African Couch Potato: The Mash-up

Gino Shelile

African Couch Potato: The Mash-up is a South African perspective on all things film and television. Hosted by award-winning TV producer, Gino Shelile, it mashes up in-studio interviews with industry professionals, titles to check out each week, a current film or series review, and a look at old movies that are worth rewatching.

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TV & FilmTV & Film

Episodes

44 - Brett Morris and Just Now Jeffrey
May 6 2024
44 - Brett Morris and Just Now Jeffrey
We recently received a VIP invite to a preview screening of local movie Just Now Jeffrey. On the back of that, Gino now has the chance to chat to Brett Morris, co-director and co-writer of this coming of age South African comedy.Brett has had a long career as a creative in the advertising world, ranked in the top 5 by his peers. He is a published fiction, non-fiction and feature film script writer and shares his insights about cinema and just what it took to bring Just Now Jeffrey to the screen.Without wishing to give anything away, Just Now Jeffrey is set in South Africa, 1989 - against the backdrop of the final months of Apartheid and features a well known local ensemble cast. While the world was radically changing around him, teenager Jeffrey Greenbaum hardly noticed. He just needed to get laid. Jeffrey convinces his best pal Brad Berman, to help devise a strategy to lose their virginity before they finish high school. But things don't go as planned and Jeffrey and Brad soon become entangled in a crazy web of love, lust, videotape piracy, rugby violence, political protest and pornography. This unique and edgy coming of age story will no doubt touch your heart ... and your funny bone. On in local cinemas, give it a whirl.Let us know what you think, what movie or series you would like to see featured, or just to tell us how brilliant it all is:instagram.com/africancouchpotatotwitter.com/africancouchpotgino.arlechino@gmail.comProduced by Ted Loukes and A10 Consulting ted@aten.co.za Music by The_Mountain from Pixabay© SANTE MEDIA 2024
SABC TV Licences Competition Winner
Apr 29 2024
SABC TV Licences Competition Winner
On Spring Day, 1 September 2023 SABC TV Licences launched the Win A Holiday Experience competition campaign in an effort to encourage South African customers to pay (or renew) their TV Licences.For their efforts, customers would be rewarded with weekly prizes such as smart TVs, Bluetooth speakers, wireless headphones and laptops. This was done by a random selection automated by a dedicated microsite that was set up to monitor the competition entries.In order to qualify for the prizes, the customers needed to pay their TV Licence between 1 September 2023 and 15 December 2023. A random winner would be selected each week from the valid entries.To sweeten the deal, the overall winner for the competition would get to choose an international experience: either the Coachella music festival in California or a Bundesliga match in Germany.In this episode  Gino chats to the winner of the grand prize, Thabo Batshe, who has just got back from California. We get to hear his experiences of winning a big competition and what it was like being whisked across the world to the U.S. Thabo is a Communication Assistant at one of the big banks and had never been overseas before. Let us know what you think, what movie or series you would like to see featured, or just to tell us how brilliant it all is:instagram.com/africancouchpotatotwitter.com/africancouchpotgino.arlechino@gmail.comProduced by Ted Loukes and A10 Consulting ted@aten.co.za Music by The_Mountain from Pixabay© SANTE MEDIA 2024
41 - Princess Mhlongo on Inkabi (Netflix)
Apr 15 2024
41 - Princess Mhlongo on Inkabi (Netflix)
"This time around Gino hooks up with the producer of Netflix's Inkabi - who also happens to be an old school colleague, in the person of Princess Zinzi Mhlongo; both of them hailing from eMalahleni, Witbank in Mpumalanga. Her professional theatre directing debut was a production of And the Girls in Their Sunday Dresses presented at festivals in the UK.  In 2010 she was selected to be one of 12 theatre producers from across the world to participate in the Theatre Foreman Festival in Germany. In 2012 she was awarded the Standard Bank Young Artist of the Year for Theatre, followed in subsequent years by 6 Naledi Theatre Awards nominations. Her work has taken her to the US among other countries. In 2016 she directed a new musical, Divas Of Kofifi based on the lives of Dorothy Masuku, Abigail Kubeka, and Thandi Klassen with sold-out shows. In 2017 - 2019 she explored music management working with one of the country's biggest stars, Samthing Soweto. In 2022 she produced The Black Circus of the Republic of Bantu which had an international tour in 2023. Princess is also the managing director of African Entertainers, a company that seeks to develop new voices in film and performance art. Let us know what you think, what movie or series you would like to see featured, or just to tell us how brilliant it all is:instagram.com/africancouchpotatotwitter.com/africancouchpotgino.arlechino@gmail.comProduced by Ted Loukes and A10 Consulting ted@aten.co.za Music by The_Mountain from Pixabay© SANTE MEDIA 2024
