Justin Hartman

Izimvo is honoured to introduce MD and co-founder of Afrigator, Justin Hartman.

Justin, who recently relocated to Cape Town after selling a stake in Afrigator to MIH Print Africa, has over 10 years experience in the media and Internet space. He is considered by many to be one of South Africa’s Internet pioneers.

Afrigator: http://afrigator.com
Website: http://justinhartman.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/justinhartman
Location: Cape Town

Justin was kind enough to answer the following questions for us:

Personal

Q: The all important personal profile. How would a close friend introduce you at a social event? i.e. Name, age, company, interesting fact etc.

A: It really depends on the friend and the “type” of social event but the generic would be…. “This is Justin Hartman, he is the co-founder of Afrigator.com and recently turned 30

Q: Tell us something that not many others know about you. This could be anything from a phobia to your favorite movie.

A: I’m absolutely petrified of flying. This is a new development in my life and the more I fly the more I’m convinced that each time I get on an airplane it is going to be my last. Don’t believe me? Just ask Stii.

Q: What do you enjoy doing when you want to get away from it all?

A: In an ideal world I like to lie on a beach in Mauritius without any connectivity to the “normal” world. However, this isn’t always possible so I like to watch football (fanatical about Arsenal) just to escape my life – even if it’s only for 90 minutes.

Business in South Africa

Q: Having recently moved from Johannesburg to Cape Town, how have you found the lifestyle change? Would you ever consider moving back to Johannesburg?

A: Moving to Cape Town has been the easiest thing I’ve ever done. My transition into Cape Town lifestyle has been pretty smooth and the longer I stay here the more I want to avoid going back to Johannesburg. There’s a different quality of life down here that is easy to fall in love with and to be honest I can’t see myself moving back to Jozi any time soon.

Q: Do you remember the actual moment when it dawned on you that you would be selling a stake of Afrigator to MIH Print Africa? Who was the first person you shared the great news with?

A: The process of selling wasn’t an easy one and it took almost 10 months to close the deal. The longer that negotiations went on the more concerned I got that we would never get to agree on terms. I was actually preparing myself for the worst when our final negotiations changed everything. The first person to know, outside of the Afrigator team, was obviously my wife.

Life in South Africa

Q: Have you or any of your immediate family been affected by crime? If yes, has it changed your perception of the country and the way you and your family live your lives?

A: My family and I have had some bad run-ins with crime. From burglaries, muggings, smash and grabs, attempted murder and armed robbery I think it’s safe to say we’ve experienced almost all the bad stuff that our country has to offer. Has this changed my perception? Absolutely. I don’t like the current situation and as a father I don’t want my kids to grow up in a society that has a total lack of respect for life but I am hopeful that the situation will change.

Q: Have you ever considered emigration? If yes, where do you think you would emigrate to?

A: I have emigrated – I’m now in Cape Town! On a serious note though I have seriously considered it but I always end up at the same place – I love my country and don’t want to struggle in an environment that is foreign to me. I’ve had many friends emigrate and in some cases it has taken 10 years for them to adjust to a new country. Most aren’t that happy and to be honest I can’t see why I’d want to put myself through this.

Q: If you were South African president for just one day, what would you change?

A: I’d fire Julius Malema and ban him from politics for the rest of his life and then I’d make Helen Zille my successor for when I leave office.

Q: Name one South African who has really inspired you?

A: I have a couple actually but I think the first South African that really inspired me was ex-Springbok rugby player James Small. Growing up I loved rugby and loved what James represented. Yes he was known as a bit of a bad boy but he was an amazing rugby player and I loved his entrepreneurial sprit (I think I owned almost every “No Rules” item of clothing available)

Life in Cape Town

Q: What is the one place that you’ve discovered since living in Cape Town that you wish you knew about when you used to visit there on holiday?

A: To be honest I’ve never been to Cape Town for a holiday. When I used to come down it was always business related and I wasn’t sure if I liked the place or not. With this in mind I’m now loving discovering new places all the time. Winter was a little rough for discoveries, although wine farms are great in winter, but now that summer is pretty much here I’m looking forward to picking up from where I left off last summer!

Q: As a father, which kid friendly restaurant in Cape Town do you consider to be the most adult friendly?

A: Sadly, most restaurants aren’t very kid friendly and seeing as Mike Stopforth has already chosen the Spur as his restaurant I’d have to say the Dros :-)

General

Q: What are you going to buy yourself as a 40th birthday present?

A: Aston Martin DB9 or DBS. Life-long dream to own an Aston.

Q: Which new technology has you most excited?

A: From a web perspective I’d have to go with Posterous. I think that the Posterous service is simple to use and hasn’t been given the credit it deserves and in my opinion this is the best web application of 2009. I’ve already seen a new emergence of blogging as a result of Posterous and I think it’s going to change the game dramatically.

Q: One book that you would make required reading for all matric pupils?

A: Malcom Gladwell’s Outliers. A brilliant book about society’s flawed definition and measurement of success.

Q: Favorite South African band? Have you seen them live and do you own at least one of their albums?

Q: Has to be The Parlotones. Seen them live three times and own most of their albums. The highlight for me, as a fan-boy, was working with the band when we launched their website and social stream on www.theparlotoneswine.com to promote their new wine called Giant Mistake.

Q: Who would you most like to read about on Izimvo?

A: While I do realise it’s important to feature the prominent members in the social media space I’d also like to read about newcomers and people who are not well known to us.

We’d like to thank Justin for taking the time to answer our questions. We look forward to continued success from him and the Afrigator team.