Issue 1 • January 2014
04 Editors Note
Features 05 Kgotso Mokgatle 07 Kwena Molokomme 09 Nomantshali Ninise 11 Kopano Ntsoane
ARTICLES 13 Opinion piece 14 Modern Gaming Entrepreneurship
15 Tackling the Challenges of Social Entrepreneurship 16 The importance of controls & performance assessment in your execution plan
Lifestyle 17 The Zulu film food and Arts festival
ENTERTAINMENT 18 Film Reviews 19 Film Bout: Winnie Mandela VS Mandela – Long Walk to Freedom
20 Music Reviews
2 • The Followthrough Magazine • January 2014
EDITOR’S NOTE I have fallen deeply in love with the trials and triumphs of the entrepreneur. Those of us who were raised by Disney are all too familiar with the tale of the underdog who conquers all in the end. And though we are all a sucker for a good success story, I often wonder about the untold stories: the forsaken tales of the entrepreneurs that haven’t “made it” yet or have failed countless times with no promise of prosperity in the near future. The serial start-up and his “grab every opportunity” companions. Where are they? What’s their story? What can we learn from their journey? I grew up shy, which means that I spent a lot of my time observing, listening and paying attention. When I finally plucked up the courage to speak, I had also mustered the nerve to be curious. I began to question things, probing and interrogating my surroundings. In an alternate universe, this made me extremely popular with my peers, by the way. This curiosity served me well in most areas in my life because it introduced me to many of my current interests. One of which is entrepreneurship (the other is Orca, but that’s a story for another day).
Editor In Chief
Entrepreneurship is a solution to many of the problems that we face in
Paballo, paballo@thefollowthrough. co.za
the world today: poor economies, poverty, dependence, stagnant minds etc. and it is a rapidly-growing concept because of that. I think we are fast approaching an age where entrepreneurship is a norm instead of a glorified deviation from the ‘expected’ corporate career path. Rumour has it that the most successful economies in the world at the moment are those that have the most conducive environments for entrepreneurship. Meaning that the political, social and economic structures are supportive of small business owners. Is that the case in South Africa or do we still have a long way to go? At The Follow Through, our vision is to lock in on those ideas and undress the state of entrepreneurship in South Africa from the perspectives of the SMMEs themselves. We want to tell the unique stories and share the
Contributing Writer Simbarashe Mumera
Contributing Writer Zimangazenkosi Mthimkhulu
Digital Designer Zimangazenkosi Mthimkhulu
interesting facts and findings with you. The dream is to provide a platform
Director
for hustlers, thought-leaders and restless minds to express and learn more
Simbarashe Mumera
about their surroundings. We invite you to hop onto our brainwave and take this journey with us.
Advertising
We have plenty of goodies in this month’s issue, including interviews with
Simbarashe Mumera, simbamumera@thefollowthrough. co.za
entrepreneurs within the cultural space, some opinion pieces and a few reviews of films shown at the Zulu Film & Food Arts Festival that was hosted at the Wits Theatre in Johannesburg, late last year. Get excited! From myself, the new editor, and the rest of the team: Have a happy holiday! Paballo Mosiane (Editor, The Follow Through Magazine)
3 • The Followthrough Magazine • January 2014
The Followthrough 1st floor, Sunset Bay Building, 204B Bram Fischer Drive,Randburg. Telephone + www.thefollowthrough.co.za
Kgotso Mokgatle B82 Productions is an entertainment-based company that focuses on music production and hosting events. We spoke to founder, Kgotso Mokgatle, about the challenges of being an entrepreneur in the entertainment industry
4 • The Followthrough Magazine • January 2014
The Followthrough (TFT): Tell us a bit about you do. Kgomotso Mokgatle (KM): I was born in Pimville, Soweto. When I was younger, I loved playing soccer, but as I grew older, my love for music became more evident. This is what brought about the idea of being part of the entertainment business.
TFT:: How and why did you decide to become an entrepreneur? KM:I got a learnership at COPA SA in Kensington in 2005 to study Live Event Technical Production and SoundProduction. That’s where I met a guy called Graeme Gilffilian from Nisa. He shed some light about how the music industry operates and emphasised that even though it is entertainment, it is still a business that we can make a living out of.
TFT: How did the idea for your business come about? KM: My partners and I were hiring out sound systems and recorded demos in a backyard studio just using a PC and a dynamic microphone. Home studios were very few at the time and people would go all the way to town just to record. When interest started growing, that’s when we realized that we should formalise it so that it can acquire a certain status. TFT: What is most rewarding about your craft? KM: With regards to music, it’s seeing people reacting positively towards your song and encouraging you to push forward. With hosting events, it’s seeing people have fun and wanting more. The feedback always gives you some sort of direction. TFT: What do you find most challenging about being an entrepreneur in your field? KM: Recently, there has been a rise in music and events companies. Some of those entrepreneurs don’t have the passion for it, but just see an opportunity to make a quick buck. The challenge is the flooding in the industry and bad service delivery (undercharging clients) which gives clients the wrong impression of the industry. Many entrepreneurs in the entertainment space are given opportunities based on favours and not merit. The reputation that leaves behind is a challenge for us to overcome. TFT: How can you overcome these challenges? KM: Delivering quality service to our clients, building and maintaining relationships as well is vital for our business. Passion drives everything. 5 • The Followthrough Magazine • January 2014
TFT: What, in your opinion, is the state of the arts and culture industry in the country at the moment? KM: There are good artists out that are not exposed to opportunities and who lack business knowledge and management skills. Commercial radio stations are not giving local artists enough airplay and exposure as compared to our American and European counterparts. Also, there are very few venues that are offered to artists to showcase their craft. Without recreational spaces, we cannot develop as artists. TFT: What role does the artistic entrepreneur have in society today? KM: We encourage and inspire our communities. Our industry is not perceived as formal but we thrive through it. Artists the likes of Arthur, Oskido and DjSbu have shown us that success is possible and that it takes passion, patience and persistence to make it. We must be aware of our surroundings and be clued up about everything on the ground.
There are good artists out that are not exposed to opportunities and who lack business knowledge and management Skills.”
TFT: The fastest growing econo-
mies in the world have a strong culture of entrepreneurship. From your own experience, how do you think the South African economic, political and social environment(s), affect the success or failure of small business? KM: Tenders have destroyed hard/smart work and have created a culture of self-entitlement. We havedeveloped an attitude of wanting things now and not applying ourselves to acquire them. On the flip side, I see a lot of young people who want to make a difference and they are pushing boundaries. These are people who are not waiting for hand-outs for them to start pushing their dreams.
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13 • The Followthrough Magazine • January 2014
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