A couple of really good ideas
FEW years back, when interviewing husbandand-wife team Tumi Masemola and Mandla N, the pressing question was: just where do they find the time?
Masemola was pregnant with her second child, their three-piece, Gang of Instrumentals, had just released their second album, they’d also just premiered their debut film and City Ses’la was topping the ratings as SA’s top sitcom, in which both had starring roles.
And then, of course, there was their multimedia company Black Brain Pictures which they run with their close friend, TT Mbha.
The couple looked at me as if I was mad, as if, like, duh, doesn’t everyone work as hard as us… isn’t this normal?
Come 2012 and their lives haven’t slowed down. Black Brain Pictures has gone from strength to strength in terms of corporate and television productions.
They have just finished shooting the spin-off of City Ses’la. They are in production with the second season of e.tv’s Blame it on Fame, the reality show featuring the YFM twins, Hlelo and Ntando Masina.
They also have their regular Saturday 1pm slot on SABC1 of The B-Ball Show, hosted by Scoop. And in-between their corporate gigs, which include a soapie made for Sun International’s employees, they have also finished a game show shot in Zimbabwe for DStv Africa called Warawa Wasala.
After five seasons of City Ses’la, Black Brain launched a spin-off of the show, Ses’TopLa, which began on SABC1 on June 1 at 7pm. It stars Mandla N as Themba and Busi Lurayi as his gold-digging wife, Phumi, who have moved to Sandton. Unfortunately, Themba’s boss dies, leaving him unemployed. However, Phumi refuses to downgrade to Vosloorus and that’s where their troubles begin.
“The couple deal with current issues such as living beyond their means, BEE, shacks, things like that,” explains Mbha.
“The viewers of City Ses’la have grown older and the characters must grow with them. We must reflect a progression of the times. We chose Themba and Phumi because they were the most popular characters on City Ses’La.”
“It has worked out well,” agrees
AMandla N. “On the first show we were trending on Twitter.”
The show also stars shock (and horror) comedian, Trevor Gumbi as a security guard in their upmarket block of flats.
“It was hectic shooting with Trevor,” smiles Mandla N. “We had to tone him down in terms of jokes because he is an edgy comedian. He’s professional and brilliant and is going to be huge one day.”
“We chose him to be in the show because he’s current, funny and phat,” continues Mbha. “He’s extremely current. We actually asked him at a braai about coming on board. It was more of a joke, but he took it seriously and phoned us the next day.”
“That is actually how we mostly do our casting,” admits Mandla N. “At bars, on the streets. It’s all about the chemistry with actors.”
It is clear from the offset that Mandla and Mbha have been friend since childhood. They grew up in Pimville together and say they have “been in each other’s lives since we can remember”.
After school Mbha studied fashion design before going into marketing, while Mandla N chose to study at AFDA (SA School of Motion Picture Medium and Live Performance). It was there that he met the love of his life, Masemola.
They first bonded over music as she was studying musical theatre. They formed Black Brain in 2004 and invited Mbha to join them. He, in the meantime, had been honing his skills as a top marketer.
Mbha, as MD, handles the business side of things. Mandla N is the creative director and his job is to “make sure the productions are up to award-winning standards”. Masemola is charged with looking out for new business.
The two men agree: “She can organise everything and anything from how to deal with clients to presentations. She is amazing.”
The three of them have a close relationship, professionally and on a personal level.
However, while Masemola prefers a more domesticated life with her two children, Mandla N and Mbha are always seen at the right parties. They know how to play the game of celebritydom and business without overexposing themselves. They can often be seen