South A Films Pty Ltd is a collective of young people working together to create beautiful content that is appreciated around the world.
It was founded by entrepreneur Semakaleng Mogoboa in 2013 as a way of pursuing a love for film and storytelling and being creative.
Now, South A Films also creates audio and visual advertising content for corporate institutions and private clients.
“We operate eco-consciously to minimize waste and save time and in turn expenses without compromising our expertise,” says the young founder.
Semakaleng, a well-rounded and respected film director and editor based in Cape Town, is passionate about telling African narratives.
“I have worked and familiarized myself with the industry since my high school years, creating content for various businesses and events,” says Semakaleng.
“I am multifaceted and flexible, though I love working in youth spaces as not only does it keep me in the loop of current trends and topics but allows my personal brand and company to continue growing and reinventing itself through the knowledge shared and received.
The young entrepreneur has faced many challenges over the years.
“My greatest challenge has been getting clients. The majority of people we employ are recent graduates but very talented people and as a collective, we create amazing work. It’s just convincing businesses to come on board and work with us. We are a small business and we want to trade in big spaces.
“Also, people don’t see film as a necessity for their companies, so we have to go and convince that it’s necessary for them to have visual content that will be able to sell their brand.”
Although Semakaleng has had “many hills that I’ve had to climb”, she has also enjoyed a few highlights.
“The greatest highlight so far has been the educational opportunities that I’ve received that have helped me create a better brand and become a better entrepreneur.”
She adds that the Youth in Business journey has “been amazing”.
“There’s a lot of technological tools that I use in my business. They’ve introduced me to other tools that I can use to better manage the company, which is wonderful, and just a constant meeting of different people in business.
Most of them have been women who are doing well in business. They’re willing to share information and their stories which is great because more than anything I think as an entrepreneur you need to see other people do it and to be able to understand what they’re struggles in a company are and understand how other businesses work. It helps with understanding business as a whole and that’s been my favourite part of being in this YIB journey.”
Going forward, Semakaleng shares that she has big dreams for her company.
“My ultimate dream for the company is to see it have its own studios,” she says.
“What I want is to see Africans telling their own stories through this company, using it as a place to broadcast their stories, and being able to broadcast on spaces such as television, cinema. And not just in South Africa, everywhere around the world.”
To find out more about Semakaleng Mogoboa and her film journey, follow her on Vimeo here.
