#Blackisking: BLACK IS KING & QUEEN —Localizing Talent for a Global Production
Today is the day. July 31, 2020 will go down in history for Disney, Disney+, Beyonce, Blue Ivy and a cultural movement that includes members of the global community also known as the Beyhive.
Black is King: the film and visual album directed, written and executive produced by Beyoncé is scheduled for its world premiere. The film also serves as a visual companion to the 2019 album The Lion King: The Gift, a tie-in album curated by Beyoncé for the 2019 remake of The Lion King.
In the Nkangala District of South Africa, Black is King and Queen. Black is Real. Black is Hopeful. Black is Talented. In Culver City, California, Black is Brotherly. Black is Transformative. Black is Collaborative.
A Cultural Celebration
At midnight tonight, I’ll join the rest of the world to celebrate Beyonce and her creative prowess. At the strike of midnight tonight, I’ll also join the Nkangala District of South Africa to celebrate Christian Epps, Millicent Skosana, Simphiwe Skosana, Portia Mashigo, Thabo Phora, Ernest Masango, Ashley Mentor, Sibusiso Mathebula, Millicent Skosana, Nkululeko Sinbayoni, Nthabiseng Mothoa and Donald Zitha.
For the culture!
The Back Story
I feel lucky to have a small network of friends and colleagues in South Africa that personify the truest culture of the land, while displaying the immeasurable blackness that the beautiful nation has to offer. In my travels, I’ve had some of my dearest South African friends teach me a multitude of things about South Africa’s black history. One friend that stands head and shoulders above all is Andile Ngcaba. Among Andile’s numerous superpowers, he maintains an uncanny vision for South Africa that is built on people, policies, innovation and technology. He lives and dreams of a South African future that few people can out-innovate, while investing in the building blocks that are required to successfully execute it.
Andile Ngcaba is King.
In 2018, Andile introduced me to the leadership of the South African Local Government Authority (SALGA), the public agency responsible for representing, promoting and protecting the interests of the country’s 257 local governments. SALGA’s leadership had keen strategic interests on broadening the public policy knowledge-base of its member LGs and ensuring that they are equipped with global best practices for building the counties and cities of the future.
Fast forward to late summer 2019, twenty (20) South African local government leaders were invited to California to learn, interact and grow by engaging key industry stakeholders that were eager to add value to their respective regions on a macro and micro economic level.
Christian Epps is King
Lights, Camera, Diaspora! (LCD), founded by Christian Epps, provides industry training opportunities for African filmmakers seeking to upgrade their skills, in addition to equipment acquisition and production consulting services for film and television stakeholders. As a bi-coastal industry player, Christian was invited to meet with the delegation as one of our targeted stakeholders with the aim of connecting Smart City Development, global storytelling, place branding and indigenous talent management. Christian’s storied background in Hollywood needs very little introduction. He is a celebrated Gaffer — (the person in charge of the lighting on a film or TV show). His career has spanned more than four decades covering the range from major motion pictures, broadcast television, live theater, dance, music videos and special events. His celebrated library of work includes Selma (#JohnLewisisKing), Queen Sono and soon to be released Lovecraft Country on HBO.
Millicent Skosana is Queen
On September 16, 2019 when Christian addressed the SALGA delegation in San Francisco California. Millicent Skosana listened intently. She heard a lot of things. She pondered on many. Millicent looked him in the eye and told him what she wanted — for the young people in her district to work on the types of Hollywood productions that Christian described so eloquently. She was as close as she could be to achieving opportunities for job creation, talent development, place branding and global recognition for young people in her district via the bridge building efforts and Hollywood connections of Mr. Epps.
About two weeks after the meeting in California, she welcomed Christian to her district and introduced her colleagues from the Mpumalanga Province. The formal meeting with city officials was followed by discussions with the young media entrepreneurs that were receiving training from Limco Consulting, the resident media consultants for the District.
