Publications
Partners
The question of whether reality TV is pop culture’s greatest gain or worst nightmare is a false choice because it is actually a bit of both.
Some reality shows have capitalised on the US redneck stereotypes of Honey Boo Boo and the hollow, unjustified celebrity of the Kardashians. But they’ve also unearthed a triumphant Shekhinah and Khaya Mthethwa on Idols, become a harmless form of escapism and reflected important moments in pop culture back to us.
Whether or not you like it, reality TV content has set the agenda for dinner table conversations and provided a profusion of entertainment. Reality television comes from a relatable place that resonates with viewers, but it also tickles their aspirations. Reality shows are our most popular guilty pleasure.
As a broadcaster, MultiChoice, through its subsidiary M-Net, has taken a leading role in helping South Africans tell their stories.
Speaking to production houses, the common thread is that M-Net works with independent content producers to help them build their businesses, and pass on the skills the company has obtained over 30 years in the industry. In this way, upcoming actors, production houses and technical and production teams are given ample support to tell their stories.
Because of the quality that is invested in the industry, many of these stories have become instant favourites among DStv subscribers – just think about Our Perfect Wedding, Date My Family, Isibaya, The Queen and Papa Penny Ahee.
Over the past five years alone, MultiChoice has invested more than R7 billion in local productions.
One of the success stories that came out of that investment revolves around well-known director, film maker and owner of The BarLeader TV production company, Legend Manqele.
Manqele is one of the creative forces in the industry who has given audiences a glimpse into the lives of the biggest names in South African entertainment, including the country’s biggest star, Bonang Matheba. He is the executive producer of the Being Bonang reality series.
His company also executive produces Idols judge Somizi Mhlongo’s show, Living the Dream with Somizi, and media personality Dineo Ranaka’s reality show Dineo’s Diary, as well as its spin-off, The Ranakas. All these shows are among of the most popular and most talked about reality shows on local television.
Manqele, who grew up in Sinathingi village in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, says M-Net has brought an enormous amount of change to the industry for black storytellers.
“For all of us who want to do something around the telling of our stories, we really do have an opportunity at M-Net. The process isn’t as difficult as elsewhere.
“The company has tailor-made its processes to extract the best ideas from creative teams. We are given an opportunity to create meaningful, impactful and significant work.”
Manqele started his relationship with M-Net working on V Entertainment with the production company Don’t Look Down, where he was able to learn the tricks of the trade on shows including I Am, The Cover and Rich Kids.
“That content taught me a lot about myself and prepared me for this moment of working on some of the best local reality shows on television,” he says.
“During that time, reality television was becoming trendier and the world was reacting to it. When I walked into M-Net as an independent producer, I had not done anything around reality TV, but I got an opportunity to do a bit of season two of Dineo’s Diary and all of season three as a producer. Then I was awarded the opportunity to pitch for season four. This was the start of my company.”
Manqele, who founded TheBar Leader TV in 2013, says working on Dineo’s Diary gave him confidence to pitch his own shows.
“My first show was the Channel O Top 50. There wasn’t a big budget, but it was something I could use to prove myself.
“It ended up being one of the top five shows of that year. It was one of the biggest achievements for me as a company and an independent producer, to be able to do that and be able to deal with M-Net easily. It was so open and free with information,” he says.
“I met the perfect partner in M-Net. It felt like we were partners creating something magical. We were all working together. That is what helped me,” Manqele says.
Reality television has an interesting dominance in pop culture that has created a false sense of community and relation to virtual strangers, adding to the popularity of these shows. Catchy sayings and displays of opulence on these shows trickle down from the television screen to daily life, which then influences trends and language.
“It’s flattering when dramas put sayings and conversations that are on a reality show in their scripts. They had a full scene around Pinky Girl and Bonang on The River. That’s interesting to watch. But the intention is to always just be involved with the narrative.
“With Somizi, I was able to reach personal and company goals – showing a different kind of love. I never thought we would actually see him go from being single and saying he didn’t want to be with anyone to being in a relationship and now getting married.
“As conservative as our country is, we were able to walk with him on that journey quite nicely without any backlash.”
Manqele says this was possible thanks to his progressive client, namely M-Net.
“You don’t find that everywhere in this country. To be able to work like that is beautiful. It’s amazing because I am then compelled to be loyal to this broadcaster. I don’t go and pitch stories anywhere else. I think I’ve exhausted that anyway because I have a set goal that I can reach with M-Net.”
Manqele, who has been able to grow his business to a medium-sized company, says the most important investment MultiChoice has made in contributing to the growth of The BarLeader TV is the transference of skills.
“It helps us understand, financially, where we sit. It understands how to be a creative in this environment and how to actually make money off our content.
“We’ve been able to look to the company for advice on how to grow and interact with the rest of the market. As custodians of the industry, MultiChoice gives valuable skills to its staff and, in turn, we are skilled during these interactions.”
Some of Manqele’s ingredients for creating a successful reality show:
- Find the right story to tell. I’m very interested in the lives of the 1% – where people aspire to someone else’s life or want to know how they live. A thread across all of my reality shows is that people like the high life. I’m always interested in who is spending money and how they are spending it. On some level, it goes with my own level of ambition. I didn’t grow up in a rich family, so when I see people who have a lot, I’m always intrigued by their choices. For me, it’s always interesting to walk into the Somizi or Bonang world. I’m very interested in what’s not my life.
- Find someone who people would be interested in learning more about. If you look at a Kelly Khumalo – someone I would love to work with in a reality show – her singing career is what she’s concentrating on, but there’s so much happening around her – her children, her mother and her sister, and the controversies around the fathers of her children. That could lead you into about four seasons of great content. If the show isn’t about a famous person, create an interesting character, like a TV director who is married to twins. His life is interesting. For example, how does he manage having children with both sisters?
- Then I look at the things around the main character. It’s not the main character who will make your story but rather the things around them. It will help if they have a squad, like Bonang and Pinky Girl. That was apparent in the beginning. I had to find out who her squad was. You look at where the main character is going. The journey is very important because it will hold your story together and move it forward. With Bonang, it was her 30th birthday. With Somizi, it was his engagement. Those events kept us going while real life happened.
- This is a project in partnership with MultiChoice
