20 Feb 2020

Two budding entrepreneurs have exalted President Dr Mokgweetsi Masisi’s recognition of the creative industry’s potential in job creation and economic transformation.

The two, Maxwell Dichi and Neo Aabobe were nominated to join Steve Harvey Global productions in South Africa for a two-weeks internship opportunity.

President Masisi had made an assurance that engagement with the Harvey team would create opportunities for investment in the media and entertainment industry targeting youth and young entrepreneurs.

The first citizen engaged Harvey as part of his ongoing initiatives to attract world-renowned international investors to explore opportunities for the youth of Botswana to participate in business.

In an interview recently, the two said their experiences with the Steve Harvey Global (SHG) team had been exceptional.

Dichi and Aabobe to join Harvey’s team at South Africa was a huge breakthrough for the creative industry.

During his visit to Botswana late last year at the invitation of President Masisi, Harvey promised that he would make room for deserving Batswana, especially talented youth to join his team.

The entertainment moghul held live network sessions with young people at the state-of-the-art University of Botswana indoor arena, and the turnout was impressive which displayed their hunger and drive.

President Masisi finally announced that sportscaster Aabobe and actor Dichi had made the cut from the initial three finalists.

The SHG is focused on creating and delivering entertaining and motivational content products and experiences to audiences around the world.

“Harvey was looking for social media influencers and he was going to use them for their projects.

I sent my projects one of them being my talk show which I believe influenced my selection. I laid it out and proved I’d learn a lot from his team, come back home and improve such content,” said Dichi.

Dichi said while in South Africa he learnt how the team produced Family Feud, a popular television game show hosted by Harvey.

“For the two weeks they produced 26 episodes of the family feud. I learnt from dealing with the audience to working with the stage manager to see how they operate in their control rooms, audio room and all the technicalities.

I watched and learnt how they coordinated filming a talk show,” he said.

Dichi said they learned a lot of discipline and dedication to production, and paying attention to key details of production which he would be applying back home.

He said he was going to cultivate his show, The Maxwell Dichi Talk show, build it and present it to Batswana.

“I want to use my opportunity to teach others, create employment and develop our very own content on television and media in general.”

Dichi, also a qualified multimedia designer, said the family feud was the best production he had ever seen.

 He has had a spell with the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC)’s soapie Muvhango.

“We have resources and talent locally, but just need guidance and direction.

It is a budget-driven career and each project requires money. We yearn that sponsors realise the potential in television content and support us.

The government has already recognised that this could be something that could contribute to the economy, so we are getting there,” he added.

Dichi said engagements with Harvey was a good move by President Masisi and an opportunity that should be cherished forever.

He said he hoped to bring his talk show to a studio set up and support local talent.

For her part, Aabobe said her stint with the Harvey team was a great experience. She joined the Rapid Blue production team in Randburg to produce the Ghana version of Family Feud.

The Family Feud Ghana version is expected to start broadcasting in the first quarter of 2020.

“It was a great learning curve and I learnt the technical aspect of everything in production.

It’s a comedy show and also a cultural learning show, so why not grab the opportunity? I managed to get a grasp of various decisions making in terms of what viewers get to see at home, sound change, quality and visuals,” she said.

Aabobe managed to operate a few types of equipment for various episodes which were a great learning experience.

“It has been a great journey, I wouldn’t mind going back again and make sure my network becomes worthy in terms of opportunities that come my way.

South Africa is not an easy market to tap into, but I take pride in the sense that Botswana was put into the market,” she said.

Aabobe said there was a lot that Batswana could learn from people like Harvey. She said it was important to support each other and make use of available opportunities.

“President Masisi has been doing a lot to create opportunities for young people, especially in the arts. Opportunities do exist, come out and grab them, change your mindset,” she said.

The production is expected to relocate to Botswana in the near future and would advertise for more apprentice and further selections and recruitments.
ENDS