JOHANNESBURG - A young businessman who refused to quit has started a diversified production company as a creative vehicle to venture into entrepreneurship.
Clive Mathibe is co-founder and creative director of 2nd Round Productions, based in the arts hub of Newtown in Johannesburg.
He established the company with Tlhapang Petso in 2012 and were later joined by business partners Lebohang Toko and Chateau Matjila.
Mathibe, who graduated from Tshwane University of Technology with a BTech degree in arts, says the company was borne out of the idea to eke out a living for themselves for rainy days.
He says they also wanted to create a platform for fellow artists going into what he describes as a daunting industry the opportunity to make ends meet by creating a sustainable income for themselves. “You do realise that in the creative arts industry you have to wait for someone to give you a call before you can get a platform,” he says.
“In this industry you could go the whole year working and the following year is the opposite. How do you live and pay off your bills in the process?”
The company’s services include TV production, corporate videos, theatre production, concept development, branding and marketing solutions, and event and artist management.
Other services are youth development programmes, workshop facilitation, industrial theatre, and group training and teambuilding, among others.
“Our vision is to create productions that will contribute to the performing arts industry, inspire and empower performers, also being a services provider of high quality,” says Mathibe, 32, who also dabbles in script writing.
He has written scripts for popular SABC 1 drama series After 9 and political thriller Ihawu, SABC 3’s Isidingo, and telenovela Greed and Desire.
Mathibe, who is currently producing SABC 2’s flagship women's talk show Motswako, says the company name, 2nd Round Productions, was inspired by their first business which failed to take off.
“When we started this production company we were like this is the second time around and we are going to give it our best shot.”
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Mathibe says their recent collaboration with marketing business company Mr Concierge titled, ‘The Chairman’s Recital: A Legacy of a 100 Years’, commemorating Nelson Mandela’s centenary was one of 2nd Round Productions’ highlights.
The bubbly entrepreneur, who has done some production work in Canada’s economic capital of Toronto and in China, says they get business from across the length and breadth of South Africa.
“I think for the next couple of years, which is two years, we want to work on solidifying what we already have before getting outside the country.”
He says while they had already done some work outside South Africa, they believed there was still lots more work to do to strengthen their foothold.
“It is important to build strong relationships and to have a good work ethic. Sometimes you work and don’t get paid for the work,” says Mathibe.
“My message to aspiring young entrepreneurs would be, don’t always chase money but try and build relationships and nurture the networks that you create along the way.”
He says venturing out into entrepreneurship has been a journey of ups and downs, especially in the arts industry.
“We are not very organised as an industry and that is why I think it’s important for us to become independent and not rely on other people to employ us.”
Mathibe says the company continues to work on businesswoman Carol Bouwer’s Mbokodo Awards and are also involved in lending their creative voice to platforms such as the North West province's Mebala Ya Rona Biodiversity Conference and the annual Mahika Mafikeng Cultural Music Festival.
Mathibe says being a business owner comes with a great responsibility. He stresses, whoever, that making a difference in other people’s lives is his greatest joy ever.
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