The art of the hustle

Walking into Tshimologong Digital Innovation Precinct in Braamfontein, Johannesburg, I am immediately immersed in creativity and knowledge sharing. 

I am here to witness this year’s edition of HEATSKRS CON (Heatseekers Convention), a power-packed two-day event that champions youth-led innovation, entrepreneurship and cultural storytelling. 

After media accreditations and pleasantries, publicist and host Nikiwe Buhlalu showed me to the first discussion of the day, the #FintechXfilm: Finance for filmmaker’s workshop. I get in while a film guarantor is addressing the mostly young audience on film insurance. 

“HEATSKRS is curating spaces where we could find the heat from the latest innovators and creatives but also creating a space for education,” Buhlalu tells me. 

The convention aims to blend the worlds of creative entrepreneurship with filmmaking, music, cultural organising and pop culture through carefully curated stages, workshops, talks and showcases.

I asked Buhlalu about the genesis of this convention in its second year. 

“It started off basically because of Pride and Petty, which is a YouTube channel we had a few years back. 

“With the HEATSKRS events we wanted to create a space for the youth, where independent artists can perform on stage and actually get paid,” she says. 

“Those who make short films, for instance, that don’t have distribution deals can come here to show their films and engage with the audience by having a live response.” 

HEARTSKRS is a launch pad for young creative careers, including Buhlalu’s. “One of the first acting auditions I ever did was because someone saw me at HEATSKRS, so that’s, at its core, what it’s all about.” 

As we chatted amid Joburg skyline views and sips of ginger beer, NotAnotherPodcast Live, hosted by Masego Matiko and guest Monwabisi Rodolo, were doing a live recording. 

“This is their premier episode,” Buhlalu adds, driving home her point about young creatives finding space to launch their work publicly. 

Through the BAI Spotlights section, HEATSKRS provides a platform for creative trailblazers to show what they do and how they do it. 

BAI Spotlights for the first day included Dennis Ngango, Julian Masindi, Mkhetwa Baloyi and Gugulethu Nyatsumba. 

As the afternoon sun flirted with setting, I asked Buhlalu for some of the general feedback they receive from the attendees. 

“Young creatives who attend are intrigued and shocked by this niche that they never knew they needed until they experienced it. 

“They never needed to know as a freelancer what Sars [the South African Revenue Service] looks like or what film scoring is. Now they have an idea,” Buhlalu says with her signature infectious smile. 

Event curator and filmmaker Yalezo Njuguna concurs about the industry knowledge gap among young, independent creatives. 

Popularly known as “Yazz”, Njuguna says after he finished his degree and working on a few films and shows, he decided to go out on his own: “When I went independent as a filmmaker, and started working on the first project, I saw I didn’t know much about the independent space in film, and other creative artforms, as a young artist.”  

Njuguna’s view on the intersectionality of artforms took me back to my poetry days in Pretoria under Lefifi Tladi’s mentorship. A renowned poet and painter, Tladi emphasised the importance of finding the sweet spot between artforms such as poetry and jazz or producing a painting from watching a dancer. Njuguna says he believes creativity is intersectional. 

“I wanted a space where creatives could come together and give a chance for the audiences to interact with the rest of the ecosystem. 

“It is amazing that we can actually intersect different creative forms and industries for young artists so that, as we grow together, we can develop innovative relationships and collaborations. I am excited, I am hoping it will grow more.” 

The two-day HEATSKRS CON was a multi-stage experience, with the Creative Stage and Afriquan Film Stage hosting some of the most forward-thinking conversations and live experiences in youth culture. 

The workshops on film budgeting, risk management and market readiness were fascinating. 

On the second day, what caught my imagination was Njuguna’s conversation with Intellectual Property lawyer Kevin Smith, titled The Geopolitical Implications of Artificial Intelligence. 

Smith spoke about how Western countries like the US use AI for commercial gain, and Eastern countries like China for surveillance, while Africa is merely reacting to new global technologies. 

He pointed out that Africa needs up-to-date AI regulations and adequate compensation for content creation. To avoid further exploitation, Smith emphasises the call to consolidate our African culture, arts, heritage and indigenous knowledge systems to create digital libraries owned by African governments and trusts. 

After lunch, more ginger juice and networking, I head over to the Creative Stage for the BAI Spotlight presentations. 

The creative companies for the second day included Mercha, Revenge Club Records and Legacy Defined. These start-ups took audiences behind the scenes of merchandising, record label and artist management. 

As Jay Jody, rapper and co-founder of Revenge Club Records, spoke about the hard lessons of starting a record label, I thought about the challenges of balancing creativity and business. Jody said one must be prepared to wear multiple hats to ensure sustainability of the creative work and business operations. 

The pursuit of such a balance was a common topic throughout the two days.  Most speakers gave insights on the importance of understanding administrative structures to blend pop culture and business.  

As a youth growing up in Mabopane, a township outside of Pretoria, the arts were seen as a hobby and associated with laziness, dirty All-Star sneakers and substance abuse. However, meeting fellow creatives at poetry and hip-hop events I assimilated into a creative community that welcomed my oddness.

Parents around the neighbourhood couldn’t understand this movement of youth with guitars, paint brushes and notebooks in hand. 

Their concern was whether we could make a living out of the arts compared to the norm of getting a job at a retailer in town. Initiatives like HEATSKRS targeting young creatives go a long way to keep such concerns and stigmatism at bay. 

When a creative is armed with the necessary entrepreneurial tools and industry knowledge, they can craft a sustainable future for themselves and the creative community. 

Besides the copious amount of ginger beer and popcorn, the two days were filled with insightful workshops, talks and networking, showcasing the best of African creativity and youth-driven ecosystems.