How I got into film

I picked an interest in film in high school after enrolling for an after school program which taught the basics of camera work and broadcast dynamics at a local TV network in Pasadena, California. Since then I have worked on my art of telling stories through film, teaching myself what I needed to learn at the time to achieve constant improvement. After working a few odd events, I finally started making a few bucks on the side in A’level and by the time I was applying to University, it was apparent that mass communication was the next best thing to film.

At university I continued to teach myself, noticing that class was not as beneficial as I thought it would be. I have a pragmatic approach to things and naturally, in second year I joined the UCU film club, which was a collection of students that were passionate about film. A week after its inception, I pitched the idea of making a University podcast that informed and educated the student community on events happening around campus. With a great team, we managed to air six episodes in the dining hall every Wednesday of what was left of that semester. It was a unique project because I got the opportunity to create a product that required constant input from each member of the team, who worked so hard to ensure we had a weekly podcast. It didn’t take long for the podcast to be featured in the University newspaper, the standard and soon after advertisers were interested.

In the midst of the initial success, the vision for it was starting to take on a different directions, in the sense the University wanted some control over it which was why we started it in the first place; to tell our own stories our way. We wanted to tell stories which the University funded newspaper was too shy to tell. After that semester, I quit the show and it was difficult to kill ‘my baby’ however it had served its purpose which was to unite the film club with a single project. And not long after the club won its first contract from the student government to shoot a commemorative documentary for the outgoing Vice chancellor then, Steven Noll. The deadlines were ridiculously impossible to achieve but thanks to the template CTV (Campus TV as we referred to it) had created, it was much easier to implement. A week later when it was showing at his farewell dinner, it hit me that what I really wanted to do with my life was to make awesome films.

It took me another before the same conviction translated into action when I went back home after my finals to tell my dad I was moving out. It was a pretty stupid thing to do at the time because all I had was a duffle bag of clothes, an HP laptop and maybe 15,000/- in change with nowhere to go. However I had made myself a promise, that if ever I didn’t know what I was truly doing, that  as long as I was becoming a better film maker a photographer, that I would be fine somehow in my future.

It has been a remarkable journey which led me to start a film company with my classmate Carlos and we are still making films. Working to ensure that the next film is always better than the last, with the hope it will pay better too.

What overachievers can learn from underachievers

Over the weekend the announcement came that my film had emerged runner up in a film competition for exchange programs held in the United States. It was  exciting news and I bragged about it among my friends however it did not take long to start pondering why I didn't emerge first or why it wasn't an academy award because that's more important. And therein lies a big problem that overachievers face; wishing for more. I call it the the achievers complex.

Spending time with friends who may be considered  not-ambitious has taught me that success is important, though not nearly as important as the experiences and people in our lives who make it fun. In our group conversations, my friends who were not career hungry had more interesting stories to tell. My stories were boring because I couldn't tell a story more than the one involving the celebrity I met at cocktail party the previous weekend. 

Looking at what drives and inspires them, it became apparent that their values and mine were slightly different. While society often frowns at them because it natures them right from an early age to be competitive, they have discovered that the secret to happiness isn't in the numbers but the heart which they follow with a vivid imagination to worlds end.

Underachievers are known for turning hobbies into their full time carriers which  often doesn't not pay much like pompous jobs but they some how get by. Happily, quietly and content. They have discovered the formula for happiness which in contentment, witnessed each day as they realize that less is always more.

But more importantly they value a shared life filled with laughter, joy and happiness, which when summed up equals to life's experiences. Than fame, popularity or respect.

Why men beat women in Uganda (and its totally okay)

A survey conducted in 37 countries in Africa found that Uganda scores the highest percentage of Men aged 15-49 years who consider beating their wives okay as reported by New Vision.

This is a startling fact considering that we are referred to as a peaceful nation, the pearl of Africa at that. Are we secretly harboring our fears and disappointments from the world during the day only to unleash in the middle of the night? Valid questions we need to ask ourselves.

