Media mogul in the making

All of us have dreams, but not everyone has the courage – or the skills – to make them a reality. Not so Mapule (Maps) Mokete, one of the young creatives who participated in the Henley MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) internship programme. Before the ink had even dried on her graduation certificate, Maps was busy realising a long-standing dream of launching her own magazine.

‘It has always been my dream to run my own publication – I just didn’t know where to start,’ says Maps. ‘But my experience on the MTF internship gave me the confidence, resources and motivation to make it happen,’ she says.

Maps didn't wait for permission. She didn't ask for a budget. She just did it, rallying her fellow interns to contribute to the inaugural issues of Lewatle magazine – a magazine for, and by, creatives that celebrates the brilliant work done by players in the film and television industry.

The fact that all of her classmates were keen to participate in the initiative is, she says, one of the main reasons it got off the ground as quickly as it did.

‘My target market is film enthusiasts, filmmakers, storytellers. So, my classmates were both the perfect contributors – and the perfect target market!’

The power of partnerships

So far, Maps has published six issues of Lewatle, two of which were in partnership with MultiChoice, and another with Henley Business School Africa.

Both organisations are proud supporters of the initiative, working as they do in partnership to design and deliver the transformative MTF internship programme. Each year, 14 young talents embark on this unique internship programme – a year-long process of self-discovery designed to build and expand their skills, boost their confidence, and ignite their entrepreneurial fire. And Maps is, in many ways, a poster child of what the programme is capable of.

‘It’s an incredible privilege to work with talented and aspiring creatives like Maps on the MTF internship,’ says Dr Puleng Makhoalibe, adjunct faculty at Henley Africa, who has played a key role in the development and delivery of the programme over the past seven years.

Puleng explains that the primary objective of the internship is to build skills for the film industry. Interns learn about film and how to shoot, produce and edit film. But the programme also ensures that the interns gain legal, financial, and other business skills – from negotiation to business planning – as they go through the year because without these skills they can’t turn their dreams into reality. As part of this process the group also meet and learn from creative business entrepreneurs who are themselves running successful businesses. This makes the theory they learn very real and relatable.  

A third and massively important part of the internship programme is that young artists get to learn about themselves and how they relate to others in order to build resilience in uncertain times.

‘These are called personal mastery, and social mastery – areas in which Henley excels,’ says Makhoalibe.

‘Being part of the MTF internship was life changing,’ confirms Maps. ‘Not only did I receive training as a filmmaker, but it also helped me hone the skills I already had.

‘The Henley component of the programme added another dimension to the learnings. Many of the interns had dreams of starting their own production houses – not to mention launching their own magazines! – and the Henley course taught us to open up and think critically, it taught us to be innovative and how to work well together as a team. These are some of the most important tools you need to be successful.’

Where it all began

‘I was an extremely creative child,’ says Maps, who was born in Limpopo and raised in Sasolburg by her mother, a single parent. ‘I wrote my own poem about the 2010 FIFA World Cup when I was 10 and produced my own little “magazine” when I was 11.’

Maps says her gift for storytelling comes from her Mom. ‘My mother is a high school language teacher and an amazing writer. I cannot wait to publish some of her work!’

Unaware that career opportunities even existed in the creative space, Maps – a straight A student – planned to study chemistry or dentistry after school. ‘The thing is, my heart was always with the arts and I ended up doing a Bachelors degree in Journalism and Media Studies at Rhodes University, where I majored in Video Documentary,’ she says.

Maps has no regrets about following her creative passion. Outside of her role as founder and editor of Lewatle, she is Creative Lead for General Entertainment at marketing agency T+W, which develops and executes campaigns for MultiChoice.

It was the MTF internship that gave her the confidence to stand on her own two feet and knock on doors. ‘I got the opportunity to be one of the writers on the Showmax series, Youngins, and I’ve also produced two films for Mzansi Magic.’

Lewatle however, is quite possibly, her one true love. ‘It’s just so fulfilling to have a vision and see it come to life. Knowing that the publication is loved and supported is one of the things that get me up in the morning.’

What does the future hold for the magazine? At the moment it’s in print only, says Maps, although she is considering exploring the digital space to aid with distribution.

‘In my opinion, though, print is not dead and never will be. I really enjoy thumbing through the physical publication, connecting with each story – the smell of paper and ink is such a tangible experience, as opposed to reading off a screen. I am very specific about the paper stock used and the quality of the imagery in order to take readers to places they’ve never been before.’