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Since leaving school, I've worked in a variety of roles within the creative industries, especially within film, publishing and publicity.
I've freelanced for publications like Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, VisionFilm Magazine, The Mail and Guardian, and iafrica.com, mostly covering the business of entertainment.
From 2005-2011, I was the editor of Film & Event Publishing. During this time, I edited The Callsheet and The Event, the most read trade publications for the South African film and events industries respectively, as well as The Filmmakers Guide to South Africa and Creative Showcase. I helped set up www.thecallsheet.co.za, www.theevent.co.za, and www.filmmakersguide.co.za, while editing a host of custom publishing jobs, like Markex & World of Events Buyers Guide, Meetings Africa Daily News, and the dailies, market guide and festival guide for Sithengi and The Cape Town Film Festival.
Since starting freelancing in June 2011, I've focused more on marketing, publicity and social media work. Working with Joy Sapieka, I handled the marketing, publicity and social media for Encounters South African International Documentary Festival, where we sold out 22 screenings over 18 days in 2011. I also worked with Joy on Out in Africa Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, where we leveraged more than R918 000 worth of audited publicity, not counting smaller online sites and social media. We're currently working together with Deborah Goodman promoting seven documentary series for Al Jazeera English in the USA, UK and Africa.
Other copywriting, social media and publicity clients include Dear Mandela, winner of Best South African Documentary at The Durban International Film Festival; Egg Films, the 12th most awarded production company in the world in 2010; Searle Street Post; Platypus Productions; Ten10 Films; Off The Fence; H-Factor; Desert Star; Lambert Kriedemann Fine Art and Lauren Kriedemann Photography. Before joining Film & Event Publishing, I worked on publicity campaigns for the South African films e'Lollipop and 34 South.
I've chaired and participated in sessions at Sithengi and the annual conference for The Exhibition and Events Association of Southern Africa, as well as PR workshops with Premier PR's Jonathan Rutter for The Cape Film Commission. With Joy Sapieka, I've lectured in film marketing, publicity and social media at The University of Cape Town and at Encounters South African International Documentary Festival's producers' workshop. I was also a guest lecturer in PR and events at The Cape Peninsula University of Technology; in film at Media Village; and in screenwriting at F.I.L.M.'s Sallywood incubator.
I was on the short film jury at The Cape Winelands International Film Festival and part of a panel discussion at the Cape Town leg of The Schnit International Short Film Festival. I've also judged films for City Varsity.
I've been interviewed as an expert on the African film industry by Time Magazine, Top Billing, TechReport, and Balancing Act, among others.
