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Gram with Zinzy
Reality TV can often receive a bad reputation, known as entertainment for the lowest common denominator – lazy, cheap and exploitive. The show I’m about to tell you about is none of that.
The YouTube reality hit Gram with Zinzy is an online offering that follows the life of 22-year-old social media influencer Zinzyswa Mayekiso, whose Instagram fame as @Issa_goddess02 grows exponentially by the day – she’s currently on a massive 237 000 followers. The show is filmed, edited and produced by emerging film maker Morale Pablo Phala.
Phala told #Trending: “Basically, the initial goal was that we wanted to go on to TV, but with the growth and improvement in social media we decided to keep it online. Instagram has introduced IGTV, which is a feature that allows Instagrammers to upload videos that are up to 60 minutes long. We reckon this is a great way to grow our online audience as these days people spend more time online than they do watching TV.”
Gram with Zinzy grabbed my attention from the very first episode. It opens with an intriguing twist where we’re introduced to Zinzy’s best guy friend, Bheka, who has just been dumped by his girlfriend because she doesn’t trust his friendship with Zinzy.
I’m not the only one who is hooked. Zinzy’s YouTube account already has 8 455 subscribers and her videos get around 80 000 views a piece.
Things became even more interesting when, in the latest episode (season 1 episode 5), she breaks the news to her family that she’s pregnant with Thobani “Que” Mgobhozi’s baby. Que is a member of the famous gqom duo Distruction Boyz.
What I enjoy the most about the show is that everyone is relatable and goes through real life experiences.
Zinzy told #Trending: “In the last episode me and my boyfriend were having a fight, and those are the realities of pregnancy hormones. In the episode prior to that one, it was me scared to tell my family about my pregnancy. As much as it’s fun and entertaining, every episode has a message, basically the realities faced by an average 22-year-old. There’s no room to be fake.”
While it’s not difficult to imagine dealing with a pregnancy and the hormones that come with it, it can be challenging to relate to Zinzy’s fancy, classy and elegant lifestyle. But the show makes viewers understand where all the money comes from, and that hard work pays off.
“In the next episode, which comes out next week, viewers will get an in-depth look into my professional life as I have also recently joined radio,” she says.
Though online has worked out well for the show, Zinzy would love to see it on TV at the right time.
“I’m in no rush for it to be on TV because I don’t want to get ripped off. In this industry if you’re still new, people might take advantage.”
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