CultureCollecter made a bold foray into SA's digital media industry

South Africa’s digital media landscape went through a tough period when COVID-19 forced the world indoors. As restrictions have lifted around the country, the devastating loss of publications was keenly felt. Granted, there was certainly decay in the media industry prior to the dawn of COVID. With the world looking to the future, some entrepreneurs saw the opportunity of a captive audience, new digital media platforms.

CultureCollecter, TheHype Collecter and SneakersCollecter are three such platforms that have blossomed since 2020. The first, founded by former editor of Freshmen Magazine, Sphiwo Zembe (better known as Sleazi) sought to highlight African pop culture in digital space with CultureCollecter. In 2021, Mxolisi Mnisi (better known as Trevie) expanded the brand to present TheHype Collecter. Wedded to the music culture of Africa, the platform documents the African music scene’s celebrities, releases, and overall activities. Veering away from music and pop culture, Kgodiso Mdaka (better known as Soulo) founded SneakersCollector in 2022. Still in line with the documentary nature of its predecessors, SneakersCollector focuses on the world of sneakerheads. Everything from news, new releases, and sneaker spotlights is in line with the platform’s interests.

With each brand no older than three years, the collective has been able to amass an audience of approximately 250,000. In an ever changing digital landscape, this cannot be considered as anything less than a spectacular feat. While it’s unclear what’s next for the collective, with a sizable marketshare, the right timing, and focused strategy, the sky is the limit.