For over seven years, I have had the privilege of working closely with Ferdie Heunis and ROARRR_ZA on youth empowerment initiatives, including partnerships with the University of Pretoria’s Junior Tukkie programme.

In 2022, I served as Programme Director for the Junior Tukkie Grade 11 Empowerment Programme — a prestigious event impacting nearly 1,000 top-performing learners and their teachers over two days. I also MC’d the Grade 11 Top Achievers’ Function, sharing the stage with Dr. Emmanuel Taban, the world’s first pulmonologist to perform a therapeutic bronchoscopy on a hypoxemic COVID-19 patient.

I wove my personal journey as a Junior Tukkie alumnus into my facilitation, engaging learners with relatable storytelling and fostering connections that inspire academic and personal excellence. This work represents a full-circle moment,

from being impacted by the programme to shaping it for future generations.

Leading digital strategy for SABC 1 was both a creative and analytical challenge, one that delivered outstanding results. My role spanned content strategy, influencer partnerships, and campaign performance analysis for flagship shows and national activations.

Key highlights include:

● Creating relatable, shareable moments that boosted engagement and garnered over 1.6M views on a single Facebook post.

● Coordinating influencer partnerships that drove the siON Summer Campaign and the SABC Video Entertainment Content Festival, both trending on Twitter during launch and event days.

● Tracking and optimising TikTok and Facebook growth through rigorous data analysis and close-out reporting.

These campaigns not only met their objectives — they reignited audience love for the SABC 1 brand and strengthened its digital footprint.

In 2023, I led the digital campaign for the Metro FM Music Awards, repositioning it as a must-attend cultural event under the “Black is Back” theme. My strategic approach combined competitive research, content creation, influencer

engagement, and experiential activations to drive voting, viewership, and credibility.

Key results:

● 121M social media users reached.

● 3B campaign impressions.

● R128.5M in estimated campaign value.

From the fashion competition that turned fans into advocates, to city-wide activations in Mbombela, we bridged the awards with its audience in innovative, memorable ways, keeping the event trending before, during, and after the awards.

As both Creative Director and Campaign Lead for the Vivo Y36 Mobile Phone launch, I merged digital marketing strategy with creative innovation. Working in collaboration with BlueCloud AI, I oversaw PR, influencer management, and content

direction.

Highlights include:

● Developing a dance-centric launch strategy leveraging TikTok’s virality, featuring Pantsula dancers in a unique TikTok Dance Challenge.

● Creating immersive PR drops for journalists and influencers.

● Delivering a campaign value exceeding R20M through strategic influencer collaborations and targeted content creation.

This project was a perfect example of turning creative storytelling into measurable impact.

Working on Connie Brands has been both a personal dream and professional milestone. Over 18 months, I led digital strategy, content direction, and team leadership, fostering growth in my team members while shaping high-impact

brand moments.

One of the highlights was directing the shoot for a major brand development initiative (still under wraps), blending storytelling, brand positioning, and digital engagement to amplify one of South Africa’s most iconic personal brands.

In partnership with Investec CSI and visionary leader Setlogane Manchidi, I have been part of delivering the Tsoha Enrichment Programme, an initiative reaching nearly 2,000 high school learners across Johannesburg, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, East London, Mbombela, Limpopo, and Mamelodi.

Through sessions on purpose discovery, identity building, time management, entrepreneurship, and interpersonal growth, we’ve inspired hope and unlocked potential in learners from the Kutlwanong Centre for Maths, Science and

Technology.

This work is more than outreach — it’s nation-building and legacy creation. It’s about telling every learner, “You matter. Your dreams are valid. And your future is worth fighting for.”