Until 2010, I’d never worked in a position that overwhelmingly became how the world sees and defines me. Having worked in multiple industries and companies, (for myself and in family business), working as Destiny Man editor was the first real time that people introduced me by my job title first. For the first time, it wasn’t difficult to answer the question that Johannesburg seems to love so much: “so what do you do?” Before that, I was seen as a poet, businessperson, TV producer, writer, etc but that was never all that people saw me as. It is interesting, for me, how, in just over four...
Random Thoughts: Understand The Audience
Was chatting to someone on twitter about the frustrations of being constantly pitched for either writing work or to profile, cover, write about people, places and things. It is my job and I enjoy it but we need to meet each other half way. Below are my random ramblings on this. It's long. Hope it makes sense. Having worked in various media spaces – in particular television, print and digital - over the last 6/7 years, I have interacted with both platforms that I wanted – desperately – to contribute to and people who want to contribute to the platforms I work with. When I started producing...
The Media Decides? (CP)
The influence of the media and entertainment on society is unquantifiable even as those sectors endeavour to reflect society. They guide the discussions through what they put out. In Africa, we have often talked of how it is the West that determines the perception of us. This is not totally the case. The power bases on the continent – like South Africa and Nigeria – do so as well through the programming created on and for channels like MTV Base and Channel O. Because these spaces, based in SA, determine what is put out as being representative of Africa, can we comfortably say, this is the full picture?
We Manifest Word (CP)
written august 8th, 2009 For the writer, the pen is a paintbrush and the words are the colour delicately laid on the canvas. The words bring with them beauty, and sorrow, and laughter. They evoke the full range of human emotion and experience inspiring the soul to do more and be more, sometimes violently, sometimes gently. In this day and age, we have taken to the evolution of mechanism and platforms, using the keyboard and screen for the same thing. We may not know what the future holds but it is necessary to note that the means is not what is important, but the end destination. At the same...
In The Beginning (CP – 08.09.2009)
Late in 2009, I was fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to write a column for City Press' City Pulse, which is what the entertainment and lifestyle supplement was called - it is now called 7. It is always interesting for one to go back and revisit thoughts and ideas expressed and, as a result of that process, I will be posting some of those past pieces starting with the first in September 2009. These are the unedited versions. These are dated when I wrote them as to when they were published. This is the first. This has probably been one of the most nerve-racking pieces of writing I...
Future of African Media?
As some may know, I have a weekly column in the South African newspaper, City Press' lifestyle supplement 7 in which I explore different aspects and thoughts on popular culture, ranging from media, music, lifestyle, art, theatre, entertainment, etc. Below is my most recent column. You can also access this and past pieces in the columnist section of their site. Mid-September. London. Tim Kring steps on a stage at Nokia World. The creator and executive producer of the TV series Heroes, he falls within the same category, for me, as TV producers and writers like Tom Fontana (OZ), Dick Wolf (Law...