WELCOME TO THE FUTURE OF THE FILM AND TV INDUSTRY!

Goodbye WhatsApp, hello MCA World!

Hi there! Congratulations on choosing the path to empowerment! Media Change Agents is pushing for the financial freedom of all creatives, and through our members’ engagement, amplification, and support, the organization is gradually nearing the promised land. But what is Media Change Agents?

Prior to the site launch, Media Change Agents was a powerful WhatsApp group that housed film and TV veterans, aspiring filmmakers and future leaders of content who share jobs and information to advance each other. Today we are a registered non-profit media organization that’s growing into a pivotal mechanism for financial and creative freedom for both individuals and the arts sector as a whole.

Hase Mo States Mo! (This Ain’t Hollywood!)

“Hollywood is a strange place. The class structure here is more rigid than almost anyplace I’ve ever experienced. It’s made more difficult by the fact that it’s constantly changing. You never know what class you belong to unless you’re one of the two or three people that have been in the same echelon for a long, long time.”
~ ALAN ARKIN.

Unfortunately, much like Hollywood, ours is an industry that trends weekly for exploitation, blacklisting, gatekeeping, harassment, and an endless list of crimes against creativity. Basically, the struggles between broadcasters, producers, financiers, actors, and our honourable minister are taking center stage, but Media Change Agents has provided a safe space for film and TV crew to express themselves freely without fear that their employment, fair treatment, and progress in the industry is at risk. We’re inspired by the saying “Sharing is caring” and the info, network, and job sharing isn’t reserved for certain classes of creatives. If we’re going to realize our dream of a flourishing industry, we’re going to need all hands on deck, not a certain class of hands.

7 FEATURES TO RECREATE THE FUTURE OF SA FILMMAKING

It would be more accurate to say that as members, we’re still climbing the Mount Everest of creating financial freedom for creatives, we’ve laid the foundation. Now it’s time to build on that base, move out of the home WhatsApp provided for us. So keeping in theme with the chat-style communication most of our Change Agents love, we built a website that has private and public groups, and much much more! So here are the 7 site functions that will eventually help us summit our Everest.

JOBS : Media Change Agents’ biggest asset is the jobs we share with each other. Here you’re allowed to upload anything from production jobs, to creation agency work, to logistic needs for the film you’re creating. Once jobs are uploaded, anyone can browse this page and keep themselves up-to-date with opportunities in the industry.
GROUPS : As mentioned above, this is basically our WhatsApp groups on a bigger platform and with more options. We’ve always harped on the need to have everyone under one umbrella and this is where we’ll be housed. Now, not only will we enjoy the full network of Media Change Agents, but we’ll be able to have other breakaway forums for make-up, technical crew, content office etc.
PROFILE : When you register, you’re required to fill in as much information as possible about yourself, so that anyone looking to hire a person with your skills and / or experience, is able to see your capabilities at a glance right there on your profile. This is like your online CV, so whenever you find time do keep adding information about yourself.
CONTENT : Whenever production companies need to see your work, they look for showreels and the like. Content is where you can upload your work videos and pics and send that link along with your application e-mail.
COURSES : There’s a lot to learn about the industry. From creating TV shows, to pitching, to working with different channels – these will soon be available on the site… for free… for everyone!
DOCUMENTS : We’ll also be uploading the relevant documents used in the industry, especially those referenced in the courses, but there will be a small fee attached to these.
SHOP : Soon we’ll have products for sale as a way to fundraise for the organization. Every resource we’ve made available is set to be free because finances are a barrier to entry in our industry. We want creatives to have access to information and opportunities without stressing about affordability. The shop (and documents) is where the organization will be making money to plug back into our projects and the plans we have for the future.

“Creativity doesn’t wait for the perfect moment. It fashions its own perfect moments out of ordinary ones.”
~ bruce garrabrandt.

The site is still a work in progress, but we weren’t gonna wait for it to be perfect before launching, were we? It’s important to start. Just start. So do help us spread the word (and the link), do post and engage with other posts, send suggestions and site glitches so that we improve and most importantly… enjoy this part of the journey. When we’re all wealthy filmmakers we’ll smile back and say, “Hey, look at us!”