Nadia Neophytou

Izimvo has the pleasure of introducing award-winning arts and entertainment journalist; Nadia Neophytou.

Currently the Arts and Entertainment Journalist for Talk Radio 702, Highveld Stereo 94.7, Kfm 94.5 and Cape Talk, Nadia knew from a young age that she was destined for a career in journalism.

While completing a BA in Film, Media and Visual Studies from the University of Cape Town, Nadia became music manager at UCT Radio and Arts Editor at the student paper, Varsity.

Moving back to Johannesburg to become a research journalist at 3rd Degree, Nadia’s passion for arts and culture eventually won out and lead her to Primedia where she is now responsible for building the arts and entertainment coverage across the four radio stations.

Website: http://missntertainment.blogspot.com
Twitter: http://twitter.com/nadianeophytou
Location: Johannesburg

Nadia was kind enough to answer the following questions:

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: My friends usually like to tell people who I am right off the bat – or introduce me as “Nadia Neophytou, you know from the radio”. That’s usually followed by – “she’s been to Cannes and the Oscars, and, and, and…!”

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

A: I have a fear of falling backwards on an escalator.

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

A: Go to a spa like the one at the Saxon!

Q: How would you describe your dream home and where in South African would you like it to be?

A: It actually exists in Blouberg in Cape Town! It’s a quaint little home right on the beach, with a gorgeous view of Table Mountain, and has a big open window from which you can look out onto the sea.

This Question was proudly sponsored by Private Property.

South African Journalism

Q: You’ve recently returned from the Cannes Film festival at which the South African film, “Life, Above All” received rave reviews and an unprecedented 10-minute standing ovation. Tell us about the experience of being at the film’s world premier?

A: It was absolutely amazing! There are so many other journalists from countries with films that get so much attention that it was nice to have some of the spotlight shine on South Africa. I remember sitting in the audience, being overcome with emotion, and how proud I was to be South African.

Q: South African film has seemingly gone through a renaissance with the recent success of movies such as Totsi, District 9 and now “Life, Above All”. To what would you attribute the recent success and do you feel that enough is being done to promote South African film to local audiences?

A: Haha – is this the subject of a thesis? It’s strange because I don’t think there is only one reason for that. People say that District 9 proved that a no-name cast can still make a hit movie – and to a large degree it did – but the fact that Peter Jackson was a producer on it also got the ball rolling. I think there have been some great collaborations between local talent and international funding.

Life Above All was produced by Germans and South Africans, but at the heart of it was moving performances by young talent. Tsotsi too – had to rely on funding from overseas – but Presley Chweneyeagae and the rest of the cast gave superb performances. The rest of the world is starting to take notice of that, and they’re willing to put the money behind it.

Until we – as a country – can do that for ourselves, we need to nurture these relationships, rather than moan about why local stars aren’t given bigger parts. I believe that will come – and if you’re good enough, your talent will shine through even a small-budget film.

Q: Selecting the perfect question is a science. From where do you draw inspiration for your questions and how much preparation goes into each of your interviews?

A: Depends on who I am interviewing and for how long. I usually only get a short amount of time to interview someone so I usually go for the news angle first – what part of the interview I can use to get the story onto the News. Then I expand on that – and bring in a South African angle if possible. I also have a Celebrity Green Tip that I do on Redi Direko’s show so I am also concerned with trying to find out how “environmentally friendly” certain celebs are.

Q: One of the biggest perks of being an arts and entertainment journalist must be reporting from events such as Cannes and the Oscars. Which of your assignments have you enjoyed the most and which celebrity has had the greatest impact on you personally?

A: I’ve certainly had many adventures along the way! I really enjoy the travelling and covering international stories for a local audience – even if it means I have to sleep on a friend’s couch or find a sponsor to help me get there. One of my career highlights has to be being at Michael Jackson’s memorial in Los Angeles last year, where I learnt the true meaning of the word “fan”. Celebrity-wise, no one has really had a personal impact on me.

Q: What are your thoughts on the South African tertiary education system and do you think enough is being done to keep up with the rapid changes in journalism?

A: Well, I think you can never put too much emphasis on practical experience. No matter what you study there needs to be that internship or job-shadowing that comes with it, so that you’re not going out there into the working world without a clue as to what you really want to do.

Having said that, no one ever really teaches you how to interview rockstars! You learn and develop your own style. I can’t speak about all the universities, but I think many of the best journalism professors in SA are well aware of the rapid changes in journalism and are making sure their students are up to scratch.