Millicent ensured that Christian spent time with the students and shared his raw experiences on various aspects of production between Hollywood and Africa, two markets that he has vast amounts of experience in. As he left the group that day, he made a mental note to engage with this interesting group of trainees if the chance ever presented itself.
Blitz Bazuwale is King
Sometime in mid-October, Blitz Bazuwale contacted Christian about a possible project in South Africa for a big-name US Artist under strict confidentiality. Christian proceeded to formally engage with the Producers and remembered the meeting with the Mpumalanga youngsters while he mulled over the contract. Blitz was excited at the prospect of using young, local talent. The problem was, they were not in the original budget.
Akin Omotoso is King
With a myriad of challenges typical of many film projects, Christian needed some fresh energy and spoke to his long time Nigerian collaborator in South Africa, Akin Omotoso, who was excited about the idea of integrating the Mpumalanga youngsters into the project. In a matter of days, a young group of South African media entrepreneurs would embark on an historic project that was initiated by the most influential cultural icon of a generation.
BLACK is King
Working on the Black is King project was creatively gratifying for my good friend Christian. However, carrying along these young media trainees on the joy ride was a better representation of what I know to be his life’s work with LCD.
In his words:
It was really great to see them working hard and so excited and interested and curious. There were lots of great moments during the shoot. One young man, Ashley Mentor, was very confident and involved as a 1st AD, 2nd AD, and a grip. Portia was put in production and really did well with that. She was all over the paperwork and assisting in organizing the show. We definitely needed the help in the grip department to move the camera, dollies and trussing. Some of the guys were helping me to lift our talent, Nandi Madiba, a well known South African singer, on and off of a horse that was part of her scene. We had Millicent in make up, and if you check her Instagram you’ll see why that was a perfect fit.
Ernest did lighting and Simphiwe transferred to lighting on day 2 and 3. One of the highlights for me happened while walking back from lunch one day. Our cinematographer, Michael Fernandez, answered questions and explained his ideas to Simphiwe. This is a guy who the New York Times is raving about, and he’s exposing Simphiwe to his skill sets. Watching him share his knowledge with her was definitely a highlight. Another highlight was when Sibusiso was talking to one of the professional technicians about how to get in the business and they began exchanging numbers as our grip promised to help him get started working on professional shows in Johannesburg. This sort of stuff is exactly what Lights, Camera, Diaspora! was here to do. When I think about that job, I really can’t find a better example of connecting the African entertainment industry with the international industry, of connecting young people with opportunities, and of connecting Africa and the diaspora. I really have to be grateful for the opportunity that it has presented.
YES, Christian Epps is King
What began as a professional lighting assignment for Christian on Beyonce’s much-anticipated visual album “BLACK IS KING” turned into an opportunity for Lights, Camera, Diaspora!, to secure positions for 10 trainees from Nkangala District, Mpumalanga (northeastern South Africa), to train on a world class production for one of the greatest entertainers of her generation!
Today I say congratulations to my friend and colleague, Mr. Epps. I also applaud his thankless effort of increasing the breadth and depth of film-making talent across Black America and across the African continent.
Black is King and Queen
To the cast and crew, Congratulations!
Congratulations on storytelling. Congratulations on place branding. Congratulations on talent development and congratulations on hosting a remarkable cultural project!
Connie Chiume is QUEEN.
Nandi Madida is QUEEN.
Nyaniso Dzedze is KING.
Warren Masemola is KING.
Moonchild Sanelly is QUEEN.
And
Mother Mary Twala (RIP) is QUEEN.
About the Author
Stephen Ozoigbo is the Founder of the African Technology Foundation, a Silicon Valley corporation that seeks to globalize African technologies by providing access to resources that effectively address and manage the most pressing technological challenges on the continent. Within the entertainment sector, his portfolio includes Edutainment Africa, a Media, Talent and technology platform for the next generation of African media entrepreneurs.