I had the most amazing day today.  I got to take photos of some extraordinary and very energetic and inspiring people today as they met and travelled around Johannesburg and Soweto.  3 Virgin Media Pioneer entrepreneurs from the UK came to South Africa this morning and met up with 3 South African entrepreneurs associated with the Branson Centre in Braamfontein.

The Virgin Media Pioneers are Ashley-Rae Tapping (creator of Loud Culture clothing which was launched this year and already has a celebrity following), Amman Ahmed (creator of a7records and his labels include EasySleepMusic, RelaxingRecords and Relaxmydog)  and Jade Carlisle (founder of Global Moguls who focusses on promoting and developing emerging artists across various genres between the UK and SA).  The Branson Centre entrepreneurs are Lesego Malatsi (Mzansi Designers, and he’s just come back from showing his clothes at London Fashion Week), Freda Sebolai (who designs beaded jewellery) and Maakaplan Mchunu (creator of Ouleik Records and Soweto Internet Radio)

They were joined by people from Virgin Media, as well as a Times journalist, and presenters from Pioneer TV and SBTV.

Everyone met up at the Branson Centre in Braamfontein and told a bit of their stories…

… before we headed off to Lesego Malatsi’s studios in downtown JHB.

By then we were running late, which was a huge pity so we didn’t have time to stop at the Walter Sisulu Square in Soweto, and instead we went straight to Sakhumzi on Vilakazi Street in Soweto where we had lunch.  I think the noise in place was a huge shock to the visitors who only arrived this morning… LOL!! It was loud and very very festive in there!

We then did a tour of the Mandela house.  I’ve actually never been there before, and it was so very interesting!!  Hardly any of the South Africans on the trip had actually been there before, and we all commented about how much we enjoyed it.  The memorabilia in the house is just amazing, and the stories told by the tour guides about the bullets and walls and how the house had changed was interesting.  I did however leave feeling that it was too clean… by this I mean that the structure of the house is there, but everything else around it has been upgraded, and it’s a pity as I felt they’d stripped the character and the story out of it.

And then we went to Maponya Mall to visit Lesego’s shop

And tomorrow is even more exciting… I’ll be taking photos at the Branson Centre again, where Richard Branson is speaking to entrepreneurs and launching his new book, Screw Business As Usual,  in South Africa… and then there’s a gala dinner that I’m also attending.

If you want to follow the day on Twitter, the hashtag is #sbau (Screw Business As Usual)… and I’ll be posting there and on Instagram as I go along.  I’ll be tweeting as much as I can between taking photos

One of my images from the photoshoot I did with the Branson Centre for Entrepreneurs in Braamfontein is now gracing the cover of the November 2011 SA Express in-flight magazine.  I took photos of Lesego Malatsi just before he left for London Fashion Week.

I’m thrilled of course my first print cover image!!

Tribeca PR asked me to take photos at the Whisky Live Festival in Johannesburg this evening.  After a few discussions with them, I decided that it would also be a good idea to have someone else second me… so Alana Meyer joined for the evening too.  Thankfully I wasn’t alone for this event, because my word, there was a lot going on and such a lot to cover!!

I joined these guys at the Compass Box Art of Blending zone, where they had to blend a whisky.  They had to produce 100mls of a new blend, and write the recipe on the bottle too.  Apparently the best blend over the 3 days of the festival wins a prize.  The Thornton brothers were definitely more scientific in their blend than the Robertson brothers, writing down formulas as they went and using the calculator on their phone to work out their blend

Then I popped in a the Pick n Pay canape and whisky pairing zone

… before I headed over to the GlendDronach and Ben Riach stands to watch a bit of tasting, and for the filling of bottles from the cask containing a 21 year old whisky.

Then I bumped into Mike Sharman and Melissa Attree at the Bunnahabhain tasting session

At the Penderyn stand, Gillian MacDonald from Wales, was doing a tasting with visitors and teaching them a bit of Welsh in the process

The Whisky Live Festival is on at the Sandton Convention Centre until Friday, and if you don’t have tickets yet, do yourself a favour, and get some.   I’m not a big whisky drinker, in fact, I think I have only ever had it a few times in my life… but I must say… this Whisky Festival is awesome!!

I attended the opening of the new bigger and better premises for the Branson Centre for Entrepreneurship in Johannesburg this afternoon (after taking photos of Lesego’s studio for the centre).

The Branson Centre was opened in 2006 in Johannesburg, and they’ve just moved to bigger premises on Melle str in Braamfontein (right in the heart of where all the regeneration is taking place).  It’s going to be a gorgeous place once it’s been properly kitted out, but you can already see the potential with spaces ready for an internet cafe and meeting rooms and training facilities.

The event was also held to introduce the new CEO, Tracey Webster, to the entrepreneurs.  After listening to her talk, and the talks given by her team, this is going to be one exciting place to be a part of in the coming months.

All the entrepreneurs were given baby indigenous trees to plant… as take home gifts.  LOVE that idea!

Tracey Webster, the new CEO of Branson Centre and Virgin Unite Africa (she’s the ex CEO of the Starfish Foundation), spoke about the plans for the centre in 2012.

This guy, Yashwin Mohan, owns a company called Game Over, and he’s developed new games arcade machines… and he was telling me that his new dance machine for kids is going to be installed in the Virgin Active gyms!!

Blessing is also quite amazing… he has his own clothing label and also manufactures a range of soft home furnishings

This lady, Lorcia, owns an events and catering company… and she organised all the food and drinks for this afternoon’s event.  During the presentation we watched a video about her, and she lives in Meadowlands in Soweto and is involved with a group that are trying to organise a tourism route in Meadowlands.

There was such a buzz of energy in the building, with all these people with wonderful ideas and plans… and they’re actually living their dreams.  Such an inspiring bunch of people.  As for the new location… it’s absolutely perfect and is so close to the new markets and redeveloped parts of the city… this is going to be a place that everyone will want to be.

If you were at the event, these photos and a few more have been put into a Facebook album.  If you “like” the Facebook page you’ll be able to tag yourself there.

Lesego Malatsi is the MD of Mzansi Designs, and has his design studio on the 10th floor of an office building in downtown Johannesburg and a store in Mopane Mall… and he’s headed for the big time!!  He’s been invited to showcase his designs at the Fashions Finest London Fashion Week Show in September (which is a recognised off schedule show).

The Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship asked me to take photos of his studio and part of his collection this afternoon (it was a huge pity that all the dresses he’s showing are already in London), as well as the hats (made by ex-Nigerian Folake Adejuyigbe) and accessories made by Freda Sebolai (who originally comes from Koffiefontein in the Freestate).  These hats and accessories are the ones that will be used with Lesego’s outfits on the catwalks in London.

Freda is not only a jewellery designer (whose jewellery is being used in the wardrobes of some of the local soapies, and she sells them at local markets), but she has her own youth marketing company and she’s also a model.

As for Folake’s hats… how amazing!  Folake is originally from Nigeria and has lived in South Africa for the last 10 odd years. Her hats are made from a netting type of material… and she handmakes them!

And I just LOVED the fascinator she wore on her head!

And lastly a few photos of the man himself… Lesego… wearing one of his own shirts I might add!

I wish these 3 all the very best of luck… I think it’s awesome to see South African designers on an international stage!