10^th Street have recently branched out into long-form storytelling and are behind the much-anticipated documentary about Springbok’s Makazole Mapimpi, the first South African to score a try in a Rugby World Cup Final, titled MAP1MP1.

10^th Street Founder, Darren Kerr says: ‘With long-form storytelling, we are particularly interested in one theme, stories that rewrite history for the better. There are so many stories where people have been left out of history, stories that should have been told, but instead they are lost forever. Being able to tell those stories and affect history, is really powerful to all of us at 10^th Street and is something that we will continue to pursue.’

Over 2 years in the making, Mapimpi’s story is a hero’s journey; from growing up in rural Tsholomnqa in the Eastern Cape where his school didn’t have a roof and he had to practice sport barefoot, to becoming one of the most admired sportspeople in the world and the first South African to score a try in a Rugby World Cup Final. ‘Mapimpi’s goal was always to play for the Springboks and his life is a testament to how resilient humans can be.’ Says Darren.

You probably know 10^th Street as specialists in content creation and data-driven branded content. They are able to complete projects within quick turnaround times and high production values, from beginning to that final viral Tweet because of their in-house team of specialists. 8 full-time staff including DOPs, Editors, Animators, Sound Engineer, Producer and Director mean the company has a streamlined approach to projects and the ability to scale up for bigger projects, like MAP1MP1.

With their roots in creating content and optimising brand communication on multiple media platforms, 10^th Street Founder Darren Kerr says that long-form was a natural next step and that the team are essentially versatile storytellers. He says: ‘We work in different formats for agencies and brands. From telling data-driven personalised stories using tech that we have developed to executing emotive content pieces or TVCs. But we are also passionate about narrative storytelling. Bottom line, as long as we are telling stories that help change brands, we are doing what we love.’

Makazole Mapimpi on the field during the 2019 Rugby World Cup Final.

When Retroviral’s Founder, Mike Sharman, approached 10th Street’s Darren Kerr about the MAP1MP1 story for the power tool company Ryobi’s ‘People and Power Tools that Won’t Quit’ campaign, they both knew they had something special on their hands. Darren says: ‘When I learnt about Makazole Mapimpi’s story and what he had achieved, the obstacles he had overcome, we realised he was the epitome of someone who ‘won’t quit’. But this story was bigger than a TVC, it needed to be a film. This was an icon that the world knew from the 2019 World Cup and I wanted to put it in the record books, so his story remains part of history and doesn’t disappear.’

The film, directed by Eastern Cape born Bongani Morgan was aired on Supersport on the 27^th of March and is currently available to watch on Showmax, although Darren says the ultimate goal is to air it on SABC for the entire nation to see. Apart from solidifying Mapimpi’s story in the history books, the documentary was again a huge success for the client, Ryobi. According to Mike Sharman’s company Retroviral, the film and Mapimpi’s story is estimated to have reached around 48million eyeballs online and on TV.

From L to R: Darren Kerr and Mike Sharman on location in Eastern Cape with teachers from Mapimpi’s school; Mapimpi being interview for the doccie, on the rugby field where Mapimpi grew up playing the game.

Something that gave us the goosebumps about the project and that adds another layer of context to Mapimpi’s World Cup success was an anecdote Darren shared: ‘There is an unwritten rule in Eastern Cape rugby which I learnt in the process. The young kids from the area, when they grow up, playing rugby on the dusty fields, there is an unwritten rule. You can never kick the ball away, it’s seen as a sign of weakness to show that you can’t stomach the hits or tackles. Now fast forward to what Makazola did in the World Cup; he chipped the ball, something that goes against everything he was taught. And that led to our very first try in the World Cup Final, something we had never done before. It’s a fairytale story and one that we at 10^th Street are proud to tell.’