Tumelo Kubayi (25) has his eyes set on the global stage. After seeing his work land on DSTV, the creative said his next chapter includes creating content for Netflix, Hollywood and even WWE.

He also hopes to return home to Springs, hosting masterclasses for young people who want to sharpen their craft.

Born and raised in Slovo Park, Kubayi told the Springs Advertiser that he has always been fascinated by film and television, both on camera and off camera, which resulted in choosing subjects relating to that in Phulong Secondary School, where he matriculated in 2019.

He said that he would imagine doing my own show, but had no resources since cameras and lights were expensive.

He shared that he started to record his shows and videos using a phone and a box of shoes as a camera tripod. He would go around the township creating content, not knowing that content creation would change his life completely.

In 2020, Kubayi studied journalism at a college, but dropped out due to Covid-19. He, however, did not stop creating content and was able to reach out to Daveyton TV, where they liked his videos. He worked on and off-camera for the station.

He then applied for an online course called ‘I was born to speak on radio’ (Leadership 2020) led by Sbusiso Leope, known as Dj Sbu and Nicolas Regisford.

“At Daveyton TV, working on a TV show and camera operating behind the scenes helped me to develop more skills and be open-minded, not doing one thing because that could limit you,” said Kubayi.

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The online course opened doors for Kubayi. He holds the record of completing the course within two weeks, resulting in him receiving an invitation to do a radio show in Centurion.

He said that the reason he pushed to finish the course quickly was that he realised this was a prime opportunity to make it to the industry.

He noted that the course sharpened his knolwedge of how to make money in the media industry. While working on a record for an advert in Sandton, Kubayi met Justice Tshabalala, a host of the Justify podcast. He said that Tshabalala believed in him on the spot without asking for his CV.

“Tshabalala said to me that he is looking for someone who can shoot and edit podcasts. I said I can do that, and then we exchanged numbers.

“I was on his case on WhatsApp, asking when he’s calling me for work until, after a month, he called me for work in Midrand to record a corporate podcast, not knowing this was a life-changing experience since he runs a company called Tino Media,” he said.

The 25-year-old now works as a creative director, cinematographer and editor for well-known podcasts like the Justify podcast (playing on Mzansi Wethu), the Engineer Your Life with Lungelo KM podcast, the Because We Said So podcast, Life lately with Nozipho Ntshangase, the Rise of the Modern Mogul podcast and the Sir Max Network.

Kubayi said his passion, the love for media and creative consistency are some of the things that keep him motivated in the industry. He said young people wanting to do media and content creation must use what they currently have.

“Use your own tools, such as your phone, to expose your craft and always remain consistent.”