I was lucky to be brought up in a family built on the principals of love and understand. I had never quit comprehended what domestic violence entailed until I moved into an apartment, with a neighbor over the fence that fought with his wife regularly. It was like clockwork, at 4:00am I would wake up to screams of insults, loud door slams and the cry of a woman and children. Sometimes I sat up to imagine what was going on over there. It was nasty and sometimes their neighbors came out to intervene even though it continued to happen.

In the morning when I walked over to the same compound to hitch a ride with my coworker, my heart always sunk as I looked at the ‘fighting’ couple’s twins, waiting for their kindergarten shuttle to pick them up. I thought of the two beautiful angles that were exposed to frightening visuals and sounds of their parents thrifts at night, instead of being fast asleep, dreaming about rainbows and butterflies. Perhaps the saddest part is children like that are trapped in their parents dark cloud of poor choices and there is no one like social services at their aid. I imagine what kind of example the parents are setting for their daughters. As they grow, their character will most likely have two extreme traits; defiance or submission, neither of which are desirable traits of the future African women leaders our continent should aspire to promote.

Uganda is a classic case scenario of a country that is facing the after math of women emancipation and empowerment. As a society, women are below men in social-cultural hierarchy and we have historical practices that support the notion. For example Women in Uganda are under obligation in most tribes to; kneel while greeting/talking to men, eating last, staying in the background at gatherings and are certainly not allowed to echo their grievances in public especially if they contradict popular belief.

Modern times have not made life easier for women either, to play a lead role without feeling victimized. Many schools in Uganda ban girls from growing their hair, subjecting them to regular haircuts like boys, yet hair is the pride of a woman. Over time this plays against women’s self-esteem so much that at about their teen years, men can easily take advantage of them by filling missing void of self assurance and it plays to men’s favor to find a be withered woman of low standards because she makes the perfect victim for battering. Why? Because she doesn’t think much of herself and blindly obeys the man because her own voice was drowned out years ago.

For the man, the glory days of complete dominance are coming to an end and he does not like it. Naïve to him, beating his lady is a way to ensure the status quo remains for as long as it can as the reality sinks in that education has made it possible for women to own fancy jobs that command respect and in some instances earn her more than him. It’s a douchey way to live though. True manhood is based on the principal of mutual respect and trust fostered through a mutual understanding, not brutal coercion.

I think we as men have to come to grips that our error of dominance has come to a sad end and we have to redefine what manhood is and what it stands for without changing our inherent role that we have served over generations of supporting and supplement our women as a duty.

Why Jose Chameleon's 1 million shillings concert will be a hit

Last Thursday, Jose Chameleon announced at his Club unplugged performance that tickets for his December concert will go for a staggering 1 million. Way more than any other concert in Ugandan's history.

As expected many of his fans will protest the price tag and as predicted, Jose will pay a deaf ear to critics, given he is an exception to many entertainment rules. I am particularly happy about his announcement for two reasons.

Time for the rubber to meet the road

From the beginning of Jose Chameleon's carrier, he has closely been compared to Bebe Cool and Bobi wine. However in recent years without a doubt, Jose has managed to constantly and consistently reinvent himself and his music, leaving his competiton far behind amidst little mention in media.

Following his social media streams, it’s apparent that he has toured more countries in the past four years than any other local artist. Proving that he is a well sought after act internationally.  He has achieved this by concentrating on what truly matters to him and his fans; music.

The fault with many artists and by extension celebrities, is they take stardom overly serious that with time fans associate them with scandals instead of their primary business; entertainment. Chameleon continuously delivers to his fans, hits each year in a variety of genres.

At the moment, I can’t tell Bebe cool or Bobi wine’s latest hit which means their visibility is fading and their survival will depend on loyalists who love them for who they are not what they do which will affect their brand growth because they are still selling their music in same market space as they did ten years ago.

Chameleon by default is a trail blazer and his expensive concert will have a positive impact on his brand equity through providing a new opportunity for him to sell to a new audience while creating an even better entertainment experience for his loyalists. A case of behavioral change communication.

