Page 101 - KZN Top Business Portfolio - EBOOK 2019

CEO and chairman of the Videovision Singh’s illustrious career has had many highlights.
Entertainment Group These include making his first film, Place of Weeping,
which was made on the run from the security police.
NANT SINGH, CEO and chairman of the Another was being acknowledged by his peers in the
Videovision Entertainment Group, and industry with the South African Film and Television
South Africa’s pre-eminent film producer, Awards inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award. He
Awas born and raised in apartheid South enjoyed taking authentic South African stories like
Africa in Durban. He began his film career at age 18 Sarafina!, Cry, the Beloved Country and Yesterday
when he left his studies at the University of Durban- to the world. Yesterday was the first South African
Westville to purchase a 16 mm movie rental store. film to receive an Academy Award nomination. In
From there, he moved into video distribution, forming addition, acquiring the film rights to Nelson Mandela’s
Videovision Entertainment and then progressed into autobiography, Long Walk To Freedom, and adapting
film production in 1984 with Place of Weeping, it for the silver screen as Mandela: Long Walk To
the first anti-apartheid film to be made entirely in Freedom and having Madiba’s endorsement of the
South Africa.
project was a very exciting project. Singh added that
Singh says that his success may be attributed to being nominated for membership of the International
hard word, dedication and tenacity. He added, “My Olympic Committee was a great honour.
passion was the film industry. I set about learning
everything that I could about it. I was motivated to Singh added that we have a great country with
pursue my dream and when I was 22, I made my enormous potential and a proud history. We need
first overseas trip to a film market where I set about to commit ourselves to the development of any
making business contacts.” industries, including tourism, and use the assets
created to further enhance the economy as there is
He added that these contacts, some with whom no better country in the world to live in. He added
he still does business today, gave him an insight into that he believes that the SMME sector has a pivotal
the industry, and mentored him as he developed role to play in the economy.
his business. He said, “I have built great and lasting
business relationships because of friendships. “It is essential that entrepreneurs are supported
Success cannot be achieved alone. The business with funding from government institutions to grow
of film is a collaborative endeavour, which sees and develop their businesses, which will result in
hundreds, sometimes thousands of people coming the creation of jobs. This model has been successful
together, totally committed to producing a film.” in growing economies like India and South Korea,
However, he said that establishing a business and South Africa can certainly learn from these
in the film and entertainment sector in apartheid case studies,” he said.
South Africa was a huge challenge. He encountered He also said that he is a firm believer of the
racism at every level, particularly because it was an concept of business with a social conscience.
industry that was reserved for whites only. “Banks Singh said, “The spirit of sharing and caring
would not provide me with credit; cinemas would is central to the ethos of our business’s social
not play my films and services companies would investment strategy.”
not allow me to open an account, necessitating
cash payments. Despite all these challenges, I was In his free time Singh enjoys swimming,
able to enter a closed industry and make inroads, photography, books and art, He added, “Movie
and build a sustainable business.” going is work.”

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