Reporting from my local Kenya, I've always been interested in film and performing arts - all as a way of making incredible content and telling profound stories that really resonate with my viewers. What better way, then, to learn about film than alongside the brightest folks in the industry? There might be one better: having everything that could go wrong, go wrong. The firsthand experience of working under pressure, with all the blocks tumbling but the need to keep the house standing, left me with important lessons about Kenya's growing business of media. Here's what I've learned from working in the trenches, and learning from mentors like Dorothy Ghettuba in Startup Grind Nairobi.
Know Your Market In and Out
When producing content, especially with a constrained budget, you need to know the interests of their audience - not just what they're hoping to see or read, but also what they're talking about, who they follow and admire, and how responsive they are to new things.
This will enable you to know how, when and to whom to market your event, and how to optimize it to spread. In addition to this, use all marketing platforms that you have at hand. This ensures you reach as many people as possible. The tone of your message also changes depending on the medium that you are using.
Get the Best Resources Possible from the Start
Having the best resources, people, and access will go a long way in making your work easier before you begin. Of course, you don't always start with much, which means using the best resources at hand.
In our own filming, we had to record the promo video twice, as the first time, the camera didn’t have a microphone output and the internal microphone caught awful sound quality. The technical side - new to many of us - was quite complicated, but we knew the expectations of our viewers: the audio and the visuals need to be so good that they keep watching the whole video.
The big lesson: check and recheck the equipment before leaving for the shoot. We got it right the second time and it was way better than the initial one - again, not the best, but better. 3rd time's the charm.
Be Prepared for the Worst
Always be prepared for the worst: for lights not to work, having very few people attend your event if filming, but always have contingency plans on how to tackle the disasters. And when this happens, you absolutely need to be ready to hustle.
You may have ideas, but you need to ensure they transform into a product - at your peak, that might mean a movie, a series, or a documentary, all which you can sell to a studio. You should be ready to talk to as many people as possible but, like in any other business, learn to deal with rejection. The goal is to not give up. Like raising venture capital, you'll pitch your show to many TV stations - but only one station will believe in you and end up picking the show.
When Looking for Funds, Meet the Right Angel Investor
The right investor could be family, friends, or past colleagues, all more ready to believe in you than strangers, and willing to fund your idea. Don’t take a loan from a bank unless you’re sure that your operations can pay back the loan and still sustain the business - otherwise, you’ll be working for a bank.
When You Don't Know What You're Doing, Break Through the Fear & Self-Doubt
When you're tasked with being the person to go to on something you've never trained for, impostor syndrome can become a very real problem. But the best artists still learn on the job every single shoot, and with every single company.
Dorothy initially joined university to take a course in law before she switched to communication. But, in a twist of fate, she came back to Kenya and interned at a production house. That is where she learnt what not to do when you are in the film business.
No one can teach you how to be an entrepreneur. It’s the sum of the lessons you have learnt through many sectors and phases of your life. From one entrepreneur to another, we all feel like frauds at first.
In Kenya, Film Industry Isn't Yet Robust, but Demand Exists
We’ve had movies like Nairobi Half Life, Veve, Shuga, Leo, all that transcended borders, and became watched worldwide. In addition to this, series such as Sumu La Penzi, and Jane & Abel are available to viewers across Africa.
What this proves is the potential for growth, and existing distribution channels, both online and offline. Availability and affordability of the internet has enabled more people to consume local content online, as well as put up video blogs (vlogs) on YouTube.
The plan of attack is simple: tell your story, put it up online and share it with as many people as possible. However, make sure that the quality is exceptional, and what your audience deserves. We also need to have schools that teach using the latest technology in the market in order to ease the transition from school to work, as well as guilds to educate their members on industry standards, ensuring the best quality of work.
Segment Your Product
As a company, you can have as many products you can produce - but ensure you are great at what you do chose to pursue, and that each product you put out into the market is the best.
Spielworks Media has been known to put out shows on TV stations, but they are branching out to online platforms, launching Ngoma TV recently, and on its way to starting a broadcasting station.