Artists miss flights. Weather changes. Time lines shift. Last minute requests appear with out warning. Yet none of that should ever reach the client. The illusion of effortlessness is, in itself, a craft. Listening to Manny speak, however, it becomes clear that his ambition extends beyond producing exceptional events. Again and again, the conversation returns to people, to kindness, to family, to faith.

Success, for him, has never been about prestige alone. It is about building relationships that endure long after the lights have dimmed. “Always do good,” he says thoughtfully. “You never know what someone else is carrying.” It is perhaps an unexpected sentiment from someone operating at the highest level of luxury hospitality, yet it explains why GF Entertainment has earned the trust of clients whose expectations leave no room for compromise. Trust cannot be manufactured. Like every unforgettable performance, it is built quietly, patiently and long before the curtain rises. As our conversation draws to a close, one thing becomes increasingly apparent. Emmanuel Akintunde is not in the business of entertainment, he is in the business of creating memories. The artists may receive the applause. The guests may remember the spectacle. The evening itself may last only a few hours, but the feeling it leaves behind can last a lifetime. And perhaps that is the greatest performance of all.

“Always do good. You never know what someone else is going through.”

THE SHOW MUST GO ON

Cover story photographed by Riccardo Ruatasio onboard M/Y This Is It, with special thanks to the yacht and her crew.