Hustle is the name of the game for rising Tshepo Botha
When struggling Tshepo Botha approached Jovislash to shadow him as a photographer in 2018, he had an idea of what he wanted to become, but certainly not of what the next two years would have in store for him.
When struggling Tshepo Botha approached Jovislash to shadow him as a photographer in 2018, he had an idea of what he wanted to become, but certainly not of what the next two years would have in store for him.
The 24-year-old is today, one of the fastest rising and in-demand Creative Directors around, he’s shot and directed a segment of Vita24, a tribute to the late South African music icon, Pro Kid, with artists such Stogie T and Zakwe. He’s also recently landed himself a role as a Videographer for Massive Metro.
But his new-found success is a far cry from his humble beginnings.
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“It was difficult, we (along with his friends) worked in retail, not that we hated it, but we felt we had a different calling. The shadowing I was doing was all for free, I didn’t make any cash for it, but I appreciated the learning experience,” he said
Pimville-raised Botha realized that if he was going to succeed in his craft, he would have to dedicate more time and energy to it. And so, he finally took a leap of faith in 2019 and handed in his resignation to focus, on what he hoped, would be his dream career. A decision he said, was difficult for his family to come to terms with.
“They (family) didn’t take to it at first, and I understood: I was forfeiting a salary, my contribution to the family table, to focus on something that wasn’t bringing in any money at that point. It was a risky decision,” he recalled.Â
While the journey was difficult, the fruits of his hustle soon came to bear, Botha got a chance to shoot and direct a documentary about Jovislash’s new album, Declared and Decreed, a move that would get the ball rolling for Tshepo.Â
His highlight would be a personal one, when he first watched a music video he had directed (uDokotela by Dokotela ft Miano & Ntosh Gaz) playing on MTV Base.Â
“I watched it with my family, it was very emotional. I felt like it was confirmation to me, my friends, and my family that we were on the right track, and that this dream is very much achievable. It was no longer some crazy dream anymore” he vividly recalled.
Botha reserved praise especially for his close friends, of whom he said, played a pivotal role in his success.
“I had a very good circle around me and that’s important if you want to succeed at anything, the conversations we had years ago, are becoming reality. We want to help and support each other.”
Botha’s desire to support others is not exclusive to just his friends, he, along with his friends, have started a networking team called Creative Visuals to help other upcoming talents in the media industry, and the team is set for much bigger things.
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