THE QUEEN OF ENTERTAINMENT PROMOTIONS
Hailing from the small village of Thamaga about 40 km outside the capital, Phodiso Tshegisi, often referred to by her alias ‘Pixel’ is no shrinking violet. For as long as memory serves her, she has always harbored an avid interest in the beauty pageant. Yet, while most millennial women concentrate sorely on the aesthetics of glitz & glamour, Phodiso’s approach has for years been from a business point of view. For years she’s always been a self-starter coordinating pageant events, often having to sacrifice from her own pocket as sponsors rebuffed her, to see her vision materialize. Her blend of beauty & brains is effortless, with stars in her eyes Phodiso has always been a go-getter, putting Thamaga on the map she says ‘has always been & remains part of her story’ among the many goals that she set out to accomplish. Phodiso, who has recently added the Managing Director title to her resùme, is just getting started as she expands her budding portfolio.
‘Pixel’ asserts that she will keep on breaking down barriers and hopefully transforming herself into a role model for young women from all walks of life. The young trailblazer who is slowly building her companies from the ground up is a self-proclaimed dreamer, not concerned with being labeled or put in a stereotypical box. She says that she someday aspires to become a mentor for up & coming female entrepreneurs in the country, as she navigates the local entertainment industry & elevates her status to the top of the upper-echelon in beauty pageant events. She has come across seemingly insurmountable mountains & hurdles but her never-say-die outlook on life propels her forward to aim for more every day as she continues to grow & branch out in different directions with the sole goal of proving to herself that she can achieve whatever she sets her sights on.
Phodiso’s favorite motto & approach to almost everything on which she endeavors is, “the best outfit a woman can wear is her confidence”; and it rings true & speaks to her hobbies & aspirations. Some of her most endearing attributes are her humility & affection for others. It is no wonder why she wants to become a voice for the voiceless, create jobs for youth who are suffocated by the high unemployment rates & help alleviate poverty in the country. She has recently opened a talent representative company with Mixiy Pixiy, the seemingly demure yet vibrantly ebullient young lady is more than ready to take over the world.
In that pursuit to help build up and groom local talent and be she has done so by managing and also promoting these talents. She has of now been 4 years heading 5 as a promoter. This talent of hers and passion can be unexpected. “I have always liked beauty pageants. I once joined Miss little Botswana and that’s when I realized that I love being a promoter,” said the vibrant promoter. She went on to pursue this found passion and became an artist promoter. She promotes artists and also helps them through their production processes. She says she helps them in their lyrical development when they record as she has some lyrical knowledge and is quite the songwriter.
Pixel said that she started small working with small and upcoming artists some of which have now grown into household names in the music industry. When she started she was working with Baks and William Last Krm before he even became the comedian he has come to be known as today. Some of these artists would go on and along the way part ways with her. At the moment she is managing 7 artists Pixel Promotions.
This self-made promoter says that even though she does what she loves and is passionate about, at times that very passion is what keeps her up working hard as it is sometimes challenging for her. She says that she always has to work hard and has to be always on her feet promoting the artists and having to have them on radio stations, television and newspapers as well. “To get to have the artists covered or given slots on stations and news stories is never simple,” she said. She went on to state that at times having to contain and grow her artists is also not easy as there are other managers out there who may compete with her over the artists. She said she has, however, only lost two artists over another manager. One of the other challenges she has had to deal with like any other is also the Covid-19 pandemic.
Even though it’s not an easy kind of profession, Pixel says she always strives to be and do her best for her artists and never disappoints them. She went on to say that she believes she is a big brand and will one day be known throughout the country as the country’s best promoter. She further concluded by encouraging that local artists need and should work together and help each other.
kabelo is a writer, photographer and reporter who is passionate about creative writing and aspires to see the local creative industry being a global competitor.
