 What's up everybody? Welcome to SPM Buzz. My good name is Ms. Kithingi. Guys, today we are at the Alchemist Wear, Hustle, Sasa Initiative. It's going to be giving a thousand artists across the country a platform for them to learn about show business and of course monetize their talent. Now, they have adopted this initiative turning passions into livelihood and they are going to be conducting a masterclass that is going to be putting you on top of your game. Now all you have to do is stay tuned on their social media platforms as they are going to be showing you or rather telling you how you're going to be joining this free program and benefit from it. To remind you, an artist is anyone who of course uses their creative mind, be it a musician, a dancer, a poetry person and anything that you consider art. So you need to stay tuned on their social media platforms because they are going to be informing you on how to join this free program. Stay tuned as we keep you posted on what exactly is happening on this press launch. It's all spaced out in a way that allows you to still, if you still need to go to class, if you're in college you can be able to do that. If you have a business, if you're on arm, you'll still be able to join and do your other things from wherever you are. So yeah, we're starting today and that's why you guys are here as important stakeholders. It's important for the media to be here because your voice, your platform is much greater than ours. It's also important for us to have you created here because if you think this project makes sense for you, you can go back and tell your other friends about it, ask them to apply. So yeah. Okay, great. Maybe I would engage our other panelists like Riz here who's the head of marketing at Hassel Sasa. So Riz maybe you can debrief to us how you particularly want to market this program to the rest of the interested parties, like the creatives. Okay, yeah, well, that's why we're voting for us for this. We were expecting you guys to do something for us as well. No, but also combined with performance based digital online campaign. I believe that we will do that through a lot of great storytelling and case studies as well. We've run this project, we've run a similar style of project before and a very smaller scale that Steph was in charge of. So she's really got a lot of wealth and knowledge. And then we're combining that obviously with a small ATL campaign on the radio and then obviously grassroots strategies like university campus tours and here just from the ground head. But I think one of the most important things is actually the Hassel Sasa community itself, the community of creators that we've built over the last year and a half, two years. They are our greatest advocates and they promote and push their friends and their creators because let's not forget everyone here, even if you have a nine to five job somewhere along the line, you're creative and you're passionate about something. And whether that's a writer or, you know, a painter or, you know, a poet, right. All of you guys have something to share with the world and I'm pretty sure that one of your fans or ten of your fans or maybe even a thousand of your fans are willing to buy it. And all we want to do is kind of set you up so that you have all the skill sets to win. Awesome. Yeah, so tell a friend to tell a friend. We have creative friends in each one of us. We are all in one big community here. It's a big village of us. So he intends to spread the word, you know, by marketing this to word of mouth. We can also share the word through social media and I think it's a very, very brilliant program. Maybe I'd like my friends here on the right to say something. Do you have Mike Wango? Wango has been part of a previous program. So maybe Wango can share his experience being part of a previous incubation program and, you know, what can people expect from these kinds of initiatives? So, one more once again. So I was part of a program that was in collaboration with an art exchange. So the whole program was about equipping creatives with skills to learn businesses in the creative sector. So we got to learn, you know, different things that we got to do. Brandy, customer service, social media was quite insightful. And also enjoying on the Hassel Zassar platform also quite helps in running our businesses as well. Because personally, it's easier now for me to even monitor sales whenever people order t-shirts. Because I sell t-shirts branded, I do Nairobi. So for me, as a user of the Hassel Zassar, it's easier. Well, that's after them equipping me with the skills and all that I'm going to do. It's easier for me now to even follow up on orders as a vendor. And also for my clients to order the products that they like from my platform. So it's easier for me to have a platform if you don't have a website that's running on there. It's easier for them to order and for me to follow up on that since I can still have access to the information. So whenever a product gets to them, it's easier for me to follow up whether they want it or probably they have to receive, say, updates or newsletters. So that's something that's really quite important. Also, you find that it's easier for me to have a current Nairobi team that can help me manage the same platform. So I'm not