MORE CHANCES FOR STARS TO EARN AWARDS
THE South African entertainment industry has grown in leaps and bounds over the past 15 years.
With the growth of the industry came the era of endorsement deals – and with them the new kind of celebrities who refer to themselves as brands.
This notion of a bigger brand is supported by how many awards that person wins, among other factors.
And judging by the number of awards to be won, there are many opportunities for stars to earn the recognition they so need to build their brands.
Just this year three awards were launched: the Independent National Gospel Awards (Ingoma), the Royalty Soapie Awards (RSAs) spearheaded by actress Winnie Modise, and the the African Global DJ Awards (Agda) to be held on Saturday at the Oriental Hotel, Victoria Island, in Lagos.
The Agdas were initially meant to take place in May in Sandton, but they were postponed and will now take place in Nigeria.
But do we need so many awards?
Ingomas founder Dan Raseluma says his awards are completely different from some of the gospel awards in the market, such as the Crown Gospel Awards.
“We are only looking at the independent and new artists in the gospel industry. “We also honour the behind the scenes people with categories such as the Best Backup Singer, Best Vocalist, Best Instrumentalist, among other categories,” says Raseluma.
He adds that the aim of the Ingomas is to target up-andcoming talent and encourage good quality production and hard work.
The RSAs are said to be targeting only soapie actors and actresses, despite the already-established South African Film and Television Awards, which recognises such talents.
The awards consist of 18 categories and a lifetime achievement award.
RSAs co-project director Sindile Xulu says the awards aim to celebrate the arts.
“We know that the awards will create even further awa r e n e s s and add value to the careers of the actors, producers, directors and the crew, who bring the soapie characters and stories to life,”
says Xulu. –