I am Shaniel Mjekevu. I am newly appointed director and partner of the thriving award-winning South African creative agency – Monarchy.
I’m thrilled to be part of Monarchy in this capacity. A meeting of minds and passions has forged an agency that, in its industry, has proven its international scope and executes a broad range of creative work within broadcast and all media to the highest standard.
This position marks the on-going growth, not only my life, but in the business ventures of Monarchy. This partnership allows for exciting opportunities as a company and our clients, locally and abroad. The drive to succeed in producing original content and entering new avenues has always been on the cards. But now we have the hands, hearts and minds on deck to make this a reality, and, it is that drive that exists at the core of every person at Monarchy that ensures any project we pursue is wholly realised.
I first met Nicci and Delarey (founders of Monarchy) at the very beginning of my career in 2006 when I was a runner for a post-production agency. It was in this first position that the drive to become the most efficient and reputable Producer was instilled in me and from hereon I climbed the rungs of the industry ladder in a truly traditional way; onto Production Coordinating then production manager where I had to balance the books of creativity and cash. Then I joined Monarchy in 2015 as a producer, now, it seemed, that it was my responsibility to instil the drive to succeed in impressionable newcomers to the Television/Production industry, just as the producer of the company I started at did for me. It looked like I’d come full circle.
At least, that’s what I thought.
So what does 51 per cent black female owned even mean?
It’s a rhetorical question, because we all know it means that Monarchy is a company that is in tune with the landscape of the South African film/TV industry, it is a company that is growing – Monarchy is going through transformation. In many ways! Content constantly changes; consequently, how we market the content is always changing, and how we create new content must also change. More so, the media we work on is evolving at a rapid pace, complete turnaround innovation is now the norm and so as a company we transform, adapt and evolve.
As a company, Monarchy could rest on its laurels with little effort, but, we cannot accept that. We constantly strive forward, work hard and risk it all to do one thing – produce amazing work! Our motivation draws back to the drive to succeed that we instil in everyone at Monarchy as they walk through the door. We love our work, we love our team and we value our clients.
Recently, I have discovered a new set of rungs in my working life. But, this time it’s different. When I look up I do not see the top of the ladder, it goes higher and higher. This is the attitude that Monarchy will take forward with our expanded structure, with the stellar amount of vision and expertise at Monarchy, and drones more pouring through the doors, we will never stop climbing the ladder until we reach the top, in which case, we shall keep on climbing.
Written by Shaniel Mjekevu, director and partner, Monarchy