Tonderai walks in the ‘big’ shoes

In 2015, founder and the then chief executive officer of Entertainers Promotions (EP) Jai Banda announced he was stepping down from showbiz. His son Tonderai was announced as the new broom to take over the mantle as the company’s CEO. There were doubts on how the young Tonderai would steer the ship considering the excellence the company had achieved under the tutelage of his father. Our Staff Reporter BRIAN ITAI caught up with Tonderai to find out how the journey has been so far. Excerpts:

Q

: How has the going been since you took over running the company in 2015?

A

: Since 2015 when I took over from my father it has not been easy. To take over from someone who has been an icon in the industry was a big challenge. Firstly, I was young. Traditionally, here in Africa when someone young takes over a huge responsibility or position people always place their doubts. They always expect that things will not work out. They look down on you and some even thought the development was the death of the company. Unlike in the Asian community where businesses pass on from generation to generation, in our set-up it is different. That is one thing we need to learn. Even in the Bible issues of inheritance are well highlighted. It is a common practice.

Q

: Did you personally have doubts on whether you would make it or not?

A

: Doubts were there. The way people talk about my father and what he has done in the industry, I asked myself if I would replicate his feat. Will I be able to win over new people or continue working successfully with the people he was working with? Most of the artists he worked with saw me grow up, so I wondered if they would ever respect me. That is where you start to doubt yourself and that was the challenge.

Q

: What was your expectation when you assumed this position?

A

: Getting that position was both exciting and challenging. On the side of the people, the expectations may not have been too high because of what my father had achieved. But I put high expectations of myself for the sake of the brand itself. I had to challenge myself because that time the perception was that EP is all but a local music agency. That was one of the things that I needed to change in the minds of the people. I needed to take the EP empire into a different direction. Again, the youthful market looked at me as someone to lead them to a new day since I was their fellow youth. That was a challenge as well.

Q

: What are some of the standout events that you have overseen as EP CEO?

A

: Since 2015, if we look at our standout events we can factor in the All White Party, the Valentine’s Day show headlined by Namadingo, the Shandy launch which featured Fireboy from Nigeria, and the relaunch of KucheKuche was also one of the biggest events ever. Recently, we can point at the street bashes both in Blantyre and Lilongwe and the Black and Gold Party where we had DJ Tira from South Africa. Some events starred an all local line-up and they were a big success as well. And during the 2020 fresh presidential election, I worked with almost all political parties providing services of different nature. We were there. It was not easy to work with politicians and convince them, but we did that as a company. The professionalism how we handled these politicians was top notch.

Q

: Have you tried to reinvent the wheel or you are still using the model that you father laid down?

A

: I have always believed that when you takeover something, you need to improve on how it was run previously. People need to see change. But you do not change everything. There are some things you maintain. Our brand image wasn’t up to scratch and our social media presence was not impressive. It was more of an old school approach. There was little technology involvement when promoting events. I had to rebrand the company by making the necessary changes to make it modern. I had to oversee an upgrade on the venues which usually hosted EP events. We have not completely taken the events away from the old venues, but we have hit a balance between the two. We have a different business clientele and we know that where we go, we will stand out. I still work with the people who used to work with my father such as Skeffa Chimoto, Lucius Banda, Black Missionaries and these people motivate me a lot. They are able to take my ideas on board without any qualms.

Q

: How would you describe  the dynamics of the entertainment businesses now?

A

: The entertainment business is growing. If you see the new generation and how they are pushing their content in terms of videos and international presence, it is something which is very motivating. The numbers that they are getting on YouTube, Spotify, Deezer and other international online platforms are impressive. I am happy to be part of this renaissance and I know there is more that can be achieved. We need to maximise on the use of technology and what we can gain from it. 

Q

: As a youth, has it been a challenge to integrate the public that previously worked with your father?

A

: It has been a challenge to be accepted. I remember when I wanted to book some artists I used to go through my father and ask him to do it on my behalf. I was not sure how they would take it if I went to them directly to ask them to perform at my event. But with time I dropped that and I made the approaches on my own. We talked, negotiated and moved forward that way. I am happy that most of the artists now have managers and I no longer need to talk to them directly. Now I have relationships with all of them and I am able to deal with them in my own terms.

Q

: From here, which direction are you taking EP?

A

: The plan is now to go international as a brand. We don’t want to confine ourselves in Malawi and I am hoping that by the end of this year we will have the good news. This has been the dream for the longest time. We need footprints on the international stage as well. I am grateful that most people are supportive of that dream.