Matshepo Maja gets performance

With over ten years of experience in commercials advertising, Matshepo has proven herself as a strong performance and narrative director, with a secret weapon for casting.

On going solo Matshepo said: ‘It was a decision that Jonathan and I both made together, we agreed that it’s time for a solo career. Uplifting a generation of filmmakers through mentorship and collaboration is something Jonathan lives by and has clearly worked. Just look at ROMANCE Films’ Nicole Ackerman’s success, with whom Jonathan formed the original PHI duo. I have a lot of respect for him. The industry wasn’t ready for black female directors ten years ago and his partnership has opened many doors for me, I will be forever grateful. I have learned so much about the power of collaboration and whoever gets to form part of Phi 3.0 with Jonathan is very fortunate. I am excited to now realise my goal, to leave my own mark on this industry.’

In addition to singing Matshepo’s praises as a performance director with a strong visual eye, we think Jonathan summed it up beautifully when he said to us: ‘I think I have contributed in creating my biggest competition.’

Whether it’s directing actors, non-actors or even kids, Matshepo crafts vibrant nuanced characters. She is an out-of-the-box thinker committed to making an impact in the industry as a director that challenges the status quo of how black stories are told in advertising. But it has to be said, above and beyond Matshepo’s impressive directing skills, she’s also an absolute bloody joy to be around and has a wicked sense of humour that we can’t get enough of.

Matshepo Did That

As a solo director Matshepo has already hit the ground running. Over the past year, she has very quickly found her groove as evident in her most recent spot for Old Mutual which marks her second collaboration with Publicis Group in the past 8 months.