“Every single piece of content we develop has a purpose beyond entertainment. If it doesn't build, grow, heal or teach, then it's not for us.”

“Don't spend too much time trying to get into the boy's club. Rather work on strengthening the girl's club.”

What inspired you to start your company?

I was the presenter and executive producer of 50|50 for 12 years. It was there where I experienced how content on screen can translate to actual societal change. Exposing environmental injustices led to communities fighting for the earth. Showcasing inspirational people led to people changing their behaviour for the better. Over the 12 years on the show, I could go back to when I started and see tangible change - construction that was stopped in environmentally sensitive areas... Officials brought to book for their role in the poaching crises. I felt like we never realize the "one step at a time" methodology and we often feel like if we don't see results immediately, we have failed. Then I began to imagine what it would be like if we had a healthcare show that had the same results that 50|50 had over time... and an educational show? What if we had more drama series that had lessons in them? Or game shows that promoted being the change we want to see in the world. What if we had narratives that promoted social cohesion and nation building through clever concepts and scripts? We could go on and on, making content that opens our eyes and helps us shape who we are as South Africans, to ourselves and the world.

Why should anyone use your service or product?

Every single piece of content we develop has a purpose beyond entertainment. If it doesn't build, grow, heal or teach, then it's not for us.

“We are at a stage in our business where even the smallest milestones take a lot of time, and effort and those are still few and far-between.”

Tell us a little about your team

Our core team is girls only. My mom, Nomsa Mbuli, is my business partner and she heads up Education, Training and Development. She has vast experience in the education sector, from ECD to FET and higher education. Her focus area in the business is not only on the educational content, but she also handles the internships and industry development aspects of our productions. When we have a production, we get an intern and develop a programme that is more beneficial to their learning process. Mbali Sibiya is our project-planning manager - she co-ordinates the projects and timelines and keeps an eye on deliverables. Phumelele Mahlangu is our content creative - she is an integral part of the idea-generation process. She is still junior in this role, so it is incumbent on us to set her up with masterclasses and workshops that will grow her as a writer and content creative (we do bring in more senior creatives on a freelance basis sometimes - especially for the scripted/fiction projects). Mpho Motsoaneis the digital creative, who works on our digital platforms. She is also a junior camera operator and aspiring DOP. So she comes on board as part of our camera team when we shoot and we also encourage her to work on short film projects to develop her skill. The rest of our team is part of our freelance pool and we bring them on board as and when we need their services. We aim to grow enough to have our own technical teams on staff as full-time personnel.

Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?

I don't have an entrepreneurial background at all. I wanted to be employed all my life. But I was too passionate about the kind of content I want to be a part of and selling this idea to my bosses was not easy because at the end of the day, production companies are businesses that are built on audience demand and audiences watch television to be entertained. It would be difficult to pitch these ideas to sponsors and broadcasters because eyeballs on screen is first priority. So the only way was to get my mom and partner with her in a business. The plan was to start with educational content. It seemed the easiest and turned out to be the most challenging. Even during a global pandemic, when we were in level 5, 4 and 3 lockdown, we couldn't get broadcasters to buy into our idea of television classrooms. But once we were in, we were in - all I had was the passion to drive me through what has been the most difficult two and a half years of my life. Suddenly the clients that I was in regular contact with when I was still with the bigger companies, were no longer as open to engagement now that I was on my own. Some told me to my face that they only trusted me as a producer because I was supported by the resources of a bigger company and they had previously been burned by giving opportunities to start-ups. The national broadcaster's financial crisis also did not help. But we have pushed through and continue to push through.

What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?

We have a documentary feature in the works. We are currently in development, funded by the National Film and Video Foundation. It's a historical documentary about Xhosa king Maqoma, who was a prominent figure in our country's history - leading most of the frontier wars - which are very famous in the British History books, but our guys role in those wars is played down in that version. So South African's know very little about him. This is going to be the springboard for many historical scripted films and documentaries that will come out of us.

Then, we have a medical docu-reality series about people in Rural and Peri-Urban South Africa, who have rare conditions that can't be properly diagnosed and treated because of lack of access to the correct medical care. So we bring the specialists to them. We hope that this will be the first in a range of solutions-driven docu-reality concepts that prioritise the communities that are in need.

We have a hybrid cultural/conservation show currently in pre-production for SABC 2, that looks at conservation education from the perspective of cultural teachings, rather than the academic approach. Many South Africans don't know what biodiversity and habitat degradation is and environmental messages are lost to them, leading us to believe that more education is needed to get more South Africans to buy into conservation messages. In-fact, there is a lot that we can learn from the basic principles of the cultures present in South Africa, which include that we are one with the earth and by virtue of that we need to protect it.

We then want to start a scripted slate. Impactful drama series' that leave audiences with a message on values. All of these are plans we don't want to limit to the local arena. We want to use this content to show the world who South Africa is.

“When we get a letter of intent, or we finally go into production after a long development period, it is an amazing feeling.”

What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?

Reaching a milestone. We are at a stage in our business where even the smallest milestones take a lot of time, and effort and those are still few and far-between. So when we get a letter of intent, or we finally go into production after a long development period, it is an amazing feeling.

What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?

Don't spend too much time trying to get into the boy's club. Rather work on strengthening the girl's club.

More about the founder

Driven by passion, Producer and entrepreneur, Ntokozo Mbuli, took a giant leap of faith early in 2018, by leaving her job as General Manager Executive Producer of one of the most renowned television production companies in the country, to start Sugar Bean Pictures. With just over 22 years of television and film production experience under her belt, Ntokozo Mbuli’s incredible off-screen career was accompanied by an equally successful on-screen career in the twelve years she spent anchoring SABC’s flagship conservation programme, 50|50.

Ntokozo has worked her way up in the local and international television industry, working for broadcasters and production companies in South Africa and the UK (Endemol UK). She has been involved in much of the successful television content on South African screens today, in various capacities, which include being the creator of the SABC 2 medical drama, “Vutha”; writer on SABC 3 sketch comedy “Sketch U Later”, and Executive Producer of titles such as eTV’s “Ashes 2 Ashes”, SABC2’s 50|50, The 22nd South African Music Awards, and SABC 3’s “The Docket”.

It was on 50|50 where she experienced how content on screen can translate to actual societal change. This inspired her need to make more content that aims to find solutions to many societal challenges across the spectrum. The Sugar Bean Pictures slate includes narratives about the missing pieces of African history, curriculum-based and non-curricular educational content, social justice films and climate & environmental programmes.

Contact or follow Sugar Bean Pictures

WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | EMAIL ntokozo@sugarbeanpictures.co.za

Why LoA loves it….

At Lionesses of Africa, we love sharing the stories of women entrepreneurs who are committed to making real change happen in their industry sectors, communities or countries, through the businesses they build. Ntokozo Mbuli is one such woman entrepreneur. Her in-depth knowledge of the television and film media, combined with her passion for education and information sharing using the powerful media platforms she knows and loves, are impressive. But importantly, she understands the power of storytelling to connect with audiences and make real change happen. Ntokozo is an entrepreneur to watch over the coming months and years as she builds this impact driven media business and takes it the next level, becoming a serious player in South Africa’s media industry. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo of Lionesses of Africa