Advice For Those Just Starting Out

I’ve Started 3 Production Companies: Here’s Why The First Two Failed – Tendayi Nyeke

Filmcourage

Published

July 3, 2024

[Watch the video interview on Youtube here]

Film Courage: When did you start a production company?

Tendayi Nyeke, Writer/Director/Producer: I started a production company straight out of college because I always knew that I wanted to tell very specific stories and be part of building an industry, not just working for an industry. In Australia, making African stories is not going to be a priority in the Australian market. I have to register a production company. I didn’t know what I was doing.

I think I made a few shorts here and there, but they were not good. I think there was always a kernel of something really special but execution is a whole different thing. I think I’d make the mistake of trying to do everything myself and it’s a mistake but also sometimes necessary when you’re starting out. You might not have a lot of options.

If you’re trying to be a producer you need to know how to bring people together and be clever about what the benefit of making stuff can be if you don’t have a ton of money. I think maybe 18 years ago that company was dead, it’s gone.

I was in Australia for 5 years, college for three, worked for another two, then moved to South Africa. That was maybe 15 years ago. Then I started another company and I did a bunch of plays with that company.

I was now learning that starting a production company isn’t just about making stuff. You’ve got to do tax and all that other stuff. I think I got an accountant for the first time and my accounts were just a mess. We decided to just wrap up that…(Watch the video interview on Youtube here).

About:

Writer/Director/Producer Tendayi Nyeke’s multi-genre creative work has been awarded internationally. A former broadcast executive who helmed several award-winning shows, Tendayi has also written, produced, and directed television programs across global platforms. Most recently, she Executive Produced the Annie Award-winning Disney+ science fiction Anthology Kizazi Moto (2023) with Oscar-winning director Peter Ramsey of Spiderverse acclaim.