Q: With the recent popularity of devices such as the iPhone, iPad and Netbooks, what are your predictions for the future of journalism and do you agree with paywalls as proposed by News Corp’s founder Rupert Murdoch?

A: I think that there’s this perception that anyone can be a journalist and that it’s not a profession that deserves respect – like, say being a doctor – but there is a certain skill and even though the tools make it easier for citizen journalism, people are going to still want news from reliable sources. And we shall see how much they want that by the amount they are willing to pay for that content. I think paywalls are interesting – but maybe not the solution – as we are navigating the way forward.

Q: What can we look forward to from Nadia Neophytou for the remainder of the year and beyond?

A: More reports from around the world! More exclusive interviews! More bubbly enthusiasm!

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: Yes, when I was in Std 5 my dad’s jewellery store was robbed by armed thieves who cleaned him out of everything, while firing shots. Thankfully no one was injured, but I will never forget the look on his face after that. He has always tried to make an honest, decent living and I remember how defeated he was, and that made me angry.

More recently I had a smash-and-grab at 2am on the way home from a party. It made me scared and nervous to drive by myself for a while, but I got over it. I am always cautious and alert, but it hasn’t stopped me living a great life in this country. Having said that, I feel as if I should add a “yet” to that sentence, because of the crime statistics in this country and stories from friends…

Q: Which South African celebrity would you most like to interview and what would your last question to them be?

A: Elon Musk – he’s a rocket scientist born in SA who has become such an inspiration. I’d ask him if growing up in South Africa had any impact on his skills and abilities.

Q: What advice would you offer to first-time visitors looking to experience the ultimate South African experience?

A: They must check out a local band performing – our musical talent is incredible!

Q: If you could wave your magic wand and change one thing about South Africa, what would it be?

A: Hope that’s a big wand! The crime and poverty – I would make sure everyone had a home to live in and didn’t have to fear crime.

General

Q: If you could invite any three celebrities to a dinner party, who would you invite and which South African dish would you serve?

A: Brandon Flowers from The Killers, Robert Downey Jnr and Madiba – because he’s the biggest celebrity of them all! I’d serve some Greek dishes with a bit of a South African twist – like lamb kebabs made on the braai with tsatsiki.

Q: Which book would make required reading for all school-leavers and which book would you say has influenced your career the most?

A: Eveything I read has been helpful, but perhaps the best one has been The Elements of Style, by William Strunk Jnr, which is quite practical for writing well.

Q: What advice would you offer anyone wanting a career in journalism and what is the one thing you wish you knew when you first started your career?

A: Read, read, read anything you can get your hands on so you’re clued up on what’s going on. The one thing I wish I knew when I was starting out, was that it’s okay to feel a bit unsure of whether you’re on the right track with your questions or things like that, but just to trust in your instincts. If you’ve read up on something and thought about it, you will be interested in it and can create a conversation around that.

Oh – and “don’t make friends with the rockstars”! That line from the Almost Famous movie sums it up best: you may think the celebs are your friends, but they’re not and you need to have a life of your own.

Q: Who would you most like to read about on Izimvo and what would you ask them?

A: Charlize Theron – and I’d ask, why doesn’t she like speaking to South African press?

We’d like to thank Nadia for taking the time to answer our questions and wish her every success for the future.

Reminder to follow @izimvo on twitter for regular updates and our Facebook page to submit question and interviewee suggestions. You can also follow all our previous interviewees on Twitter at http//twitter.com/izimvo/interviewees

Simon Dingle

Izimvo has the great pleasure of introducing technology journalist, writer, broadcaster and professional speaker, Simon Dingle.

Simon, who writes for Finweek magazine and contributes to Fin24.com, also presents shows on Talk Radio 702 and hosts the weekly ZA Tech Show Podcast.

Website: http://www.simon.co.za
ZA Tech Podcast: http://zatech.co.za
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/simondingle
Mahalo: http://www.mahalo.com/simon-dingle
Location: Johannesburg

Simon 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: “I can’t remember who this is, but I like his t-shirt.”

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 rubbish at hacky sack. And I couldn’t possibly pick a favourite movie, but something by Wes Anderson would be right up there. I have no real phobias, but hippies do worry me intensely. If I was capable of studying I would go back to varsity and sign up for quantum mechanics.

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

A: I really like my jobs and so I don’t really view life and work in a modular way. It’s just one big mash of awesomeness. Every day is part work, part holiday and all rad. I spend most of what some people would regard as ‘free’ time with my two sons who are 1 and 4 and very busy. I love console gaming, tai chi – although it has been two years since I last attended a class, single malt whisky, travel, inspiring conversations, writing, listening to audio books in traffic and I occasionally pine for my days in the music business, but that’s another story.

