Meet the judges of YFM’s The Put On

July 7, 2020 114

The Put On is back! As YFM’s Youth Month initiative, the station pledges its support to young, up-and-coming entrepreneurs by assisting with advertising and funding. YFM stands behind the passion of the Youth, as together we reopen the economy post the Covid-19 lockdown.

Our purpose is to help youth-owned businesses #DefyTheOdds as they navigate their way to success and ultimately, achieve their dreams. This, with the acceptance that 2020 is a year like no other, posing challenges to small businesses that most could never have prepared for and that many will not survive.

YFM is looking to provide help to those businesses now when they need it most as they try to navigate their way through this new normal. More than just creating this platform to support youth driven business and entrepreneurship through advertising, we are also looking for more youth-owned businesses which we can add to our own supplier database.

In 2020, your business will be competing for a possible share of R1.5 million in radio advertising as well as a share of R100,000 in cash! This will help develop and grow your business.

Entries closed on the 5th of July 2020.

Without further ado… meet the judges:

Caron Williams

Meet Caron Williams – founder of The Throne, a digital media company and a boutique agency.

The digital media portion of the business houses The Throne Magazine – an online publication celebrating the most impactful local tastemakers, content creators, bloggers, designers and influencers within contemporary culture. Having served at esteemed agencies such as FCB, Ogilvy & Mather and Celebrity Services Africa, Caron is a formidable force in the advertising industry.

Caron has honed an intrinsic understanding of building brands, South Africa’s social media and digital landscape, and how the consumption of content continues to evolve.

Caron’s incredible passion and affinity for music and urban culture, as well as the ability to understand and offer narration in a way many others are not able to, has led to her becoming a noted cultural commentator within the South African hip hop community.

As a result, Khaya Dlanga named her ‘the most important voice in SA hip-hop right now’, the University of Cape Town has dissected a feature she wrote on the state of South African hip hop in a media studies class. She has served on MTV’s annual Top MC’s panel and was a judge for the 2019 South African Music Awards (SAMAs) Best Hip Hop Album category. She has also been accepted into Investec’s 2019 global entrepreneurship programme – En-novate.

She has also served on content monetisation and Influencer Marketing panels including LikeMinds Sessions and Creative Nestlings.

Sean Barber

Meet Sean Barber – founder & CEO of the Rockets Lifestyle Brand.

A qualified Chartered Accountant and former investment banker, Sean Barber made his switch into hospitality in 2007 and established the Rockets Group.

The group has grown into 12 establishments across South Africa including Rockets & Rockets Express restaurants; Rockets Lolita’s Tapas & Cocktail bars, and more recently Rockets Man, a luxury chain of male grooming salons.

Speaking on the initiative, Sean says that he is “passionate about South African talent, especially entrepreneurial talent,” and that he “loves how YFM is always firmly behind the discovery and growth of such talent.”

“I want to see how they plan to take the uniqueness of their idea into a realistic monetising business model,” adds Barber.

Ayandamantombazane Mhlongo

Meet Ayandamantombazane Mhlongo – a Black Marketing Bombshell.

Ayandamantombazane Mhlongo is a Digital king whose sole purpose is to create impactful Marketing Strategies that are integrated with the latest Digital Elements and reach people across Africa.

With 8 years’ experience in a Marketing Environment ranging from the automotive industry, FMCG Brands, Agency, and Broadcasting, Ayandamantombazane is a well-rounded Marketer. Her CV sounds like a messy digital love story.

Being the brains behind one of SA’s coolest and longest running Lifestyle blogs’ ICEKREAM, to creating national festivals such as DStv iROCK, heading up Digital for the biggest Industrial Agency, NGAGE, and now being the Integrated Marketing Manager specialising in Digital at ViacomCBS for MTV and MTV Base in Africa, Digital and Marketing is embedded in everything she does.

Haseena Cassim

Haseena Cassim has built her career and reputation in the media industry to that of a force to be reckoned with. She got her start in the media industry at a print firm in Sandton and now finds herself at the helm of the country’s biggest youth radio station, YFM.

Haseena graduated from the University of Johannesburg with an LLB degree and then went on to complete her articles at Adam Attorneys.

A career highlight for her was her contribution to the CNBC Africa team. In 2008, she made an astounding impression in the media industry as one of the members who successfully brought world-renowned media entity Forbes, to African soil. After achieving the goals she set out to, she was then overcome by a yearning for a new challenge, which lead to a new career path at YFM.

Her venture at YFM began as the Regulatory Manager for the radio station. As the Regulatory Manager, she gained valuable insights as to how the business is operated and was exposed to various trade secrets of the media industry. This shaped and groomed Haseena in preparation for the role in which she holds today, as the Managing Director of YFM.

Under her guidance and leadership, the station has successfully executed campaigns such as Be You & Defy The Odds. These campaigns speak to the youth’s aspirations and struggles, as the station remains a key voice for various members of our nation’s youth.

Haseena is passionate about empowering and inspiring the youth. Through YFM, she is able to not only provide them with a place to voice their opinions, but also a platform to achieve their goals.

Sheldon Tatchell

Meet Sheldon Tatchell – Founder & CEO of Legends Barbershop.

As the founder & CEO of Legends Barbershop, Sheldon has grown his passion for cutting hair into a highly successful business venture in just 6 years. With his first store opening in 2014, Sheldon now boasts 17 barbershops across 5 provinces in the country as well as a mobile barbershop.

“The reason I joined the panel is help the up and coming entrepreneurs to become leaders in their industry,” he says speaking on The Put On.

His business has leveraged the use of social media and celebrity connections to help promote its “legendary cuts” and establish themselves as the go-to place for a premium barbershop experience.

We asked him what he is looking for in his judging process, he said;