Ezinkulu Company Profile

COMPANY PROFILE OF EZINKULU PRODUCTIONS

(Updated: October 2011)

A full-service TV production company, Ezinkulu is a registered Close Corporation, which is fully BEE compliant with a shareholders profile of Executive Producer, Mr. Welcome Msomi 52% ownership and Developing Producer Mrs. Michelle Garforth-Venter 48% ownership.

Welcome and Michelle met in 1993, when working on the start-up popular entertainment TV series ‘Top Billing’. Forming a fast friendship and similar passions about the world of TV production & communication, the decision to work together was realized.

Michelle is a qualified FAGASA Field Guide & winner of several conservation journalism awards (SANPARKS), thus directing insightful environmental programme content.  Mr. Msomi is a powerful creative visionary who had risen to the top of the entertainment industry, mentoring & empowering fresh talent.

 

Our specific field of expertise is producing educational, environmental and animal television shows for adults and youth. We are committed to the growth of the South African television & media industries, and Ezinkulu’s creative concepts & series content reflect this.

 

It is a passion of Ezinkulu shareholders to contribute to the well-being of future generations, which includes protecting and conserving our natural heritage.

Ezinkulu Productions are also an experienced production co-coordinating company in South Africa. We provide logistical support, scheduling, translators, filming permits, HD equipment and post production facilities. We can also provide footage, research and journalistic investigation on a variety of social and political issues in South Africa.

Ezinkulu Productions is a full-service Broadcast TV production company leveraging all streams of media in Southern Africa to leverage broadcast value. Conceptualizing, Script writing, HD camera kit, 3x camera kits, 2x Final Cut Pro Edit Suites, 1x Final Mix Audio Suite with Voice Over Booth. We can deliver on NTSC and PAL


SERVICES:

  • Permits: Filming and recording permits are easy to get in South Africa and our relationship with the relevant governmental parties allows us easy access to the necessary permits.
  • Equipment: We have full HD "in-house" gear for all your shooting needs. Ranging from HD cameras to lights and even underwater filming equipment.
  • Crew: We can arrange the necessary crew that you might require with great skills and even greater resume. We are completely bilingual and can provide you with professional translators at an affordable price.
  • Shooting Locations: We know the country and the various filming locations that you might need during your time in South Africa.
  • Transportation: South Africa is a rugged country and we work with reliable and safe drivers who make sure your shoot is successful and safe.
  • Post Production facilities: We have 2 HD editing suites and editors available for on demand editing. We also have a HD final mix suite with final mix technician to help
  • Prices: We can get you an estimate of costs within 48 hours of receiving your request for our services.

SKILLS DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS:

Ezinkulu Productions has a specific development goal – focused on South African youth documentary Producers.  Under the guidance and leadership of Ezinkulu’s shareholders, we provide pitching opportunities and support new initiatives for young Producers to develop and go-to-air with their concepts. SA has a wealth of producing talent but often the platform for expression is not realized due to limited Channel availability.

The company has 2 flagship series, producing the series WILD LTD (season 1, 2, 3, 4 TOTAL: 91 EPISODES) and BUSH RADAR KIDS (season 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 TOTAL 182 EPISODES) receiving local & international recognition in the field of conservation.  Wild Ltd’s Top 13 episodes premiered in the USA on 19 Sept 2011.  (A further 26 episodes are scheduled for delivery to Litton Entertainment, USA.)

Other productions include: Spirit of Africa Trophy & Nedbank Greening series.  Recent Series include The Green Line and Love & Mortar.

 ‘Greenline’ is an exciting environmentally conscious 26 part television series featuring South Africa’s leading eco-journalists and producers, Michelle and Riaan Garforth-Venter.  Same titled book.  The Greenline TV and Book have been nominated at the 11th Annual International Green Awards.

‘Love & Mortar’ is a groundbreaking and new, 30 part half hour television reality documentary series, never before seen on South African television, featuring South Africa’s eco-couple Riaan and Michelle Garforth-Venter in their quest to build their ultimate bio-climatic home.

 

WELCOME MSOMI: PROFILE

Welcome is acclaimed as playwright and director. His works include musical & dance productions staged in Southern Africa & International locations – a personal favourite, UMABATHA (a Zulu adaptation of Shakespeare’s Macbeth), has been hailed as the only cultural classic to come from South Africa and for 30 years it was performed worldwide. 

He also created TAMBURLAINE THE GREAT, a Royal Shakespeare Company production and Msomi was thus nominated for a Sir Lawrence Olivier Award for choreography. 

Welcome directed Nelson Mandela 75th Birthday Celebration and the 10th May 1994 NELSON MANDELA INAUGURATION in Pretoria.  Welcome was also involved with Nelson Mandela 75th, 77th, 78th, 80th, 88th and 90th birthday celebrations.

Msomi and Zindzi Mandela are partners in ‘Mandela/Msomi Enterprises’ - a communications network linking South Africa with global countries through new cellular technology.

In 1994, Welcome formed a joint venture event marketing company, Msomi Hunt Lascaris, and 1996 he co-founded and become the first CEO of Sasani Limited, a global entertainment and production company with sound studios, film processing labs and camera rental companies in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

He is also Director of Network BBDO, one of South Africa’s leading advertising agencies, Director of Meropa Communications & JENNI NEWMAN PUBLIC RELATIONS.  Most recently, Welcome founded the Ziphathe Empowerment Network, a platform to empower entrepreneurs in townships & rural communities with overseas links, especially the churches, utilising the internet and a broadcast platform as a distribution network for a variety of products.

 

MICHELLE GARFORTH-VENTER: PROFILE

Described like a breath of fresh air, articulate, and approachable, Michelle’s TV production career spans 22 years, but she has chosen to focus on producing environment programming with a variety of species from 1997 to present day. She is comfortable in front of camera handling animals while delivering intelligent dialogue to camera.

Competent with pre-prod, location logistics, research and species specific content, Michelle is knowledgeable about working in extreme environment locations from marine to desert to bush to high altitudes, and has been diving & filming with various shark species since 1998.

Michelle was a resident in the USA from 1998 to 2004 working for a variety of USA based Channels, from Travel Channel, to Discovery, to ESPN, to BBC. She is familiar with the USA TV industry and the methodology of production.

Michelle commenced her broadcasting career by hosting South Africa’s entertainment show, “Top Billing” from 1991 - 1998. Michelle conceptualised and sold a thirteen part series to Discovery Channel International in 1997 – ‘African Adventures’.  This was the first time a South African team had been commissioned by DCI (Washington).

Relocated to Los Angeles in 1998 by Travel Channel, to co-host the daily show Travel Daily, also reporting for Fox Family Channel on the popular World Gone Wild series. Plus reporting & producing for USA syndicated series Game Wardens Wildlife Journal.  New Cable channel FINE LIVING premiered in 2002 with the series Luxury Adventures, co-produced & hosted by Michelle. Ms Garforth was also the in-flight Anchor for Northwest Airlines/KLM in-flight entertainment.

She gained notoriety reporting on the motor-sport Inside CART, screened to a global 72 million viewers via ESPN International.

Returning to SA, Michelle anchored SABC 2's ‘Morning Live', the nation’s current affairs & show, live from 6am to 8am. SA’s version of the popular Strictly Come Dancing competition saw Michelle making it to the finals with dance partner Harold Van Buuren. 

Her passion lies firmly with the environment, and currently she is producing GREEN LINE TV, SABC 3, a 26-part series (Season 1) about sustainable, green living practises in Southern Africa. Her book GREEN LINE is on shelf May 2011.