Afrikaans entertainment heavyweight Jan Du Plessis founds Primemedia Studios

EXCLUSIVE: Afrikaans entertainment heavyweight Jan du Plessis is back in business.

The high-profile executive was appointed president of Primedia Studios shortly after leaving South African pay television broadcaster M-Net to retire after nearly 30 years.

Primedia Studios will become part of African content giant Primedia, which positions itself as South Africa’s leading production and distribution operator and “the preferred partner of both the local and international audiovisual industry”.

Du Plessis will oversee strategy around the licensing, creation, development, localization and distribution of entertainment programming and content. He will also oversee a “robust succession strategy” to ensure a generation of black leaders rises to senior positions at Primedia.

Joining the company are Primedia Broadcasting Chief Revenue Officer and CEO Lindile Xoko and showrunner and project manager Victoria Ramabulana. Du Plessis will report directly to Primedia Group CEO Jonathan Procter.

The move comes as a surprise as Du Plessis retired from M-Net, where he oversaw both the creative and commercial aspects of the company and managed networks and services in sub-Saharan Africa. He is also known for producing local versions of formats such as Big Brother, agreement or no agreement, My kitchen rules, The voice And idolsand founded the sales department of M-Net.

He has also produced around 70 films for M-Net, many of which received top ratings on networks such as Mzansi Magic, KykNET and M-Net Movie. Elsewhere, he founded the AfricanFilmLibrary (AFL), which today is one of the world’s largest collections of African films, with more than 1,000 in its vaults.

“Jan is an exceptionally talented professional who will inspire the next generation of young people at our company as well as the next generation of leaders in our industry,” says Primedia CEO Procter. “His innovation has created countless opportunities for viewers and advertisers. For Primedia and the rest of the African continent, this will be a defining moment in the evolution of our industry.”

Du Plessis added that he is “confident that rights holders from international formats, studios and indie companies will share our excitement about the launch of Primedia Studios.

“Our customers and advertisers can expect the best in local content, including new and revived formats, as well as dedicated marketing support,” he added. “Marvel has discovered that there are also superheroes in Africa and that Wakanda can be forever. We want the true character and stories of Africa to permeate everything we do and we will invest every available resource in the intellectual property that brings those stories to life. Leveraging the strength and scale of the Primedia Group, Primedia Studios will deliver premium African-inspired content that will resonate with audiences around the world.

South African companies are still predominantly white at the highest level and as such Procter spoke of the importance of the second element of Du Plessis’ role. “Our investment in black talent is an integral part of Primedia’s strategy,” he said. “Our commitment to transformation is non-negotiable. We are deliberately putting it high on our agenda because we know it will not only benefit our own people, but our industry and the continent in general.”

After Du Plessis left M-Net, the payments giant consolidated key management teams under KykNET channels director Waldimar Pelser.