MTV Base tries out PE hopefuls
HUNDREDS of wannabe presenters showed up at the MTV Base VJ Search auditions held at the Beach Hotel on Saturday in the hope of bagging the coveted title.
Port Elizabeth was the final leg of the competition, with the finale scheduled for Johannesburg on August 6.
The winner will walk away with a 12-month contract as an ambassador for the network, and also stands a chance to host MTV Base shows and interview some of the world’s biggest music stars.
KwaMagxaki hopeful, Sinzano January, 27, said she first heard of the competition on radio and saw a poster on Facebook.
“I studied dramatic arts and went to art school at City Varsity College in Joburg and I’m here because I like talking.
“I like people and winning this would mean a lot because I’m already in the entertainment industry locally and it’s really hard getting into the game,” January said.
With more than 100 000 followers on Facebook alone, YouTube star, Siyabulela “Ta Fire” Deli from Despatch got more than a few glares as he prepared his lines.
“Like any occupation, you have to look for work and if opportunities come, you have to grab them because the more you work, the better chances you have of receiving opportunities in the industry,” Deli said. He said it was anyone’s game. “Because I have a gateway, it doesn’t mean I have a leap over everyone else. When you are in the audition room, it’s anyone’s game.”
Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University communications graduate Anga Mbeyiya, 21, from Walmer, hoped she would impress the judges.
East London’s Luyolo Twala said: “As a person who knows what they want, sometimes you have to go and reach for it.
“Talent competitions such as these don’t often come to towns such as East London or even Uitenhage so one has to go to them.”
Viacom International Media Networks Africa senior marketing and digital director, Chris Torline, said they were happy with the turnout in Port Elizabeth.
Torline said it was the first time the competition was “activating” itself in PE.
“We’re looking for that X-factor, for someone who’s got personality, for someone who’s going to stand out and can relate to our audience and who will represent our brand,” Torline said.