Interview: Pieter van Twisk on Africa Interactive

Africa Interactive is the world's market leader in professional video content produced by local African reporters. Africa Business Communities met with CEO Pieter van Twisk in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Please introduce your company to us
' In the core Africa Interactive is a media production company with a focus on Africa. We use our knowledge of Africa and the talents and knowledge of the media professionals in our network, to produce videos, television series and formats, marketing strategies and communication concepts for our clients. Our clients are NGOs, private companies and multinationals as well as governments.'

Is it right that you have African video reporters in all African countries and hence you can actually work in all African countries?
'We have an extensive network of over 2000 media professionals and can produce content in virtually all African countries. We see a growing demand for African content and it’s great that with our network we have access to all this talent and knowledge.'



Worldwide NGOs experience a growing demand for transparency and accountability by their stakeholders. How can video content help?
'Monitoring and evaluation has always been important, but more and more NGOs find out that doing research and writing bulky reports does not always lead to more understanding and awareness: people just do not have the time to read it all. A video can really tell a story in a few minutes, and most people prefer to watch and not read. Also, in these media centric times we live in, people do not only want to know, they also want to feel. A video is a perfect addition to lengthy reports, for it conveys not only information, but also emotion. By the way, this is not only the case for NGOs, but also for companies. If you want to persuade stakeholders - management, board, investors, shareholders - of your new endeavour… nothing works better than an appealing video.'

It is generally known that there is a big need for high quality African video content. What are the ambitions of Africa Interactive for instance towards television and film?
'About ten years ago, almost 80% of all programs on African television was of foreign origin, predominantly American. Now you see a change. Africans are more self-aware and demand real African content. And rightly so! They want programs they can identify with like programs that relate to their every day lives. Africa Interactive is starting to produce more and more dedicated programs for the African market. We do this always with the creativity, the knowledge and the talent of our network of local media professionals.'

What is the latest news?
'For the business market we just finished a series of programs on new business opportunities in Africa under the title Spark Africa. It is now already sold to 14 channels in 8 African countries. We are now working on a new format called Aid or Trade. This is all about the two different perspectives on Africa development: should we choose for Aid or rely on Trade. More entertaining, we are also working on a weekly program called Films & Stars Africa. And, last but certainly not least, we are making fantastic culinary program on African cooking: Taste Africa!'. The African kitchen has its foundation in the abundance of tasty ingredients and the multitude of African cultures. This is something Africans should be proud of. With this format we want to broaden the culinary horizon of many African mother and boost creativity in the kitchens all over Africa.'


For more information on Africa Interactive please contact

Emile Schmitz
emile@africanews.com
T 0031-20-423 16 44
www.africa-interactive.net

 

This article was originally posted on Venture Capital for Africa

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