January 26, 2023

The company we keep: Masters of the Nguniverse

The Company We Keep is a column on the CN&CO blog that profiles some of the most interesting people in our networks. Here we share the details of the lives of people we know, showcasing the extraordinary diversity of our society and proving that people truly are at the heart of everything we do.

Nguniverse Studios is a film production studio formed in 2020 by award winning filmmaker Thabo Rametsi (pictured right above) and corporate finance specialist Thabiso Mabanna (on the left). The company was formed to tell African stories on a large scale with the aim of increasing African representation in sci-fi, historical epics, superhero and action films – with a particular focus on black female protagonists.

We met the Nguniverse guys through our late friend Aletta Alberts, who served as their mentor through the Aletta Alberts Young Talent Fund before she passed away in 2021. One of our other good friends in the biz, Michele Sparkes, has since taken over the mentorship role.

Thabo and Thabiso are both highly accomplished individuals: Thabo is a prolific, award-winning writer, actor and director, while Thabiso is highly successful in the financial services industry.

Nguniverse is currently in development with Dark Horse Comics and Denver and Delilah productions on various comic book, film and television deals. The company has also entered into a development deal with Netflix for an original concept named Mavis and the Mechanics, which sounds really fun! (Mavis, a cleaner and caretaker at private male strip club, is convinced by the strippers to help them steal the cruel owner’s money and escape to her hometown of Thaba Ntsu.)

The Nguniverse guys also serve as executive producers on the historical epic Blood Psalms. In addition, the company has worked in the advertising space, producing commercials for the likes of MTN, Johnny Walker, kykNET, Telkom and Trace.

The company has taken up office space with EasyEquities, which means that we (and, by extension, our network) have unfettered access to some of SA’s top talent in the film industry! Drop us a note if you’re keen for an introduction.

And follow @nguniverse_studios on Instagram.

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