Intangible value of brand Equity

Brand equity is a phrase used in the marketing industry which describes the value of having a well-known brand name, based on the idea that the owner of a well-known brand name makes more money. Given his successful carrier spanning well over ten years, it comes with no surprise that his brand name commands more respect than any other name in East Africa's music industry. He was ranked in 2011 as the sixth most talented African Artist, closely following the likes of Akon and P. Sqaure. He has since consistently kept his fans in the loop of what is happening in his music career on social media, steering away for ego- centered interactions.

By focusing on his work, he has managed to attract an heir of aspiration around his brand which makes him far more valuable in the real world and his concert will be proof of that.

For example, Radio and Weasel have good music and are arguably as famous, following their BET nomination last year. However they are falling in the same trap of brand unconsciousness as many entertainers before them. Which is; fans love their music however because they are not communicating their brand story, consequently letting the public tell it for them hence giving them a low score on brand equity scale.

Equity is like leverage, it can be traded in for tangible rewards and I believe Jose is about to cash out on his efforts in digital branding.

Without a doubt, the success of his concert will change the music industry for good for it will change fans perception towards the value of local talent.

Why the GOU and 2016 elections can fuck themselves (Numbers don't lie)

My major grievance with the national budget 2014/15 is that its exclusively targets the poor and middle class population who constitute the majority of the country. For example, a service like Mobile money, which has encouraged monetary transaction for the unbanked sector has been levied a 10% tax per transaction. Which means sending Ugx 50,000/= will cost 5,000/=. This is an exorbitant fee for a service that is making banking available to low income earners. This isn't only bad news for the population but also the agents whose profit margin profit has been on the decline due to market saturation. 

If the ten percent is levied, it will exponentially reduce the number of transactions per individual, directly affecting the profit margins for agents, consequently forcing them out of the market which reduces the number of agents per constituency and eventually making mobile money as less accessible as banks.

Perhaps the most worrying tax increment is on kerosene, hoes and seeds. In rural Uganda, kerosene is a basic commodity for among its many uses power local;y made lamps (tadoba) to provide household with light at night . Increasing its cost by a few shillings means that a family in Arua may have to ration lamp usage at night, a hard reality. 

On the other hand, I would be more comfortable if the cost of cooking gas increased since it is consumed by the affluent population who would still purchase it even if the price increased. The taxation of hoes and seedlings is just inhuman, given the same local population practice subsistence farming; they eat what they plant and taxes on the tools is just absurd. Publications have emphasised the need for Uganda to focus on Agriculture, how are we achieving this if we are making it more expensive for a farmer to plow their land?

The main problem the government of Uganda has is it funds the budget solely from taxes and grants because it sold all its state owned franchises like Uganda railways and Air Uganda that would have otherwise brought in extra income to supplement tax revenues. It seems announcement of the national budget has come to knowing which areas taxes have been increased, as opposed to presentation of strategic approaches of how government is investing and making money from other ventures. 

The final blow came when America announced withdraw of Aid and grants amounting to over Shs. 20 billion over the anti-gay bill signed by the president earlier this year. Much as homosexuality is not a practice we as a country  support, it was not a matter of national interest but rather an interest of a handful of politicians seeking support for re-election in 2016. We were told that we do not need foreign Aid and that we could fund the budget ourselves. Well now, numbers do not lie do they? 

Effectiveness of foreign aid over the years could be debated, but we also cannot deny that it has had its impacts on healthcare and education especially in rural Uganda where our government has neglected its mandate to its own people prompting intervention of other governments (embarrassing).

Herein lies Uganda's major problem; politicization. In anyone's right mind, a sex bill is the last thing our country needed when we have failed to implement basic healthcare and education reforms. We still don't have a national birth database! Everything is political now and if a notion does not serve the political interest of a handful, it is not of "national interest." 