aware that I'm not close to anyone. It's easier for someone else to still take up orders. We also do an event. So someone else can also check the tickets whenever people are coming in. So that's something. Also, there's the aspect of like, it helps with such an immediate visibility. Because once in a while, whenever I have an event, I might push it to good feathers or tassels also. And like, you have an event coming up in two or three weeks. So they help push the event. So it brings about an aspect of visibility which is definitely a plus when it comes to marketing. Also, as I mentioned, about the aspect of our website. So even before creating our website, you have that platform that can still push your staff on an e-commerce platform. So whenever I get to build a website, it's easier for me to look for two websites. I don't need to add everything on this one website, but could redirect someone to this other website because it's still easier to move around and it's quite easier for me. And I feel like all that, the knowledge that's helping me move around this whole website and platform has really been impactful. And it came from the program that was there before us signing up onto the website. Then I helped me run a business because it's also a very intricate access space. Especially for someone who just wants to create. And then you add something that makes it easier for you to sell. Rather than having to be out there doing a whole lot of marketing. But you just prefer to be taught in your space creating one. So yeah, really grateful that we could push it. Round of applause for Wango. Yeah, so there's a lot of benefits that you gain as a creative. It's not just the creative aspect of being an artist in which you can actually have in your arsenal as an artist. It's important to learn the business side. It's important to have financial literacy. The IP side, how to protect your art in terms of copyright, in terms of patenting your work. Maybe if you have an invention that can revolutionize something. You never know. You guys are amazing guys. And you're up to many things. So these are the kind of skills that you can actually upskill when you join such a program. So maybe I'll talk to my boy Mars. Welcome to the panel and thank you for making time with us. Yeah, it's very hard to get you or let him see you in the flesh. Yeah, Hebrew fun has been very impactful in security grants. Also just uplifting the creative community through finances. Getting grants, getting these incubation projects running. This is not the first call. So how has Hebrew fun, for example, been able to impact the creative economy? And how can also creators sort of learn to apply for grants? What do they need to know when they apply for these grants? Thank you very much. That question I'll approach it in two ways. So first I'll start by saying that Kiva started working on Twitter. And other than just handling the supporting business in the creative industries financially, we've also been doing a lot of work in research and policy discussion with the governments around the creative and cultural industries. Not only in Kenya, but in the region of large. So for this particular engagement, we were working with an organization known as the British Council. So we are co-implementing partners for the program which has also been a fishery group. The program is called Ignite Culture. And it is a grant facility that we've offered to 14 countries in Eastern Africa. And so far we have a portfolio of 30 plus businesses across Europe. I want to applause to Kiva for what they're doing for the creative community. So not just in Kenya, but we have organizations working as far off as Mauratius and even quite recently Somalia, which are very popular. And so what we are able to do with our work and the support that we give creatives across the foremost through this program is we've enabled several companies to own the means of production. So several of our beneficiaries have been able to upskill their equipment, get better equipment to make better product, which has been really exciting. Another way that this project has been super beneficial for the sector in Kenya is that there's new ways that audiences are being engaged. For instance, we're working with people who are in new mediums, such as augmented reality or virtual reality. We're also working with people who are digitizing existing archives of cultural works and all the music they're trying to bring to new audiences to find this portfolio of people to access yours. So that's been really cool as well. Another way has been through skills training and running. So as you can see this project is going to support about 1,000 creatives in the country. This is just one project. So we have a portfolio of about 30 and about 10 of them are working in scales. So now you can sort of scale that out and see how many people are going to impact it from that rate. But not only are these organizations going to be impacting new skills in the sector, but we're also working very closely with them to improve their own capacity so that they're able to also benefit from grants and funding, whether it's debt funding or grant funding from other organizations and other institutions in the future. So they are also going to be learning a lot. We are also going to be learning