Q: How would you describe your dream home and where in South Africa would you like it to be?

A: My goal is to have a few houses in choice locations around Mzansi. We’ve just moved into a new home in Johannesburg that is great. I would also like a large apartment in Bantry Bay, a cottage on the beach on the KZN south coast and a lodge in Limpopo. I don’t ask for much.

This question was proudly sponsored by Private Property:

Journalism in South Africa

Q: Do you think that our tertiary education system is keeping up with the rapid changes in journalism?

A: I honestly have no context from which to answer that question. I don’t have much experience with tertiary education. At least not recently. I have worked with some sharp interns this year, from a variety of institutions, but I believe that you define your own capabilities. Formal education is just an accessory.

Q: You host the weekly South African technology podcast, ZA Tech Show. Can you tell us a little about the show and how it started?

A: It started as an idea of a good friend of mine and fellow tech journalist Brett Haggard. He was instrumental in getting the whole thing going. We used to listen to international technology-related podcasts and felt that there was scope for something that focused on the local scene and offered tech-related discussions relevant to South Africans. So Brett called up Duncan McLeod, Ben Kelly and Jon Tullett. We lured them to our offices with beer. And the rest is history. To some.

Q: What are your thoughts on the recent news that Rupert Murdoch’s online newspapers will be implementing measures to block Google in an attempt to get readers to pay for content?

A: I think that Murdoch is hoping that by pushing an extreme view on content provisioning he will manage to forge an exclusive arrangement with Google. If he is successful it will also set a precedent for how “professional” news outfits engage with search providers and aggregation services in the future.

At face value his rantings are shortsighted and the only outcome of playing hardball with Google will be his publications falling by the wayside of the information super highway. He doesn’t seem to grasp the dynamics of our information economy and where the value of content lies. I think he should call me and pay me a couple of million dollars to sort it out for him. I have time Rupert. Seriously.

Q: If you were to pick a single technology story of 2009, which would it be?

A: That’s a tall order. I could pick the reduction of mobile interconnect rates, undersea cable Seacom’s landing, MTN and Bharti agreeing not to do anything together, Apple’s market-beating results or Icasa and Vodafone duking it out in court. There were many big stories this year, but I could sum it up as, ‘things happening in telecommunications in South Africa. And quickly.’.

Q: Who have you most enjoyed interviewing and do you ever get nervous before an interview?

A: Again, I couldn’t pick just one. I’ve spent an hour interviewing podcasting god Leo Laporte over Skype, had coffee with science fiction writer and open content activist Cory Doctorow in Croatia and interviewed Creative Commons founder Larry Lessig and the father of Wikipedia Jimmy Wales in Cape Town.

I’ve spoken to most CEOs of listed tech companies in South Africa and recently met some remarkable technology professionals in China, not long after interviewing Nokia’s Kai Öistämö in Stuttgart.

I also have a long list of musicians and other artists I’ve interviewed, including hanging out with Nelly Furtado for an afternoon in 2001 and chatting to Will Smith when he visited Johannesburg in 2004.

I don’t get nervous before interviews – they are an integral part of what I do and something I thoroughly enjoy.

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: Yes, yes and no. Crime is scary, especially the resentment-based violence we see in South Africa. But the truth is that crime happens everywhere, on varying scales, and intelligent people are careful all over the world. More so in Africa.

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

A: I consider myself to be a global citizen, even if my South African passport somewhat limits the reach of that statement. I spend much of my time traveling internationally, but South Africa is home. If I had to live anywhere else it would be the USA. Probably on the west coast. I also wouldn’t mind spending more time in China, Japan and some other places. But I wouldn’t live there. And I can’t think of anything that would make me live in the UK, Europe or Australia. Bleh.

Q: If you were given the opportunity of interviewing the president, what would be your first question?

A: I would switch off all recording equipment, put down my pen and ask him what really happened with the arms scandal. There are greater forces at play in politics and economics in South Africa than what are immediately apparent. As former head of intelligence for the ANC, JZ knows all about them.

Q: To which three attractions would you first take an international visitor?

A: If we were confined to Johannesburg then Maropeng (The Cradle of Human Kind), Constitution Hill, Newtown for dinner and Soweto for drinks. And then out on the town. Sorry – I know you said “three” but I can’t help myself. If I could zip them around nationally then I can think of at least 20 places that are must-sees, including the Northern Cape, Limpopo, the Waterburg, Cape Point, Table Mountain, the Union Buildings, the Apartheid Museum and many more. We have a vast and diverse country.

