By Laura Cenge
Many times, I watched movies to feel inspired, celebrate an occasion, entertain friends and myself, or to kill boredom. Between the ages of 7 and 12, I recall wandering off from home to watch movies in the nearby movie halls for Shs500.
Little did I know that my career path was being precast at the time with the various films that I grew to appreciate over the course of my school years and later adult life.
This is the story of Kazinja Michael Paul, a charismatic graduate of journalism from the School of Media and Communication at Uganda Christian University (UCU), Class of 2018, a graduate of film and television production from the Africa Digital Media Institute, Nairobi, Kenya, and currently a commercial producer at Vision Group.
Film production is a passion he unknowingly nurtured from childhood due to his keen interest in human-interest stories. He resonates with Nia DaCosta, a renown American film director who once said, “I just want to tell good stories in ways that will shine a light on lives rarely seen on screen, because stories can push humanity forward.” This is where he drew inspiration to tell people’s stories through the lens of cameras, using the best cinematography in film and documentary forms.
“During my undergraduate degree at UCU, I got the opportunity to intern at Vision Group for 3 months, where I got a chance to put my theoretical knowledge to the test.” Said Kazinja. He was able to interact with producers in the field, do camera work, and sharpen his other skills like video editing, transcription, and organizing events and expositions, among others.
After graduating, Kazinja quickly realized that the real job market needed him to be a multi-talented creative who is also a hands-on individual with skills in digital creativity, film and drama production, script writing, editing, copywriting, budget development, and management, among others.
It was at this point that he went to Kenya and enrolled in the Africa Digital Media Institute to pursue an advanced diploma in film and television production for two years. He graduated with Champion and Leadership Awards, which are usually bestowed on outstanding students who perform exceptionally in their class.
The diploma boosted his employment opportunities once he returned to Uganda since it was a hands-on course that enabled him to gain soft and technical skills in cinematography, use of high-end equipment like black magic cameras and lenses, use of production software to edit and write scripts, career Launchpad, film and drama production, casting, content distribution and marketing, etc.
His former lecturer at Uganda Christian University, Geoffrey Ssenoga, remembers Kasinja’s time as a student vividly. “He was a very dedicated student, not disruptive at all, and he had this sense of commitment that was visible on his face, and he would take his work very seriously and have it done in time.” Said Geoffrey Ssenoga.
A classmate and friend, Nicky Ireeta from UCU, describes him as a team player and contributor to a number of projects while at campus. She recalls Kazinja conducting roll calls to ensure none of his groupmates were left out.
Moving forward, Kazinja was able to apply for and secure a job at Vision Group as a commercial producer a few months after his return to Uganda. He has since worked on various production projects that include Harvest Money Expo, Ekitaawulizi TV drama, The Parish Development Model documentaries, Miss Ne Mr. Bukedde, Nalongo Mu Kabawo, Homes and Construction Expo, Bride and Groom Expo, Herbal Expo, and many others.
His supervisor, Arnold Ssebutiko, spoke highly of Kazinja’s zeal, passion, and hardworking nature, along with his impressive turn-around time on assignments given to him.
Sebutiko said, “He plans ahead of time and keeps a schedule to stay organized while handling various projects, some of which at times are happening concurrently.”
However, Kazinja notes that whereas being a creative and a producer is an enjoyable job, it also has challenges, and he singled out a major one as the huge gap in content distribution and marketing. He explained that most of the Ugandan content is produced and distributed to only our audience in Uganda, and yet more efforts can be channeled into pushing it to other countries and even continents. This can be beneficial in terms of opening up new markets and building up the creative industry in Uganda.
Content marketing and distribution is a marketing strategy that deals with the creation and sharing of valuable, relevant, and consistent material that is aimed at attracting and retaining a clearly defined audience, such as entertainment. The aim is mainly to provide profitable customer action, like the purchase of the product or service, hence creating a relationship with the audience at large.
Kazinja recommended that content marketing and distribution be something that can be done since it is already being done in other countries like Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa. These countries have movies on giant film and movie distribution platforms like Netflix and Showmax.
He also has plans to further his education by pursuing a Master of Arts (MA in Film Distribution and Marketing in order to spearhead the cause of content distribution and marketing in Uganda.
Kazinja is married to one beautiful wife, Elizabeth Nakiru Kazinja, communications personnel, and UCU alumni. Together, they are a force to reckon with in the media and communications industry, he says.
