South African Music Awards
SAMA 2024 & 2025
Managing the full production eco-system for the South African Music Awards two years running — from RiSA's 30th anniversary milestone show to SAMA31's five-week turnaround broadcast.
Challenge
In 2024, RiSA needed a Project Director to manage the whole eco-system that makes the event a success. This event was a milestone as SAMA celebrated 30 years of music.
In 2025, SAMA31 needed to be executed in just five weeks — a project that traditionally requires three months of planning. Beyond the compressed timeline, the deeper challenge was reputational: the Change Marketing strategy focused on restoring trust and credibility within both the audience and the music industry.
The CHANGE Effect
For 2024, we had the responsibility of managing two production companies from pre-production to broadcast and eventing, coordinating venue management for 2,000 pax across three events in one day.
For 2025, guided by the theme “Give flowers to the music fraternity whilst they can still smell them,” we centered the campaign on real-time recognition and appreciation. Through bold messaging and strategic stakeholder engagement, we reignited belief in the awards' cultural significance. Due to the time constraints, we presented not only strategic ideas but fully executable deliverables ready for immediate implementation upon approval — including theme, look and feel, design elements, set design, hosts, performances, and high-level scripting, prepared with sponsor integration and alignment in mind. The live broadcast successfully hosted 1,000 guests and over 200 personnel, delivering a seamless and impactful event.
Key Deliverables