Briefly… Imran Garda’s new doccie premiers tonight; Castle Lager voted Jozi’s favourite beer; Wild photographer awarded by SAB; Thapelo invites celebrity ‘china’s’ to Hunter’s Dry TVC; The media industry celebrates Rank TV upgrades in style
Imran Garda’s new doccie premiers tonight
Former Supersport presenter Imran Garda is now working for Al Jazeera English in Washington, DC. His next major documentary, India’s Silent War, premieres on Thursday, 20 October 2011, as part of the Al Jazeera Correspondent series, which is being executive produced by fellow South African Jon Blair, an Oscar, Emmy and BAFTA winning filmmaker.
In India’s Silent War, Imran tells the story of the Naxals, Maoist rebels who are fighting government forces in India for what, they claim, are their tribal lands.
Millions have been displaced or had their lives destroyed in one of the world’s largest armed conflicts, which remains largely ignored outside India but is the country’s biggest internal security threat.
Watch the promo here.
Since joining Al Jazeera English, Imran has been at the presenting desk during key moments in the broadcaster’s history, including the execution of Saddam Hussein, the Israeli airstrikes on Gaza, the university riots in Beirut and Kosovo’s declaration of independence.
He also co-hosts The Stream and presented both Focus on Gaza and The Father of The Turks on Al Jazeera English.
India’s Silent War: TX Thursday, 20 October 2011 on AJE – GMT: Thursday 20h00; Friday 12h00; Saturday 01h00; Sunday 06h00; Monday 20h00; Tuesday 12h00; Wednesday 01h00; and Thursday 06h00.
Castle Lager voted Jozi’s favourite beer
Castle Lager has won the award for Jozi’s favourite beer for the second year running at the Leisure Options Best of Joburg Awards. The annual Awards pay homage to the best Johannesburg has to offer, from the hottest restaurants, shops and clubs, to favourite eats and drinks, the Awards bring together the opinions of Johannesburg natives to arrive at the rankings.
Castle Lager and the city of Johannesburg share a long and special history. Johannesburg in the late 19th Century was a dusty mining town, rapidly developing due to the Gold Rush, which was attracting the foot loose and fancy free. At the time, Joburg’s hard working mining fraternity whiled away their evenings with a raw potato spirit mixed with tobacco juice and pepper. Then British brewer Charles Glass arrived. Glass first brewed Castle Lager back in 1895, in a brewery he’d founded and named Castle Breweries. Over a century later, Castle Lager is still brewed using Glass’ original recipe, and only the finest South African ingredients.
“Castle Lager has been an integral part of Johannesburg since the city’s very beginning,” said Alastair Hewitt, general manager of Castle Lager. “It was the first beer every brewed and enjoyed here, and has evolved in parallel with the city itself. Castle Lager is a part of Johannesburg’s heritage as much as the city is a part of the beer’s heritage, and we are thrilled and honoured that the people of Joburg have come together and voted for Castle Lager again this year.”
Wild photographer awarded by SAB
Photographer Karin Schermbrucker has received recognition from the SAB Environmental Media Awards for her pictures of a game relocation operation. This is the first year there has been a separate category for photography and Karin was the only photographer to be awarded. She received a Merit Award.
Commissioned by Wild magazine to provide a behind-the-scenes look at game capture, Karin spent a week with SANParks’ Veterinary Wildlife Services in Mokala National Park. The results of her time in the veld was a 10-page feature in the Summer 2010/2011 issue of Wild magazine.
Much of a game capture operation is conducted from the air, with a helicopter guiding animals into a boma, so Karin hitched a ride to get some spectacular aerial shots. Her images show the scope of the operation and simultaneously portray the beauty of our natural heritage.
Karin’s photographs in Wild are a visual tribute to the commitment and skill of the rangers involved. Wild is the authoritative guide to South Africa’s wild spaces with the very best wildlife, conservation and travel features. To see Karin’s photographic timeline of the game capture operation, visit www.wildcard.co.za and click on ‘Blogs’, then select ‘Photography’.
Thapelo invites celebrity ‘china’s’ to Hunter’s Dry TVC
Thapelo, the Hunter’s Dry hero adventurer, needs no introduction to SA TV watchers. He and his china’s chinas have been entertaining us for three years now, and in 2011 he has taken it one step further by inviting a new ‘level’ of china to the party. He’s brought not one, but three of South Africa’s most well known and talented musicians – Jack Parow, JR and Tumi from the Gangs of Instrumentals into this, the latest installment of the highly successful campaign, which aired from October 17, 2011.
The commercial was created by 140 BBDO, led by executive creative director Ivan Johnson. “Having worked together for so many years, both the agency and client understand the brand very well. We took everything away that wasn’t Hunter’s and looked at what worked before and added creative elements that would make sure the theme of ultimate refreshment remain relevant and topical to the consumer,” said Johnson.
The concept of the ad, which was shot over two days in the desert area of Swakopmund in Namibia, sees Thapelo and his three chinas experience a breakdown on their Hunter’s Tour bus and so they head out into the scorching desert looking for help. The unrelenting heat gets to them and they soon start bickering. Eventually they stumble upon a garage that proves to be a desert oasis equipped with a fridge stocking ice cold Hunter’s.
They take a sip and start their bickering again only this time with enthusiasm and groove. Thapelo shakes his head and says to himself, “You can’t change your chinas, but you can refresh them”.
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The media industry celebrates Rank TV upgrades in style
ComutaNet hosted a lavish gala event at the Kyalami Theatre on the Track to celebrate the successful national upgrade of the Rank TV platform. The Rank TV rollout commenced in March with the upgrade of Park Station, Africa’s largest commuter hub, and has proven to be a well received project with commuters and clients alike.
“When we started on this journey, 1.5 million commuters had access to in-queue TV viewing. While already a remarkable number, the national upgrade now delivers a staggering 2.7 million viewers. Next on the cards is Khayelitsha which will be complete in November 2011!” says Karen van Wyk, general manager: Digital Media.
But the event wasn’t all business. In celebration, ComutaNet wowed the audience with the best in local entertainment with Nik Rabinowitz, Kabelo and Danny K among the spectacular entertainment that kept guests jiving while they networked and partied the night away.
The final stages of the upgrade will see ComutaNet own a total of 13 Rank TV sites across the country. The upgraded sites boast large electronic Rank TV screens, with superior quality visuals and sound broadcasting SABC content as well as market specific advertising and in-house tailored commuter programming.
