[PRESS OFFICE] Dentsu School of Influence winner, in partnership with CSA, turns standout performance into two career-defining opportunities, demonstrating how South Africa’s creator economy is creating genuine pathways into employment.
Winning One Big Week was only the beginning for Johannesburg creator Kgomotso Masebuko.
Following a standout performance at the Dentsu School of Influence in partnership with CSA, Masebuko has secured two significant career opportunities: an internship with Dentsu Influence powered by CSA, and an ongoing content partnership with FoneYam.
Awarded the FoneYam Content Creator Excellence Award, Masebuko impressed judges with her authentic storytelling, strategic thinking and ability to connect culture with commercial relevance.
More importantly, her journey demonstrates what the Dentsu School of Influence in partnership with CSA was designed to achieve: turning creative potential into real career opportunities.
Hands-on experience
At Dentsu Influence powered by CSA, Masebuko will work alongside strategists and creators, gaining hands-on experience inside one of South Africa’s leading influence agencies. At the same time, she will collaborate with FoneYam as a long-term brand storyteller, developing content that reflects the brand’s commitment to empowering young South Africans through accessible technology.
“My family didn’t fully understand what building a career in the creator economy meant at first! But once they saw the vision, everything changed,” says Kgomotso Masebuko. “One Big Week taught me that standing out comes from being unapologetically authentic. Joining Dentsu Influence powered by CSA while working with FoneYam isn’t just an incredible opportunity – it’s proof that content creation can become a meaningful and sustainable career.”
For FoneYam, the partnership reflects a long-term commitment to investing in emerging creative talent.
Backing young creators
“For us, this week was about creating real access for creators – access to the right tools and to people in the industry who can help them hone their craft,” says the FoneYam team. “Partnering with Kgomotso is a natural extension of what we believe in – backing young creators and giving them the support they need to keep building on what they’ve started, in the same way FoneYam enables access for our customers.”
Davin Phillips, executive director and managing partner at CSA, believes Kgomotso’s success represents a broader shift in the industry.
“From the very beginning we said South Africa doesn’t have a talent problem – it has an opportunity problem. Kgomotso is proof of what happens when talented creators are given the chance to develop, collaborate and be recognised. We must move beyond one-off influencer campaigns and start investing in creators as long-term commercial partners. That’s how we grow both careers and the creator economy.”
Bridging the gap
Vicki Steenkamp, client service director at dentsu, says the Dentsu School of Influence was built to bridge the gap between creative potential and professional opportunity.
“Our goal has always been to give emerging creators access to the mentors, brands and real-world experience that help launch careers,” she said.
“Seeing Kgomotso progress from Dentsu School of Influence graduate to a dentsu Influence internship, alongside a commercial partnership with FoneYam, is exactly the outcome we set out to achieve. It’s proof that when industry invests in young talent, creativity becomes a genuine pathway into employment.”
As brands increasingly seek authentic voices capable of building lasting communities, Kgomotso’s journey from Dentsu School of Influence participant to professional creator demonstrates exactly what the programme set out to prove: when talent is matched with opportunity, creativity becomes a career.
About One Big Week
One Big Week is a School of Influence programme designed to surface and develop the next generation of creator talent through real briefs, mentorship, and industry exposure.
About FoneYam
Launched in 2023, FoneYam (meaning “my phone” in the Nguni languages) was established to provide customers with affordable access to the latest smartphones by offering them on a rental basis. Driven by a desire to keep people connected and create value, FoneYam offers a secure and budget-friendly way to rent smartphones, making powerful technology accessible to all.
