Filamu Kenya Issue 2 | Page 25

“It is a wonder that beats the purpose of requiring experience for excellence only to avoid it in the name of too experienced for little money, increase the money,” he adds. “With proficiency in the craft comes the challenge of a rate card and that is why our scene is yet to grow into a self-sustaining industry,” Githinji further states. Some of the work include but are not limited to; Machachari -writer (TV series), Sumu La Penzi-writer (Maisha Magic) Auntie Boss –director (TV series), Happy Anniversary-director (Short Film won Best Director film, Riverwood Awards 2016). Nice Githinji A ctress /P roducer She is one of Kenya’s seasoned actresses and she too has ventured into life behind the camera. Getting enough jobs to comfortably afford to live off acting has been one of the biggest challenges for local actors as the industry is still growing and this is one of the reasons that led Nice Githinji to produce her own productions. “I was driven by the need to create employment for myself at the very least since it’s not easy getting cast. In the process other people get work as well,” she says, adding that she also wanted to create the kind of content she believes the industry is capable of churning by going outside the box and not sticking to the traditional script. Unfortunately as Ms Githinji reveals, the disadvantage of turning into a producer is that other producers forget that you are still an actress. Some of the projects she has done together with actress Janet Kirina include; Save The Date (reality show), The Squad (Talk Show), Glam (drama series), Nganya (TV drama). Rose Njoroge A ctress /W riter /P roducer While some people were born to fit in, others like Rose Njoroge were just born to stand out! She has just recently ventured in the world of producing with the film; Statistic, a short film showing how negative tribalism led to the country’s ugliest and most widespread violence after the 2007 elections. vision. So, I decided to produce,” she notes. Isaya Evans A ctor /A ssistant D irector He is touted as one of the busiest actors in the local scene; jobs seem to follow him; from TV dramas, films all the way to billboard advertisements and as if that was not enough already, Isaya Evans has also taken a chance on the other side of the camera. “Draka, also known as James Kombo one day asked me if I would be interested in being his second advertisement. I laughed and told him that I am an actor, but he insisted and trained me and the rest as they say is history. Another lady called Mwende also trained me and I owe them this part of my career,” Isaya said. Some of the work Isaya has done include; TV series Urembo, Zebra, Mama Duka and the film Zamaradi. Is this a paradigm shift in the film industry? “I realized I am a storyteller. I started by writing scripts for other productions, but they had restrictions. I wanted to tell my stories my way without being limited by someone’s F i l a m u K e n y a PA G E 2 5 n o w p l a y i n g