Life in Johannesburg

Q: What do you enjoy most about living in Johannesburg?

A: The weather, the people, the hustle and bustle. Johannesburg is big and colourful and unassuming at first take. The city has so much to offer once you scratch below its surface, including art galleries, monuments and some of the best restaurants on the globe. This city stands up to the best in the world. I know, because I’ve seen many of them.

Q: Who makes the best coffee in Johannesburg?

A: I do.

Q: Favorite restaurant for dinner with a group of friends?

A: I really enjoy Casalinga, Orient, Kong Roast, The Meat Company and Longmeadow Restaurant and Piano Lounge, amongst others. I can’t pick one as favorite.

General

Q: The ZA Tech Show podcast features the panel’s weekly picks / pick-ons. What would your pick of 2009 be?

A: If I had to pick just one it would be the iPhone 3GS for its all-round awesomeness. But I would also assign honorable mention to indy adventure game Machinarium, Nokia’s Linux-powered N900, the ultra affordable Blackberry 8520 that takes smartphones to a wider market, and Twitter, which was around before but was defined in 2009.

Q: Favorite South African brand?

A: Cadac. They make really good braais. You can’t fuck with that.

Q: Where would you like to wake up tomorrow?

A: In my bed in Johannesburg next to my beautiful wife and with our two boys.

Q: If you had to pick one South African as a mentor, who would it be and why?

Q: This will potentially come across as cheesy – but I treat most of the people I meet as having something to teach me. Most of the “famous” people I’ve met aren’t that interesting or inspiring, they merely have jobs that place them in the public eye. The wisest among us are often the most unassuming.

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

A: Someone I’ve never heard of before. I like meeting new people.

A massive thank you to Simon for taking the time to answer our questions.

Reminder to download our Izimvo iPhone application in the Apple iTunes App Store. Have access to South Africa’s most inspirational right in your pocket. iTunes Link.

Fred Hatman

Izimvo would like to introduce Howard Donaldson aka Fred Hatman.

Website: http://www.fredhatman.co.za
Twitter: http://twitter.com/fredhatman
Location: Durban

We normally like to give a brief introduction to all our interviews. Today’s interview is the exception. Nothing we attempt will be as elegant as Fred’s answers below. We have therefore selected to skip the introduction and allow the interview to speak for itself:

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: If that social event were tonight, it would be trans-South Africa unicyclist Geoff “Heartman” Brink and he’d say something like “this is Hatman, he looks about 72, behaves like he’s about 32, his actual age is exactly in the middle, he’s a lone blogger (http://www.fredhatman.co.za) operating 14 hours a day from his Umdloti verandah but he’s much better at acting like one of those New York publicity agents you see in the movies who are short, bald, fat and obnoxious and chomp a cigar while he’s schmoozing on behalf of our “Heart & Sole Tour”. Most interesting fact about him is that there’s nothing interesting about him at all!

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

A: I’ll go for a really sad “nearly” story. I once nearly dated actress Rachel Weisz, who was a close friend of a Daily Telegraph colleague. After getting hot under the collar for weeks, while she finished shooting a movie, news was relayed to me that Keanu Reeves had (allegedly) swanned into London, swept her off her feet and flown her to New York! I ignored all her calls after that! No pork.

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

A: I stalk Rachel Weisz. No. I walk The Scrapster and Doodlebug (my delinquent Jack Russells) on Umdloti beach. Bliss. The beach, not the “dogwalking”..

Blogging in South Africa

Q: Having recently joined the “blogosphere” in South Africa, how have you found it, coming from a traditional media background?

A: It’s been a massive “learning cliff”. Three months ago, I didn’t know what plug-ins, analytics and pingbacks were, let alone how they worked. Still don’t, to be honest. I love blogging. Absolutely chuffing love it. Wish blogging had been around 70 years ago when I was 22 and just starting out. I would have avoided all those endless newspaper strategy meetings and the agony of fighting with egotistical editors who don’t listen to anybody but their puppeteers and advertisers.

Q: Being “restrained” in traditional media, have you found that blogging allows one to be more expressive without the boundaries?

A: Totally. In the newspaper world, I was always being told “We can’t print that. You can’t write that about Mr Chuffing So-and-So. Ask our lawyer if you can write that. You must be off your head, Hatman!”. Now I write what I chuffing want. If I want to call Julius MalEnema a chuffing chop, I can. Except I can’t be bothered. Because Julius Malema acts as a perfect example to South Africa of how not to be. I applaud him for being the counterfoil and toolhead every country needs to keep it balanced.