But I do not blame the government as much. I blame the individual bureaucrats  who portray behaviors of greedy spoilt rich kids who expect lunch on a silver plate without having to work for it, at the cost of the common man who is taxed to the eyeball. I hope that the coming generation will teach their children to save and invest so that when they are elected to government offices, they will value the importance of hard work, saving and investment.

I cringe at the thought of an election two years from now and for the record, I care less what the government or opposition have to say or do. I am just trying to make an honest living, raise a family and be happy. Being Ugandan is waking up everyday knowing that you have been fucked over and screwed so bad that its worthless to give a shit. All I ask politicians is to keep the ordinary man out of their petty egocentric fights. "Tuli bakowu."

My 2016 prediction; the opposition will loose at the polls, the government will spend trillions funding the exercise causing high rates of inflation, prompting the central bank to increase taxes in the economy to reduce public expenditure. But really, who are we fooling?

A silver lining to world's end

I woke up in my childhood room. Same bed, I slept in since high school. The window I broke has never been fixed, making it especially chilly at night. The reality is sinking in that I am finally back home because I resigned my job and just might possibility be on the brink of being sidelined by Real marketing for AAR’s business. For now it’s a possibility and a good one at that.

At this point, it’s easy to slip into a state of depression and anxiety by the chilling thought that I just might have lost everything. From a logical perspective, I walked out on a good job that perhaps in another reality would have yielded great returns.

My dream; to make phenomenal art with Carlos and reinvent the technology industry with Frank.

In my heart I know that I am much closer to my goal now than I was a month ago even though current circumstances may suggest otherwise

Regardless of the outcome, I would still do it all over if I had to.  I would much rather trade a mediocre corporate job to work with geniuses like Carlos and Frank. Ultimately we live the lives we design for ourselves and if mediocre is what we settle for in one area of our life, it eventually grows into  other areas till we wake up ten years later, only to realize, we are not living in the house we envisioned and  working on projects that bring us joy, happiness, satisfaction and fulfillment.  

I have found that the things we dream about while asleep, awake and the times in between, should never be traded for, no matter what. Status quo will always tell us it’s impossible, rewarding those who play it safe  making an example of us who don’t. To frighten us to believe less in our ideas. And when you pay enough attention to them, you will start to think they are right. The fact is we are all right.

it’s a small margin between ordinary and exceptionally remarkable and to make it to the latter, you have to be brave to take decisions counter to status quo. Intuitive to trade carefully and minimize risk gradually, be willing to loose for the possibility will keep you sane and lastly, surround yourself with people who will catch you when you fall; feed you when you are hungry, encourage you when you are down and constantly remind you that you are great even when you don’t believe it yourself. For a life shared is more fulfilling.

It’s not enough to just build a profitable company But rather, have a team that will through, conviction and dedication follow an ideal to worlds end. To see the silver lining even in when the day gets cold and lonely.

What matters is what lies ahead, not behind

We are are a total formulation of  behavior, experiences and expectations which are intertwined by our past. And its natural to always refer back to it before making a decision that may have and impact on our future, because we are more comfortable with the past and ensuring that what we are about to do, does not lead us to a path we once promised never to trade on. We like to think we know better because of our past. 

Soon, we let our past define our future, which can easily cast a dark cloud over our fate especially when we are in way over our heads. Its easy, at this point for our minds to only be open to possibilities of failure, death and embarrassment. At this stage its important to remember that there are more possibilities our minds should be open to and that failure is just one of them.

Failure is a reality, depression is a reality and yes, loosing, getting beat up and starting from scratch are all realities. But not the only realities, which is where hope comes in, when all the numbers scream otherwise. Its important through it all, never to press the panic button, and even when you think you might need to, take 24 hours to think through the panic plan before rolling it out.

Success is not an upward trajectory

August 2012 was a bitter sweet month. I was happy to finally complete school; the sad part was the uncertainty of what was coming next. For the first time I could do whatever I wished, but what? Was the question. I had a few conversations with my peers, lecturers and people who I thought were successful but none of them had the answer I was looking for. Perhaps it was because I was hoping someone would magically hand me a flight plan with an itinerary of everything I needed to know. But I never got it.

