The Room To Breathe, Think, and Be Creative.

Tshivheaho Mulaudzi, Line Producer for Seng’khathele Season 1, 2 & 3, is our queen for this week and in an interview with Palesa Malefane, she explained what it takes to keep a Reality Television show afloat.

What is the hardest thing about being a Line Producer for Seng’khathele? It's managing money because I am the budget custodian, I need to oversee in terms of how many days we are shooting and budgeting correctly so that we finish the production in a specific time. Sometimes it's 5 months, I make sure that we stick to the budget, and that all departments, camera departments, Management, Executives, Production Managers, stick to their's.

You’ve been on the project for all three seasons. How did you first meet the Tribal guys, what was that like? Oh wow! I met Tebogo before when I was working for a company called Parental Advisory Productions, in Randburg. I was doing a show called Mzansi Footballers, that’s how I met him. I had to call him to come through as a camera person.

A year later someone referred him to me, saying that there's a show that I can Line Produce. He gave me a call, I went to meet him, they gave me the show and I did what I do best at, I drew up the working budget and that’s how it was.

When I met Tebogo, I saw a hyperactive guy, when I met Kearan, I thought ohh...this is the sweet one because Kearan was just being nice. That's how I met them and that was my first impression of them. Over time, I realized that Tebogo is a hard worker.

Line Producer sounds like a very difficult job with lots of stress. What goes into it and how do you manage a project? I am the custodian of the budget, I draw up the whole budget for the show, that’s the first process and then send to the channel. When the channel approves the budget, it comes back and I do the Working Budget. For example: I estimate that we are going to need to shoot for 14 days in order to finish a project of 13 episodes.

Managing the budget is crazy! It's part of my every day of my life. I know the budget by heart right now. I have to check if any line items are going over or going to go over, if there's anything that I need to change, for example: if there are any other extra stuff that people want. People will come to me and say "We want an extra stand or an extra camera." I need to be there to say yes or, in most cases no we can’t, because our budget only allows only for three cameras."

You need to be smart; you need to be top of your game, be aware of the costs that are exceeding on a day-to-day basis. I'm expected to make big money decisions all the time. Sometimes I have to look for money when they say we need stuff for this, things we did not budget for, I have to find money, so that the production and the product that we are making look good at the end of the day.

You have quite a comprehensive CV. Can you take us through your journey in the industry from the first job you had on your CV till today? I studied Audio-visual Production Management at RAU (UJ). I worked my way up, the first job I did was at Dzuguda productions as a Production Manager. I worked there for 5 years, after that I started freelance work that contains shows that I did on Endemol, Urbanbrew, Redpepper, Tribal Media House, just to mention a few. Some of the shows that I did are My Kitchen Rules, Real Housewives of Joburg, Ba Kae, Mahadi Lobola, Giyani Land of Blood, there is a lot but I can only think of these. I then proceeded to Line Producer, now for Seng’khathele season 3 and Ho Lekane Season 1 with Tribal Media House.

What advice would you give to young women wanting to get into production? You need to be passionate about what you want to do, it is not a place where you are bored, you want to be famous or meet famous people, you need to be in touch with what you want to do and sometimes it helps again, with your background, what you did, for example, I went to an all-commercial school, Khwevha Commercial High School in Shayandima, Limpopo.

That background helped me a lot. Be passionate, it is not easy, you are not going to come in and make money now, it will take you time. You need to be humble for you to learn. I always say that: get as much knowledge as you can from people and always get the best out of every person no matter how they are because some people are not nice, but be the best of yourself, that is how you will learn in this industry. Be the best, and don’t just come in the industry to be an average. You need to be the best.

If you weren’t in the industry, what would you be doing? I would probably be an economist, because going to school, that has always been the plan. I wanted to know what is happening with the country, the economy of the country and that is what I studied in high school, I did all commercial subjects. I did Business, Economics, Accounting, Pure Maths. It was always my passion to do something like that. Initially it was accounting and I was like Nah, I do not want to do that and then at varsity things changed.

I realised that I am not a person to be sitting at the office, even if I was an economist. I should be doing something that will allow me to explore the outside, not to be stuck in the office, typing numbers and doing the fixing, all of those things, you know?

That was my biggest problem when I got to Varsity, I was like, I want to do something that will make me a writer, that is why I took Journalism as one of my subjects. I was passionate, I wanted to be a journalist at some point, then someone told me about this degree (Audio-Visual Production Management) and I was like Wow, let me do it. Lol.

Describe one funny moment you will never forget on set. I don’t know if I have had a funny moment on set because I always want something to happen and be done. I don’t even remember. My mind is always on the fact that we need to do things right and be done because I am very cautious. I want to do the work, finish and go home.

Describe in one sentence, what makes Tribal Media House different from the other production company’s you’ve worked for? They give you room to breathe, most companies would never do that. In my perspective, Tribal Media House always gives you room to breathe make your own decisions.

I love this because I want my own room. I don’t want somebody hovering around saying this and that, but they say: Ok do it, then explain why you want to do it like that. I also admire the respect that they have for each other. There’s no "boss" and "employee" there. We are all equal, here to work and make the best. We all love each other, we argue but we still come together. That makes it the best, room to breathe, think and be creative by yourself.

What misconception do people have about you? So apparently, I am too strict, but it is not a misconception because I am very strict...Oh wait, people think I am unapproachable. That’s a misconception, I am a very approachable person, I talk to everyone, I make friends with everyone, but some people come to me and say I am not approachable, some say I have a "Resting Bitch Face."

Not so long ago, I heard someone say:

If you have never worked with Tshivhe in this industry, you have never worked in this industry and I am just like: No, I do not want to train everybody because there is no need to. I pick people who I want to train, I do not just pick anybody. If I see something in a person, I will pick them and make them passionate. I want them to dream for themselves, I want them to be way better than me. I do not train people to live average, I train people to be better than me."

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Words from the Editor.

Kearan Pennells AKA (not the rapper) (@spacesinpeople) is the Chief Right-Hand at Tribal Media House. He has forged a brand for Tribal Media House, cultivating the tools needed that have led to opportunities for growth in the business. Kearan aims to solidify Tribal Media House as the preferred alternative voice for brands & broadcasters to tell their story in a manner that helps manifest a change in the behavior of people, our people - progressively. He hopes to do this by cultivating creativity through the creation of inner space.

“I’ve realised how important it is to be still and how stillness creates space. Space for you to create. I believe that all great creative, comes out of inner space. 

My work is to continuously practice the creation of inner space so that I can provide you with the best possible creative.”

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