2015 interns
The 12 interns will be coached, mentored and assessed throughout the 12-month programme. Academy Director, Bobby Heaney says that they will have the privilege of attending regular masterclasses during the year, benefitting from the experience of top professionals in the industry.
Entry into the M-Net Magic in Motion Academy was structured on accredited universities and institutions submitting their top achievers, having met the criteria of being a B-average student, and in the final year of study towards a three-year film, television or media qualification. M-Net Corporate Affairs Director, Kershnee Govender says, "It is through the dedication and commitment from the universities, we received the highest calibre of students for the first intake. We were overwhelmed at the response we received - after a nation-wide call to entry, we received over 200 applications."
The announcement for the first intake of interns was made after a three-month rigorous selection process. Applications were set against very strict criteria and had to be approved by an M-Net selection panel comprised of Heaney, the M-Net Corporate Affairs team and M-Net Human Resources. From the initial entries, 60 applicants were shortlisted for the next round of the selection process, after much deliberation. After interviews and evaluations, the group of 60 was further shortlisted to 20, on whom video interviews and psychometric tests were conducted, for the final selection of 12.
According to Govender, this is one example of M-Net's commitment to developing local talent in the film and television industry. "Sustainable development is the cornerstone of corporate social investment and when a company invests in initiatives that address an identified need, it paves the way to implement programmes that will provide a sustainable solution for the recipients, and in our case, for the industry as a whole. CSI is no longer seen as just a charitable gesture, there is a strong move towards having a solid strategy and industry partnerships that align with the business objectives and beneficiary needs."
The 12 interns arrived at the company's offices on 2 March 2015 for a two-week long, in-depth induction into M-Net's business. The selected interns will now gain thorough, practical knowledge of the profession after working systematically through the various departments of the film and television production. This month, they travel to Cape Town, to work on the set of M-Net's new reality series, Power Couple. The interns then move on to the Miss South Africa pageant, following which, they are split across various productions, ensuring that each intern spends at least one month of focused training on a different production discipline in a covering all genres, mentored by the country's best.
The academy programme, which Heaney designed in collaboration with M-Net, ensures that the 12 interns cover all genres of television production including: live shows, scripted dramas, reality and actuality; working on major M-Net shows like: MasterChef SA, Miss South Africa, Isibaya, Zabalaza, Binnelanders, Carte Blanche, Big Brother and various others.