a lot from them as well so that helps us improve our processes in the future. And lastly I'd say that this grant has also been creating a lot of jobs in the sector, which were really powerful. Anytime you work with an organization and the organization tells us because of you we're able to support our staff for a period of this amount of time because of the grant funding. Anytime you put money in an artist's pocket, that sort of is a good thing. So that's something we're really proud of and we're really happy to be encouraging and supporting organizations to tell their stories and work in the ways that they seem to want to work. We're not a rigid partner, I'm sure you can say our team is made up of artists so we know how to work with artists and we know how to articulate the issues of artists when they're talking to the donors and the big farmers out there and one last thing I'd like to say is that I have to mention who supports our program as well. So our program is funded by the European Union and also supported by the organization of African Caribbean and Pacific States. So maybe my last question would be a round of applause for Mars. What that means is amazing for the creative economy and also just people in general are creating job opportunities which is very amazing. That's not something to just overlook. When is perhaps the next grant available? Can you maybe raise awareness on that? So this facility in particular, unfortunately, we had our last round of applications. The last round of applications was actually the several of last years. We have run this facility from, we have had three courts, the first court is currently the second year of implementation. The Hassoul Sassateen is part of the second court which will be implementing from now up until December of this year and we have another court that is also being supported that we can implement up until that time. The grants were ranging from 30,000 euros to 180,000 euros throughout our organization. But we are currently working on new opportunities where we say that we are constantly fundraising and constantly trying to do the interface between the owner and the sector in Kenya and in the region. So as soon as there is new information and you can go to look at our website www.nivafan.com You can check out our socials as well. You can follow us on Twitter, in Nica, Twitter, Facebook and so on and so forth. And you'll be able to see the opportunities. It's not just fun, there's a lot we do. We also do a lot of research work. It's also useful for the sector. So there's a lot to learn on our platform and I think it's a good sort of technique. So for your organizations, if you're an independent artist, if you're a creative entrepreneur, you want to engage my guy here, Mark Masai and learn more about what Keep Up What is doing for the creative sector. I think Mike has been a little bit too quiet. I mean, yeah, Mike, so I want to engage him. So Mike, how is this turning passion to light the quick program going to impact the app since you're on the back end? You know, maybe in terms of data, how can artists, you know, get this information from your data bank and are they able to track some stuff from the back end like sales? How many people are visiting the page? Maybe I think that's something that we can share with the audience. Hassel Sassa is all about creating opportunities for creatives, right? We are all about what this program is about, right? We are constantly trying to figure out what the creatives need, what kind of data can help them move forward, what kind of information they would want to interact with and building that into our platform, right? So the tech aside, this program is part of, you know, the ways that we can make the creative sector better, right? When it comes to the tech, the app itself, creators are able to see how many people are visiting their pages. You're able to see each and every one of your customers. Anybody who buys from you, anybody who interacts with your website, you're able to see their name, their phone number. You can follow up with them at any time that you want, right? Which is something that creators in Africa have in their pockets, right? If you put your music on Spotify, on YouTube, you have no idea who listens to your music or who watches your videos, right? But with Hassel Sassa, you're able to see the customers, you're able to interact with them. You have analytics on the app, very in-depth insights, so you see exactly how many people are interacting with your website or buying your products. And very soon, we are coming up with a lot more features to help you see comments and ratings as well, based on what your customers think about you, right? Another thing that we are working on now, which most likely will be launched next week, is our Hassel Sassa Marketplace. We want creators to be able to sell to the world, right? Not just selling in your own country. We want you to be able to sell to anybody, anywhere in the world. Get paid in any currency, right? And then be able to withdraw that money in the currency of your country. So we are very excited about that. Just stay on our social media platforms. We will be announcing it on there next week. Yeah, you heard it from the main mic itself. So let's get around to a quick one. Yeah, I feel like Hassel Sassa is important that we also identify. They have over 10,000 creative entrepreneurs on the platform. 