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: Yes. I had my flat broken into and half my stuff stolen in London when I lived there. Also in London, three pimply-faced hoodies tried to mug me but they managed to escape without injury and, another time, I got chased through Leeds by Leeds United football hooligans after a Liverpool game and just made it into the train station before they caught me. Gollyness, I miss al the madness of the 80s.

In South Africa, not much. Five guys with knives tried to mug me in Durban at about 6am after my 50th birthday but they didn’t realise I was totally drunk and fearless and I (very loudly) threatened to shoot the bastards with an imaginary gun and they ran away. Unfortunately they were young and fit so I couldn’t catch up to smack them around the back of their heads.

If you change the way you live because of your perception of crime, then you stop living the life you deserve to live. South Africa is full of crime-affected people of every ethnic background who just get on with living in the most beautiful country on Earth. The others, I’m told, live in Perth… wherever that is.

Q: Having worked in the UK for a couple of years, do you think South Africa has the potential to become a world class country with regards to Technology and infrastructure?

A: Totally. I think we’re getting there. South Africa has a lot of seriously clever people coming through. We need to be patient. It’s early days for a country which is taking a little too long to believe in itself enough to get accustomed to being a democracy – and exactly what that means. It all start with educating the youth and that will take time.

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

A: I would take the thousands of needy orphans who have little or no opportunity and hook them up with the thousands of bored-out-of-their-minds grannies living in homes for the elderly and leave them to get on with it. Credit goes to Pieter-Dirk Uys for this brainwave. Evita 4 Prez!

Q: To which three attractions would you first take an international visitor?

A: If the international visitor were Robert Mugabe, I would take him to Durban beachfront for a nice ice-cream, stick it in his ear and then show him the inside of Westville Prison, where I believe they do a very good breakfast.

Seriously. No? OK. 1) The Drakensberg, 2) Any dusty no-horse village in the Karoo. 3) The Bush Tavern in Umdloti for a few beers while there are whales playing around in our sublime bit of the Indian Ocean.

Life in Durban

Q: We all know, from your blog, that your are the chief resident of the Bush Tavern in Umdloti, but where else would you recommend out-of-towners to visit for a night on the town?

A: Um, I’m not sure there is anywhere else. No, there are some really good restaurants such as Bel Punto, La Casa Nostra (the local Italian) and Beanbag Bahia. If the out-of-towner went by the name of Rachel Weisz, I would strongly suggest Hatman Mansions. We have an old score to settle.

Q: Durban has a couple of great theatres to watch stage productions. Which would you recommend?

A: I have to say that I think Durban’s obsession with “supper theatre” – you know, endless musical spoofs (or spoofy musicals?) of Abba, um, Abba, and, ahem, Abba – is very worrying. Same people doing the same crap and the local morning paper has been an interesting part of the feeding frenzy since time began.

So I would have to recommend the fund-raising show that the Barnyard at Gateway will be putting on to help raise funds to enable Geoff “Heartman” Brink and I to undertake the Heart & Sole Tour (Durban to Cape Town on a unicycle) to raise awareness of the Sole of Africa’s anti-landmines campaign. I think it’s going to be “Roll Over Beethoven” and the date has yet to be finalised. Goshness, I’m good at publicity, hey? Almost as good as The Mercury!

General

Q: If you had to win the Lotto on Saturday, what would be the first thing you would buy?

A: The Bush Palace, a double-storey wooden house high up on the hill overlooking the ocean in Umdloti. I’m moving “Hatman Mansions” into part of it this week… but, sadly, only on a short-term rental basis.

Q: Which player would you most like to see playing in Durban in next years World Cup, and which team would you like to see lift the trophy?

A: It’s a tie between Stevie G (England’s Steven Gerrard) and “El Nino” (Spain’s Fernando Torres). Anybody picking up on my Liverpool FC obsession? Since South Africa are pathetic under that chop of a coach, Joel Santana, and Scotland (the land of my fathers) haven’t made it, then it has to be England.

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

A: The Power of Now, by Eckhart Tolle

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

Q: I dig fairly obscure old-skool soul and nu-skool takes on it and also nu-jazz / electronica stuff so that excludes local bands. But I’ve just got back from Rocking the Daisies and JustJinger’s live and fully psychedelic version of Rodriguez’s Sugarman totally blew me away!

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

A: Rachel Weisz. OK. Not helpful. Um, how about Fred Roed of www.worldwidecreative.co.za and The Heavy Chefs Project?

Thank you Mr Fred, for a most entertaining interview. We wish you all the best with your blog and looking forward to reading about your wild adventures.