MULTICHOICE AFRICA ANNOUNCES MTF MASTERCLASSES HOSTED BY CHRISTIAN EPPS

8 August 2019 - MultiChoice Africa is proud to present another Masterclass in its MultiChoice Talent Factory Masterclass programme, a series of industry-led workshops aimed to upskill and empower established professionals across Africa’s film and TV industries. The MultiChoice Talent Factory is MultiChoice Africa’s year-long immersion programme focused on training young emerging film and TV creatives from across three regions and 13 countries in Africa. Established in 2018, MultiChoice Talent Factory has academies in Nairobi, Lagos and Zambia and provides 60 students with a fully funded 12-month academic and immersive training experience to hone their TV and film skills under the guidance of industry experts. 

MultiChoice’s “Best In Class” masterclass workshops, provide industry creatives with exclusive access to practical, expert-led skills training that afford film and television professionals the opportunity to interact and learn from the best. This month’s masterclasses are led by Christian Epps, whose career as a lighting designer has spanned more than two decades with experience ranging from major motion pictures, to broadcast television, live theatre, dance, music videos and special events. US-based Epps is also founder of a non-profit social organisation, Lights, Camera, Diaspora! (LCD!) that bridges the gap between the African and African-Diaspora entertainment industries. He has worked on major box-office productions such as Selma, Queen Sono among others, and has also been director of photography for multi-camera events such as the Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Awards, live broadcasts, music and comedy events.

Epps’ masterclasses on lighting and cinematography will be hosted in Zambia, Kenya, Nigeria and Ghana. The MultiChoice Talent Factory’s mission is to train both emerging and established talent and connect creatives across the continent through its three touchpoints – the MTF Academies, the MTF Masterclasses and the MTF Portal, an on-line pan-African website that provides the latest news about the industry and provides a networking space for film and TV creatives. The MTF Masterclasses to date have been made possible through strategic partnerships with local M-Net channels, technical partners such as Dolby, Fox Portugal, Universal Music Group (UMG) Nigeria, the New York Film Academy and many more to come. Our lead experts have included multi-cam guru Bobby Heaney, Dolby sound expert Vikram Joglekar, Jonathan Kovel, the cinematographer behind the award-winning South African film Ayanda and renowned pan-African storytelling and creative consultant Allison Triegaardt. 

Dates for Christian Epps’ camera and lighting MTF masterclasses:

Zambia - Tuesday, August 6

Kenya - Thursday, August 8

Nigeria - Thursday, August 15

Ghana - Wednesday, August 21

About Christian Epps

Christian Epps is the founder of Lights, Camera, Diaspora!, a Los Angeles based social enterprise non-profit that bridges the gap between the African and African-diaspora entertainment industries. His career as a lighting designer has spanned more than three decades covering the range from major motion pictures, broadcast television, commercials, live theatre, dance, music videos and special events. Directors include Ava DuVernay, Spike Lee, Hype Williams, Andrew Dosunmu. Talent includes former first lady Michelle Obama and former US president Bill Clinton, Michael Jackson, Barbra Streisand, Whitney Houston, Nick Cannon, and Kevin Hart. Recently he served as the gaffer for the critically acclaimed and award winning film, Selma, featuring Oprah Winfrey and lensed by director of photography Bradford Young. Christian has spent several years working on concerts and television across Africa, always sharing the skills that he had acquired across the US and the globe. 

ENDS.

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If you have any questions about the MultiChoice Talent Factory, please contact us on [email protected]

About the MultiChoice Talent Factory:

The African continent is steeped in a rich and diverse history of living passionately through language, art, music, and colourful storytelling. As the continent continues to change rapidly, the entertainment industry has become ever more relevant. MultiChoice Africa has identified an opportunity in this fast-changing environment—one that will have a lasting impact on the industry as a whole. The MultiChoice Talent Factory (MTF) is a multi-tiered training programme (Academies, Masterclasses & Portal) designed by MultiChoice Africa to focus on positively impacting the technical and professional value chain in the film and television industry across the continent. As a business born and bred in Africa, we have a long-term commitment to making a socioeconomic difference in the countries in which we operate. As such, this initiative helps to play a positive role in growing Africa’s creative industries. MTF is a shared-value initiative that provides a platform for the creative industries to develop their talent and engage with one another through their shared passions. Through the MTF Academies (every year, the academies select 60 talented individuals from across 13 countries to participate in a 12-month academic and practical immersion programme including both theory and hands-on experience in cinematography, editing, audio production and storytelling) we are building a pipeline of good local content for our channels whilst the Masterclasses focus on developing technical skills of established creatives in cinematography, audio and storytelling to improve the quality of local productions and are conducted by leading African and international industry experts. The MTF Portal is the golden thread that brings talent and opportunities together on one platform. It is a Pan-African, film and television digital marketplace that offers open, cost-free access to film creatives across the continent to showcase their talent, access opportunities, stay up to date with industry news and expand their industry network. Through this initiative, MultiChoice Africa’s demonstrates its commitment to enriching lives by developing the art of inspired local storytelling and story making, while simultaneously growing a legacy of local content on our DStv, GOtv and Showmax platforms and ultimately continue showcasing Africa’s rich cultural heritage and diversity. More information available on www.multichoicetalentfactory.com