With more than 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry, Brunette "Lumkah Fabulas" Mlambo is on a mission to inspire others to take the industry seriously and make a living through their art.
Mlambo, who hails from Vryheid in northern Kwazulu-natal, is a multi-business owner who is making waves in the entertainment industry.
She said her brand development company and her other sister companies had revolutionised the arts and culture sector by implementing cutting-edge tactics that not only generated jobs locally but also had a significant impact on an international scale.
She added that she started this business to provide a platform to aspiring creatives and to unearth, develop and upskill brands through creative and artistic concepts.
Mlambo said passion and prayer kept her motivated.
"Passion and prayer help me to persevere and push forward in this cut-throat industry. My first performance was at the age of 8 and I knew then that this was my destiny. So I've been doing this for over 20 years and I've gained so much experience over the years, hence my company has been set up to teach other aspiring brands about all those experiences so that they can know how to overcome," she said.
One of her challenges about the industry was that she was not being taken seriously.
"People do not take the entertainment industry as a serious job. To them it's just fun, but it's not only that. Some of us have created careers and jobs and it's always sad because there is not enough money injected into arts and culture.
"As arts practitioners, we struggle to carry out artistic projects if we can't get funding. When we do get the funding we have to wait months to receive it," she said.
She said one of her most memorable career moments was when she received her accolades.
"Every time I see new brands develop into something feasible after gaining industry knowledge and applying it accordingly is always a winner for me because that is what the business is about – brand development."
It is through hard work, perseverance and dedication that she and her team have received three awards in the Entertainment and Music category over the past two years.
"Being recognised for our hard work means we are not working in vain, we are changing lives and we have grown not only into Africa but globally through my youth ambassadorship for Nosaconn (New Orleans South Africa Connect), which is a non-profit that promotes music, arts, culture, film and business trade," said Mlambo.
Among her tips for aspiring artists is that they don't get into the industry just to make money.
"Don't do it for the money because that only comes right at the end of the whole process. You need to apply what I call the Triple P method be passionate, pray and persevere.
"If you do those three diligently then the money will come eventually.
"Also, try and do or at least know three things about the sector to sustain yourself because music alone won't cut it, especially if you are independent. Teach yourself about other roles and how much each position offers and strike a balance," she said.
Mlambo said the government had a role to play in developing artists by creating platforms for arts practitioners to learn about funding criteria and proposal language.