After final exams, I went back home and my dad thought that it was time for me to leave home. He was kind enough to let me stay an extra night before sending me on my way. The cold harsh reality was starting to sink in, that I had to find a job or create one.

The following day, he dropped me at the stage and wished me luck. All I had was 15,000/=, a travel bag of clothes and a laptop. As he sped away, I saw the clouds forming in the near distance. The view of Buziga from Bunga was spectacular.

For the next four months, I crashed at a friend’s place as I fought to get my life in order. I had hit rock bottom. I had never imaged in my life, debating between buying food or a jerrycan of water. Six months earlier, those questions would have been very trivial, but at that moment, I couldn’t believe it had come down to a life and death situation.

But I kept at it; dreaming, reading and praying. I knew what I wanted to be; rich at the time. I started sending emails to everyone I thought could get me business as a photographer and film maker. Two months later, a few jobs started coming in and I made sure I executed them to the best of my ability and kept hoping that the next job would pay better than the previous.

Then one day, I receive a phone call from Uganda Christian University, regarding a proposal for a promotional video Carlos and I had written a few months before, which in my opinion, thought  was overpriced. It was hard to believe that someone wanted to hire me at the price I had quoted, but then again, I sounded confident and accepted to do it. There was one small problem though; I needed to raise the seed money. Clearly family was out of bounds and all my friends were unemployed and broke.

With only enough taxi fair to Mukono, I went to see a friend, Mark, who had given me work before. I convinced him that if he lent me the amount of money I needed for the project, I would pay him back with ten percent interest. I clearly had no collateral, heck I might have walked back to Kampala had he said no. But luckily he agreed.

From that project, I didn’t look back, I went on to start a media company, outdoor advertising and finally investing into a tech start up.

Almost a year later, I find myself back on a desk, working for an ad agency. The three companies I started have been sold off and my former partners and I hardly see eye to eye. There is a lot of sentiment to go around about what I could have done better and I know that now. Better still, I know that nothing lasts forever and it’s the hard cold reality.

But perhaps the most important lesson of all is from a quote I read back in my dorm room by Steve Jobs, “Stay hungry, stay foolish.” Sometimes it’s good to fail because then the heaviness of being successful is replaced by the lightness of being a beginner again which presents a learning opportunity and therefore grow.

And as long as we are growing, even if the circumstances around us do not indicate we are on the right track, well, you are.

It’s been a remarkable journey for me, living through the highs and lows of life. But through it all, the urge to move out of my comfort zone and stay ever curious has seen me achieve things I thought weren’t possible.  Truth is, having a dream and staying curious is the beginning. As a former entrepreneur, I have learnt it also takes courage, focus and strategy to steer your team to safety.   

2013 in pictures

Irene Namubiru and I at resort beach, 1 Jan for the Uganda waragi Beach party. *LikeABoss

At Aero beach #Yolo moment. I had quit a bit to drink that night which made me realize I was no longer in collage, that was the last time I went on a bender. 

Posing with Robert Kabushenga - CEO of New Vision. I admire his business accumen. I have always thought I could be
as shrewd as he is some day, but then again, I'll probably be better. *Time*experience 

I am sure the picture says it all. Gotta love PR. If someone had told me PR would be this fun, I would have signed up
earlier

I finally took a Steve-job-kinda looking picture. Taken by Nicholas Nsubuga, of course with my setup

I soon realized that an effective PR person has to dress 20% better than people in a room. This was at the end of year staff party, Mark bought me that drink, which has the highest alcohol content I have witnessed. This picture is a representation of the culmination of many small plans coming together to make a stronger, smarter, bolder, humble me.

Aamito Stacey had come to office to pick her letter of endorsement for Africa's next top Model. Her and I were kinda close at University. She emerged winner and now she is a super model. I have to show this picture to my kids one day.