10,000 creative entrepreneurs selling different sorts of products, selling experiences, selling tickets, 40,000 unique buyers. So it's a proven product. It's something that works. And they also care about the creative community. That's why they're able to start the platform and continue the beautiful work that they're doing. So I think at this juncture, maybe I'd like to take some questions from the media if you have any questions or our guests. You went up there? Yeah, we're open to taking questions and I'm sure you can ask staff, the head of community, anything you'd like to know about this program. How can you benefit if it's not clear enough? We still have time for that. And all of our distinguished panelists. So the floor is yours, guys. Everyone, my name is Ms. Kevenji. I work for SPM Buzz. It's an online media. So if you guys could follow us, we would really appreciate it. Don't forget to subscribe. Let me start with commenting you guys because of this initiative. I feel like most of our creators have really not mastered how to make money because they don't know how. They're so talented, but they don't know how to monetize it. So I think this is a very good initiative to just bring to Kenyans. My question is, we have, or rather you have, a thousand slots for Kenyans across the country. What criteria are you guys going to use to choose who takes what and how many in what category it takes a number of space? How are you going to go about that? Thank you. That's a great question. Thank you, Ansa. So first and foremost, I think we're sort of looking at things in the same lens as we do with our business, Hasut Sasa. So when we mention a creative on Hasut Sasa, when you go and create your online store, you're asked what creator type are you. You are a digital creator that someone who makes products that are not tangible. So if you're a musician, you want to expand on that. Maybe you do like e-books, stuff like that, or you're an event creator, so that means you organize fairs, poetry slams, concerts, stuff like that. If you're a retail creator, that means you sell a physical product, whether it's fashion, like clothing, or your merch, or physical copies of your book, prints of your photos, stuff like that. And then we have services as well. People who offer vocal lessons, or you can book them to teach you dance training, gym instructors. We consider all those as creatives on the app. The last creator type we have on Hasut Sasa is food and beverage, right? We consider culinary artists as artists, right? So people you like to enjoy food from, pastries, they make their own sauces, drinks, all those you consider as creatives. So that's range, it's really broad, and that's one of the things that makes this program different from others in the market. So it's the fact that we're not just waiting for music producers, or performing musicians, or dancers, it's such a wide range, right? So that's the first thing we're going to say about everyone. I think another thing is this is an initiative for them. So when we say that, that's anyone between the age of 18 to 35, and then also similarly to our app, we have creatives at different stages of their journey in terms of skillset, right? I can be someone who, like, I want to start rapping. I've never rapped before, but I want to start. You can join Hasut Sasa, right? To the Southie Souls, to the Guaduanas in the event industry, right? We have everything from beginner to sort of expert and inter-community between. We're also making space instead of bringing our mathematics to balance it out in that way so that we have people who are beginners, people who find themselves in the middle and want to get to experts, people who believe they're experts but don't believe that, like, the money they're making is equivalent to their expertise and their skillset. So there's that. I think also something else to mention is we're really, really also focused on having a lot of marginalized communities represented in the participation of the program so that's people who are in the LGBT IQA Plus community to refugees to people with physical disabilities who want to include everyone, right? Yeah, yeah, so I hope I've answered your question. It's fine, wide, it's not just I think that's another thing to mention. We want everybody to have a chance to be a part of this and hopefully this is not like a one-time program as Alfred has said, we've done this before, last year so we want to be able to go bigger and better, yeah. Right now we have so many people who are doing their thing but also still have to do their jobs because we don't know exactly how to make money out of that. So I think thinking like this is very important and I know it's going to have great results and a result of learning from experienced people there's so many things around being a creative with the legal with the money, there's a lot of things. So I think initiatives like this are very important for the creative industry and yeah, I hope I I'll make the most to think of anything that is needed to know better about the perspective of everything I'm very excited to help the industry go because if one person goes, all of us go so yeah it's a great way to do it.