#WomensMonth: Moyin Oloruntoba, focussing on African youth culture

What does it mean to you to win the Fairlady Women of the Future Rising Star Award?

A massive validation. Validation that the risk I took was right, that creating and building The A1 is not only something I believe in, but people like Jo Ann Strauss, Thuli Madonsela, Leanne Manas, Suzy Brokensha and Yegs Ramiah, who are such incredible, talented women top in their field, also believe that the work I’ve done so far and the vision that I have is one that will grow and be a game changer in the media industry.

It is also a challenge! To work hard and continue to push boundaries, be innovative and create opportunities for other people striving to be in the media industry. I don’t want the amazing judges who chose me as the Fairlady Rising Star, my family who have supported me in creating this platform and friends who have helped me along the way to ever second guess their decision.

Image sourced from weblogforlove.com

Can you tell us a bit about The A1? How did this come about and how did you grow this?

“The A1” is an online entertainment channel focusing on African entertainment and pop culture geared towards the passions of Africa's youth culture, the A1 provides video content that informs and inspires in a funny and engaging way through entertainment news, interviews, trending pop culture topics (that can sometimes include politics), event coverage and red carpet fashion. The A1 distributes its video content mainly on Youtube, but also distributes videos on its social media platforms and website.

The A1 is mostly watched by students in university residences who don't have televisions to watch or find out about the latest entertainment news or award shows and graduates who have now become used to getting their entertainment and news online. They may not have a lot of money for data personally, but do have access to unlimited data through campus/work wifi.

No one is really catering to this market. Many brands spend thousands on TV/radio ads to attract the 18­-35 market, but a large number of this age group are at university with no access to television to watch the ads that brands are spending so much money on or they are still at work in the evenings, because they are the newbies in the workforce and have to work hard to make their way up. “The A1” caters to this market. Young, digitally savvy, educated people who want to know what the latest trending news is.

The A1 came about because of my obsession with Youtube, lol, as well as my love for presenting, the entertainment industry and business. I was often told that if I wanted to make it as a black presenter, I would have to move to Johannesburg, but I guess my stubborn and optimistic side always believed I could make it from Cape Town. So to get experience and work on my craft as a presenter,­ I got my camera and started contacting celebrities and events to do interviews. It wasn’t easy at first. I would put so much into creating each video (getting in touch with the celebrities or their PR companies, producing, shooting, editing, marketing on social media), but would only get about 100 views, but I continued regardless, knowing that I would learn more and grow my skill as a presenter and also as a content creator. At first I didn’t even know who was watching my videos, but as the numbers grew, I started studying the analytics of the channel and soon realised who my market was. From there I knew what kind of content would appeal to them, how to market my channel and content to them and how to grow with them.

What advice would you give to any aspiring business women out there?

Find what you are passionate about. Sometimes your passion doesn’t lie in one thing, which is great because combining passions can create something innovative and game changing. Once you’ve done that, figure out what you want to do with your passions and work hard at it. Work on your craft, your idea and your company every single day! You have to put in your 10,000 hours. Let every failure be a lesson, that way you won’t regret the failures, they will be building blocks. Study the industry you are in. You need to know what the latest happenings in your industry are and then, finally, network! Market yourself and your product, service or brand. It might not be easy, but it is something that you have to do.

What do you love about being a woman?

The beauty and life that we bring.

What's your biggest personal achievement to date?

Creating The A1.

Do you think it’s important to have a month dedicated to women?

Not if it means we only pay attention to women’s issues for 31 days

What’s your favourite social media channel?

Youtube and Snapchat

If you had to describe your personal style through a song title, what would it be?

Beauty and a Beat

What’s next?

Getting an investor who believes in the power of online media and specifically online video content. Also, hopefully growing to have not just one online channel, but to have a number that focus on different aspects of one’s life, so not just entertainment, but sport, and fashion and maybe even food and technology. The sky is the limit!

www.youtube.com/c/TheA1tv
www.thea1tv.com