40 - Thokoza Film-makers with CinemaTAKE
Apr 8 2024
40 - Thokoza Film-makers with CinemaTAKE
Three lucky kids from Thokoza will soon be winging their way to Portugal to represent South Africa as part of the CinemaTAKE filmmaking project.This week's episode finds Gino chatting to Emilie Demon and Mpumi Mcata (BLK JKS) from Cinema TAKE, an association born out of the friendship of film lover Emilie Demon and Muriel Huet, a presenter at the BFI (British Film Institute), among many other jobs, along with film director Mpumelelo Mcata. The association’s main objective is to bring cinema to the people of inner-city Johannesburg and to experience it differently: not just as a form of art, but also as an educational tool. Cinema TAKE (The Alternative Kinetic Experience) is where people can engage with films that may not otherwise be shown in mainstream cinemas."This opportunity that CinemaTAKE has to work on film making and education, with the young people at Of Soul & Joy photography school in the Thokoza township of Johannesburg is beyond a dream come true and in some ways more than what any of us could have imagined. As we teach, we learn and grow, all together."Created in 1995, Cinema Cent Ans De Jeunesse offers an educational experiment with cinema. Each year participants set up training groups in schools and extracurricular environments where young people get the chance to work with cinema practitioners on a regular basis. The young students then get to show their work at a dedicated film festival in competition. "We are so excited to be the first African country to present the final filmic results of what has already been an incredible workshops experience and cinematic process for us, the guest lecturers and the absolutely brilliant kids, at the legendary Cinema Cent Ans De Jeunesse in Lisbon 2024."Watch this space!Let us know what you think, what movie or series you would like to see featured, or just to tell us how brilliant it all is:instagram.com/africancouchpotatotwitter.com/africancouchpotgino.arlechino@gmail.comProduced by Ted Loukes and A10 Consulting ted@aten.co.za Music by The_Mountain from Pixabay© SANTE MEDIA 2024
39 - Post Production with Johnny Nkgapele (Gist Media)
Apr 1 2024
39 - Post Production with Johnny Nkgapele (Gist Media)
This week Gino dives into the world of Post-Production, where all the component parts of a film or television programme are pulled together and given that extra polish that makes then stand out on our screens.  To get more insight, Gino is chatting with Johnny Nkgapele.Having graduated at the University of Witwatersrand, Johnny wasted no time getting into the South African Film Industry. He started by editing LoveLife commercials and went on to editing reality shows and music videos, having worked on the SAFTA Award winning drama, When We Were Black. He continued to exploit his talent and was later nominated for SAFTA Best Editor in a Drama and the winning never stopped.Johnny started his own production company, Gist Media, in 2014 after leaving Multichoice (Channel O Africa department)."Eager to learn, I drew inspiration from companies like Apple, and decided to employ project management and workflow systems that enable us to always break through the clutter while also injecting some innovative pulse into our work",  says Johnny.Gist Media brand has touched audiences on prominent channels locally and abroad, and in the process, has bagged two South African Film and Television Award (SAFTA)nominations. Let us know what you think, what movie or series you would like to see featured, or just to tell us how brilliant it all is:instagram.com/africancouchpotatotwitter.com/africancouchpotgino.arlechino@gmail.comProduced by Ted Loukes and A10 Consulting ted@aten.co.za Music by The_Mountain from Pixabay© SANTE MEDIA 2024
38 - Reality Shows with Portia Hlubi
Mar 25 2024
38 - Reality Shows with Portia Hlubi