At the Bell Carnival with Bwayo Moses, my good friend. This was the first time we had talked all year. It was probably my fault that we hadn't because I had refused to pay him for a job. This was my apology. 

Sometimes to truly appreciate what you have, you have to live it. This was my second week at work and I could already envision the future. Taking this picture made me appreciate the agency more because all over a sudden I saw what everything could possibly be instead of what it was which was depressing (pay was wanting)

This is Bwire my boda guy. I have no idea what his second name is. But he makes me laugh and even though he is sometimes two hours late when I send him, I still use him because of his interesting conversations. Sometimes I look like an idiot, laughing in public when Im being ridden. good chap

Its been a year since the birth of my second company,Carlos & Patrick, a unique partnership with the brilliant writer/creative Carlos. Right from the start all we wanted to do was create great art and get paid for it. Its amazing how a conversation that started in my dorm room has led to the creation of brilliant work, jobs and a great friendship. To dreaming big.

2013 was great because I got a chance to work things out with my Dad. I am sure in a small way, he is proud of the man I have become.

Strategy, Strategy, Strategy

Clearly I preferred to drink vs run in the MTN Kampala marathon. Silvie, who writes for the CEO magazine is such a darling, never a bore!

Kata Kwii - North Easter Uganda. "Today was an interesting one. Sat with a group of men from Kata Kwii and sipped Ajono while we talked about Soccer, politics and women. One of those moments you are out of your comfort zone to relate with others and the experience is invaluable. Everyday, as it turns out is a learning opportunity. 
Bwayo Moses now I can relate to your Karamoja experience."

"When "I look at the horizon, I can see the destiny of my feet, my strength and sight but i have never seen the destiny of my vision - Napoleon Bonaparte"

With music artist Fille. I was having self esteem issues, lots of doubt, scars from my previous relationship. I realized to get better with ladies, I had to be (seen) with beautiful ladies. Get t

At Lugazi from filming social work emphasis documentary with Carlos. I miss those days we let our hearts and mind forge the impossible. *Fail epic-ally or succeed epic-ally like Carlos likes tos 

I met Joel Katabazi *Kata in 2012, first love Studio. He talked me into advertising. A year later we were working together in the same agency. He commonly referred to me as the weak link, he couldn't have been more wrong

With CMO of MTN and Olympic gold medalist Kiportich. I ran the PR campaign for MTN marathon and Kiprotich helped us gunner some publicity. (I temporarily managed his image) #Awesome

#MTNMarathon_PRPromotion

At Marathon with Lawson. He and I studied together in Seroma Christian High School, S.4 2005.

Maggie Kigozi, brilliant business lady. This was at an international trade work seminar. (should have dressed better)

2013 was tough , especially for mum who under went more than 3 eye surgery's. I was blessed to celebrate Christmas with her and yes, she is so cool, thats where I get my awesomeness from! #SwaggLikeUs

Work like you are getting fired next week. True in many ways and this pictures captures that moment when I almost lost my job until I realized I had to always be the smartest guy in the room in order to demonstrate my worth, which came with a lot of donkey work, research and chores.

At the launch of Kampala Marathon. The whole launch plan was my strategy. Here I was basking in the moment of success. The sleepless nights had finally paid off, or so it seemed then.

Indipendence day found me at River Nile Jinja enjoying, a cold a Nile and the juiciest stake I have ever had. Made me realize how many freedoms we take for granted in Ug. #UG2thecore

These two. The picture was taken at my house, After Konnie and Faith had slept over. I admired their sense of loyalty for each other.

I spend a lot of time alone, listening to music. That's where my brilliant Ideas come from.

December 24th 11 PM and I was still in office because I realized that the action was at the next curb!

My first ever radio interview, done by the one and only Yvonne Kushe. her and I go way back to 2007. I realized that as a PR person, I need to work on my face value, in other words, be out there more because for some reason I figured it was going to come in handy one day. I guess time will tell.