ARTICLE BY: Unspecified
PUBLICATION: Soweto Urban
Young township creatives from the Youth Content Collective (YCC) show off their talent, after being commissioned by Metropolitan GetUp to produce a series of , authentically South African digital assets for the brand.
The project was one of the first briefs submitted to the YCC. which aims to develop young township creatives into ‘micropreneurs’ at scale; helping them to monetise their talents while delivering on community’s need for fresh, authentic creative assets.
Bemiece Hieckmann. Head of GetUp said the brand was in search for unique talent to bring the brand’s messaging alive. “There is a distinct lack of authentic South African stock imagery available on stock image libraries tend to be very European both in terms of the models and the styling-and do not represent or resonate with the South African audience. We sought imagery that embodied the youthful vibrancy, optimism and complexity of GetUp’s customer and believed that YCC was the perfect body to deliver on this brief.”
Over 250 images were submitted for the task from the pool of YCC members of which the brand selected 50 and paid for them. A further team of young videographers also spearheaded the creation of an ad campaign to showcase the brand’s latest product offering.
The YCC was initiated by the Youth Employment Service (YES) together with founding partner Metropolitan GetUp in 2021 with the aim of addressing skyrocketing youth unemployment. It currently boasts 200 youth members that have had the opportunity to work on campaigns for big name brands such as Metropolitan, Pizza Hut, Primedia and more with proceeds going directly into their pockets. Jason Levin, the YCC was born out of a desire to help young people gain formal experience. When on we took on these young photographers videographers and graphic designers, very few had any formal training and given that old chicken-egg conundrum, they were unable to gain the experience they need as most agencies and corporates will not hire without prior experience. .“What sets YCC apart from other youth programmes is that it not only provides the training, equipment access and a stipend to youth. it also proactively seeks gigging opportunities.”
Nontokozo Madonsela, Chief Marketing Officer at Momentum Metropolitan said, “We call on all South African businesses to take a leap of faith and submit just one brief to the YCC. Here’s a. real opportunity to not only access stunning South African creative talent, but to extend your social impact and make a difference in the lives of these talented young individuals.”