Put some “Respek” on Samantha Mabaso

Zama Khumalo

Born and bred in the South Coast of Kwa-Zulu Natal, Margate – Soaring Public Relations Maverick, Samantha Mabaso has become a force to be reckoned with in the media and communications industry and she isn’tholding back on obtaining her desired greatness.

Currently residing in Johannesburg, the hustle and bustle of the city breeds new challenges but innovation to become great. Chasing deadlines, meeting new people and coming up with creative concepts may seem a bit daunting to some but too Samantha, this is literally her ‘daily bread’!

Mabaso was recently awarded the ‘Best up and comingindividual Public Relations Professional’  for the prestigious PRISM Awards 2019. The event celebrates those who are making a significant transformation in the Public Relations industry– which is not only a huge honour but portrays the hardwork and talent Samantha’s work holds throughout South Africa…. Wena Mbokodo!

“I called my mother immediately after I got off the stage, I was in tears. I am sure my mom thought something was wrong but as soon as I got a word, she was so proud to hear the news,” she excitedly explains.

Collaborating with fast food franchise, Steers for the ‘Respek Nation’ Campaign (which assisted with her bagging PR award)  was all about acknowledging the new school leaders in the game. Which included Hip Hop Artists: Shane Eagle, J Molley and TTGO.

“The initial idea for ‘Respek Nation’ was mainly aligning a brand with it’s intended target audience. Doing so in a manner that does not talk at the audience but to the audience in a language that resonates with them- which is their language, spoken best by none other than them,” she says.

The campaign was so impressive that it even won a Gold Quill Award at the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC), looking at the objective that she wanted to achieve, one could definitely say she came up victorious.

Working for one of the most prestigious media companies in South Africa– DNA Brand Architectures, has previously and currently dealt with extraordinary brands such as: Castle Lite, Flying Fish, MTV International Networks and many more, which shows the diversity and clientele this Proud Black Owned Business has

It is no wonder Samantha is able draw inspiration from the environment that she is vested in and create nothing but magic. Her passion has even enabled the young woman to dance for one of Africa’s greatest pop stars, Tiwa Sawage.

“Those that know I am a dancer, know that my biggest achievement in my dance career was dancing at the Global Citizen Stage for Tiwa Savage. I am not a liker of things but people think I do. I think it is because I light up the room everywhere I go, which I humbly consider as a blessing”.

Looking into the future, Samantha is extremely excited about it – understandably so! Her dream is to work with brands such as Coca Cola and Heineken which is a goal the industry can surely forsee.

To all those aspiring future PR’s, Samantha simply says: “My advice to someone that wants to be in the PR industry is that if it is not your passion point don’t do it! Reason being when the going gets tough, your resolve comes from your passion you have for your work. Another would be is that PR is not a job, it is your favourite activity on and off the field,” she explains.

One definitely looks forward too all that she has to offer in the future. There is absolutely no doubt she will do wonders and change the media industry.