Love it or hate it, there is no denying that reality TV has changed the face of popular viewing. In this week's episode, Gino chats to Portia Hlubi, the founder of @Milk and Honey TV - a Black - Female Creative Agency that has crafted a spectacular reputation for itself on Africa’s TV landscape. Portia began her career as a commissioning editor but has really established her career with her involvement in reality TV. Gino gets a first hand understanding of just how you go about finding the individuals you love or hate from the outrageous Real Housewives to the ups and downs of the Mseleku children.“I think we really are finding our voice and I wouldn’t want us to start trying new things when we’ve just loved ourselves on TV-seeing people that look like us, that sound like us. That’s what reality shows are supposed to do – to reflect society back to us and I think we’re doing that well,” says Portia.Portia directed the second season of The Real Housewives of Johannesburg, as well as of Lagos, of  Abuja and of Nairobi, she co-created uThando Nesthembu’s fourth season and is the creator of Izingane Zesthembu and Ezomshado.  She is also the force behind LaSizwe and Celebrity Mystery Box.Let us know what you think, what movie or series you would like to see featured, or just to tell us how brilliant it all is:instagram.com/africancouchpotatotwitter.com/africancouchpotgino.arlechino@gmail.comProduced by Ted Loukes and A10 Consulting ted@aten.co.za Music by The_Mountain from Pixabay© SANTE MEDIA 2024
37 - Peeling Potatoes: Revealing What Our Guests Have Been Up To
Mar 18 2024
37 - Peeling Potatoes: Revealing What Our Guests Have Been Up To
37 episodes down the line and it is now a good time to catch up with the latest news about the raft of guests we have featured over the last 8 months. We have also included the link for each guest's episode, so you can easily refresh your memory as to what was going down back then.Guests:Sparky Xulu - https://www.buzzsprout.com/2220442/episodes/13356214Jefferson Tshabalala - https://www.buzzsprout.com/2220442/episodes/13476229                                                  https://www.buzzsprout.com/2220442/episodes/13510659Shonisani Masutha - https://www.buzzsprout.com/2220442/episodes/13562280Shalate Sekhabi - https://www.buzzsprout.com/2220442/episodes/13646493Sanele Zulu - https://www.buzzsprout.com/2220442/episodes/13689455Jack Devnerain - https://www.buzzsprout.com/2220442/episodes/13689455Nolwazi Shange - https://www.buzzsprout.com/2220442/episodes/13778692Siphiwe Hlabangane - https://www.buzzsprout.com/2220442/episodes/13909098Chad Pop - https://www.buzzsprout.com/2220442/episodes/14034166 Mfanelo Njoko - https://www.buzzsprout.com/2220442/episodes/14077609Princess MahlanguNEXT!Let us know what you think, what movie or series you would like to see featured, or just to tell us how brilliant it all is:instagram.com/africancouchpotatotwitter.com/africancouchpotgino.arlechino@gmail.comProduced by Ted Loukes and A10 Consulting ted@aten.co.za Music by The_Mountain from Pixabay© SANTE MEDIA 2024
35 - Set Design with Karabo Legoabe
Mar 4 2024
35 - Set Design with Karabo Legoabe
As part of our ongoing journey through all aspects of Film, TV, Theatre and many other forms of media, Gino sits down with multi-award-winning production designer Karabo Legoabe. Karabo has a Naledi Award, an Independent Theatre Award and was listed as one of the Top 200 Young South Africans by Mail & Guardian in 2021.She studied drama at the National School of Arts then received her Bachelor of Arts in Dramatic Arts Honours at Wits University majoring in Production Design and Arts Management.Her career as a designer spans more than 9 years. She has designed sets and costumes for various theatre and television productions produced by The Market Theatre, The Baxter Theatre, Soweto Theatre, The Dance Factory, Rainforest Productions, Imagine Creative and UJ Arts Centre. On top of all this she also manages all operations for the arts & culture department of UJ. Amazing! To name just a few of her most notable productions: Dying Screams of the Moon, written by Zakes Mda and directed by John Kani, Ingozi, a drama series on SABC 1, Ukutshona ko Mendi… Did we dance (Market Baxter Theatre) Poeto-Type and Secret Ballot (Kiri-Pink-Knob Productions) Asinamali, Thula Thula and 6 Characters in Search of an Author (Market Theatre), Ukhamba (short film by Imagine Creative) and What the Water Gave Me (UJ Arts Centre). Let us know what you think, what movie or series you would like to see featured, or just to tell us how brilliant it all is:instagram.com/africancouchpotatotwitter.com/africancouchpotgino.arlechino@gmail.comProduced by Ted Loukes and A10 Consulting ted@aten.co.za Music by The_Mountain from Pixabay© SANTE MEDIA 2024
31 - Christian Speed Dating vs Fantasy
Feb 5 2024
31 - Christian Speed Dating vs Fantasy
