Nkgabiseng Motau on ten years of Think Creative Africa and why South African advertising needs to trust itself more

In this one, Nkgabiseng Motau gets into what ten years of running Think Creative Africa has taught her, why courage is often the thing separating Bronze from Gold, the South African work she wishes she’d made, the person who opened an important door early in her career and why our industry could probably do with trusting its own culture a little more. She’s one of our faves and after reading this, we think she’ll be one of yours too.

2026-10-01T13:08:05+02:00October 1st, 2026|Categories: Editorial, Think Creative Africa Editorial|Tags: , |

Why Thembalethu Msibi wants South African advertising to stop translating culture

We sat down with Thembalethu Msibi, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer of BlackSwan and Jury President of the 2026 iPendoring Awards, to talk about why South African advertising still treats indigenous language work as an afterthought, and what it will take to change that.

2026-09-16T16:33:36+02:00September 16th, 2026|Categories: BlackSwan Editorial, Editorial|Tags: , , |

Tshepo Tumahole and Tshepo Mogorosi SAID THAT

Meet Tshepo²: same first name, different disciplines, plenty of creative tension and a shared love of making work that feels really South African. Tshepo Tumahole and Tshepo Mogorosi have been making award-winning work together at Joe Public for almost a decade, first as Copywriter and Art Director, now as Creative Directors. Clearly, pairing two Tshepos was a very good idea.

Koketso Masisi SAID THAT

Koketso Masisi has strong views on what makes an idea worth fighting for, as she should, she’s ECD of Retroviral after all. We talk craft, choosing directors, the marketers who make the work better and the South African ad she wishes she’d made. She also gives us the work she’s proudest of, who deserves a shoutout right now, and what’s exciting her about our industry.

2026-09-01T12:05:25+02:00September 1st, 2026|Categories: Editorial, Retroviral Editorial|Tags: , |

Girls in Film South Africa and Blackboard create space for the next generation of filmmakers

Girls in Film South Africa and Blackboard are continuing their commitment to creating greater access to the creative industries through a masterclass programme that brought young creatives into conversation with working filmmakers and industry practitioner

The sound of South African advertising? There’s a good chance Simon Ringrose had something to do with it

Simon Ringrose, aka Sibot, has spent more than two decades shaping the sound of South African advertising through his studio SayThankYou. From scratch DJ and Max Normal to Gold Loeries, Damon Albarn, Mr Eazi and making music from blocks of ice, we caught up with Simon about one seriously interesting career.

2026-08-18T14:41:59+02:00August 18th, 2026|Categories: Editorial|Tags: , |

Cannes Lions Grand Prix work produced by South African crew

Chances are, you have already heard of Coinbase’s ‘Your Way Out’ ad. It won the Cannes Lions Film Craft Grand Prix, collected five more Lions and has since landed a Primetime Emmy nomination. What you may not have heard is just how much of it was made by South Africans. We go behind the scenes with service company, Gatehouse.

Nothing hits like Extra Cold. Except maybe a snowball.

Castle Lite has taken ‘Nothing hits like Extra Cold’ very literally, making it snow across Nigeria, Tanzania and Mozambique in its latest campaign. Created by Boundless and directed by Darling Films’ Chloe Coetsee, ‘Nothing hits like Extra Cold’ turns that first icy sip into a full-blown bar snowstorm.

2026-08-14T09:45:33+02:00August 14th, 2026|Categories: Boundless Editorial, Editorial|Tags: , |

Pete Case has seen advertising change a lot. Here’s what hasn’t.

So, what has more than three decades of making work, building agencies and leading creative people taught Pete Case? Quite a lot, as it turns out. We spoke to Pete, CEO & Creative Chairman of Ogilvy South Africa, about why South African creatives travel so well, the ideas that still give him goosebumps, what great marketers get right, protecting humans in the age of AI, surviving an industry full of ‘Nos’, and why you’ll occasionally find one of South Africa’s most powerful advertising leaders in his garage fiddling with a petrol engine.

2026-08-14T13:58:18+02:00August 12th, 2026|Categories: Editorial|Tags: , |

Before Creative Circle’s Full Circle: Inside the jury room with Jabulani Sigege

As we gear up for Full Circle, we asked Cannes Lions 2026 Audio & Radio juror Jabulani Sigege to share a few reflections from inside the jury room. From what separated the winning work to why South African creativity is uniquely positioned on the global stage, here are three lessons he brought home from Cannes.

The work behind the work: creating the conditions for creativity

Robyn Campbell has spent her career doing the things most people never see. She started in fashion design, moved through the early days of digital, led agencies, and now serves as Senior Vice President at Publicis Groupe Africa. She’s become an expert in the invisible work behind great creativity: building teams, shaping culture, backing people and protecting ideas long enough for them to become exceptional. In this conversation, Robyn shares how her definition of creative taste has evolved, why the hardest leadership happens behind the scenes, what separates good work from great work in a jury room, and the one thing about South African creativity she hopes we never lose.

2026-07-27T14:03:21+02:00July 27th, 2026|Categories: Editorial, Publicis Groupe Africa|Tags: , |

400 women, one room, and an unusual cohort from SA’s creative industry.

On 5 August, The Forum in Bryanston will bring together Nedbank’s Khensani Nobanda, MaXhosa Africa’s Lihle Ngxokolo-Nqini, Rachel Kolisi and Carla Venter, alongside a growing crowd from across South Africa’s advertising, marketing, production and creative industries. With tickets selling fast and only a limited number remaining, now's the time to secure your seat.