We have all heard of speed dating, but did you know that Christian speed dating was a thing? This week we are joined by Chantel Andile who tells us all about an upcoming event; Christian Speed Dating brought to you by Kingdom Matters. Chantel takes us through what's involved, how to get tickets, what's expected and why it's happening.Chantel is also into movie fantasy, her favourite at the moment being the Marvel Cinematic Universe which she is busy revisiting, following the MCU's timeline as opposed to release dates.Here's the MCU chronology if you feel the need to follow Chantel. Captain America: The First AvengerCaptain MarvelIron ManIron Man 2The Incredible HulkThorThe AvengersThor: The Dark WorldIron Man 3Captain America: The Winter SoldierGuardians of the GalaxyGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2Avengers: Age of UltronAnt-ManCaptain America: Civil WarBlack WidowSpider-Man: HomecomingBlack Panther Doctor StrangeThor: RagnarokAnt-Man and the WaspAvengers: Infinity WarAvengers: EndgameSpider-Man: Far From HomeShang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten RingsEternalsSpider-Man: No Way HomeDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of MadnessThor: Love and ThunderBlack Panther: Wakanda ForeverAnt-Man and the Wasp: QuantumaniaGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3The MarvelsSo, which is your fav, DC or Marvel? Lets us know.Then, finally, Gino and Chantel talk about The Harder They Fall.Let us know what you think, what movie or series you would like to see featured, or just to tell us how brilliant it all is:instagram.com/africancouchpotatotwitter.com/africancouchpotgino.arlechino@gmail.comProduced by Ted Loukes and A10 Consulting ted@aten.co.za Music by The_Mountain from Pixabay© SANTE MEDIA 2024
30 - How I Lost The Love Of My Life and 10 Heartbreaking Movies
Jan 29 2024
30 - How I Lost The Love Of My Life and 10 Heartbreaking Movies
Gino opens up about his biggest heartbreak and how he has since turned to soppy love movies when he faces tough times.Our story takes us back to 17 years ago with a boy who was cool in his school marimba band. At the same time there was a girl who was hot in her school marimba band. Like Romeo and Juliet they came together, although not in Verona, Italy, but at the National Marimba Competition held annually in Boksburg.  A classic love story in the making. . .   Gino's Hot Heartbreakers:The Pursuit of Happyness (2006) - A struggling salesman takes custody of his son as he's poised to begin a life-changing professional careerThe Notebook (2004) - An elderly man reads to a woman with dementia the story of two young lovers whose romance is threatened by the difference in their respective social classes.P.S. I Love You (2007) - A young widow discovers that her late husband has left her 10 messages intended to help ease her pain and start a new life.Moulin Rouge - A poor Bohemian poet in 1890s Paris falls for a beautiful courtesan and nightclub star coveted by a jealous duke.The Great Gatsby - A writer and wall street trader, Nick Carraway, finds himself drawn to the past and lifestyle of his mysterious millionaire neighbor, Jay Gatsby, amid the riotous parties of the Jazz Age.      6. Catch A Fire - A drama about terrorism in Apartheid-era South Africa, revolving                  around a policeman and a young man who carries out solo attacks against the                        regime.      7. The Truman Show - An insurance salesman discovers his whole life is actually a                    reality TV show.      8. Pearl Harbour - A tale of war and romance mixed in with history. The story                             follows  two lifelong friends and a beautiful nurse who are caught up in the horror               of an infamous Sunday morning in 1941.      9. Remember The Titans - The true story of a newly appointed African-American                     coach and his high school team on their first season as a racially integrated unit.   10. Precious - In New York City's Harlem circa 1987, an overweight, abused, illiterate              teen who is pregnant with her second child is invited to enroll in an alternative                      school in hopes that she can re-route her life in a better direction.We hope these 10 titles will help you through those times when you need more than just a tissue.Let us know what you think, what movie or series you would like to see featured, or just to tell us how brilliant it all is:instagram.com/africancouchpotatotwitter.com/africancouchpotgino.arlechino@gmail.comProduced by Ted Loukes and A10 Consulting ted@aten.co.za Music by The_Mountain from Pixabay© SANTE MEDIA 2024