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- Content creator and TV presenter Naledi Mallela went from being sacked at her dad’s construction company to becoming a YouTube star.
- The 28-year-old joined the platform as an outlet and had no idea it would become a lucrative business in the long run.
- Although there’s much success in the digital space, the MBA graduate urges youngsters to stay in school and have an education to fall back on.
- For more stories, visit the Tech and Trends homepage.
Digital creative Naledi Mallela went from getting fired from her dad’s construction company to becoming a YouTube star, TV presenter, and one of the most successful content creators in South Africa.
The 28-year-old South African digital creative tried her luck in content creation with her sister on YouTube in 2016. This happened shortly after she moved in with her father following her mother’s death.
Although the YouTube channel was only an outlet, she had no idea it would soon become a lucrative business and a way of living.
“My sister and I decided that we’re going to start a channel that’s gonna focus on beauty but more relatable to the audience in South Africa, and that’s how Beauty Corner came about. It was a sister channel,” said Mallela.
After the pair decided to part ways on the platform, both their respective channels continued to grow, but Mallela still viewed content creation as only an outlet as she was working in corporate at the time.
“I really was in my corporate bag, which is why I studied all the time up until master's level. I really wanted to get into corporate. My ideal job was chief marketing officer, and I had a specific company I wanted to work for.
“Everything was kind of set in stone for me, but YouTube was just an outlet. I really enjoyed the content creation space, and little did I realise that I would find a tribe that would enjoy my character,” Mallela told New24.
Making money
By 2019, the content creator had figured out the kind of videos she enjoyed making, including mukbangs, confession sessions, story times, and more. Rebranding from beauty to lifestyle proved worthwhile as she started making more money on her channel.
“The first big bag that I got - this is pretty relative - was about R2 500… and then every month it doubled. But the biggest one I’ve made from the YouTube platform today was just a little under R40 000,” she told News24.
Leaving corporate for content creation
2019 would also be Mallela’s final year working in the corporate space. After being laid off at her dad’s construction company, she decided her main focus would be YouTube.
In the same year, her income spiked. “I went from making about R6 000 to R12 000, R14 000 monthly because people were staying at home and were watching.
“I knew that content creation was doing a lot for me, and I could let go of corporate, but a part of me still wanted to build something. Covid kind of cemented the fact that I would excel in content creation. By the time lockdown eased up, I was getting so many campaigns that it just became easier,” she said.
During this time, Mallela also landed a show on Channel O called My Top 5. She decided then to focus solely on her career as a digital creative.
Her career in the digital creative space seems to be at its peak, and she would only go back to a conventional "9-to-5" under certain conditions.
“The only time I’d go back to corporate is if I were to go back to teach people more about digital content creation.
“My master's thesis was on the impact of content creation in the corporate space and how it has leveraged off of that from the pandemic,” she said.
Keeping it real
Mallela said that as a content creator, it is crucial to work with brands that value her as a creative and also gel with her bubbly personality.
“There were a lot of alcohol brands that I turned down because I felt like … some brands didn’t really like my personality and didn’t really understand me … some brands use you for numbers.
“Another element with succeeding in the content creation space is being as authentic as you possibly can because people can tell when you’re working with a brand for the money,” she said.
Not just glitz and glam
Although Mallela admits the industry can be a fun space to work in, she also concedes that it has its own challenges and realities most people aren’t aware of.
Since it’s business, one needs to be aware that they will be liable to pay tax and treat it like the serious, demanding job that it is.
“It’s not an overnight success thing. I don't want anyone to be deluded by the idea that if you jump onto YouTube, you’ll have 5 000 subscribers in a month.
“It’s so difficult and demotivating. YouTube is one of the biggest platforms that can dishearten you if you don’t accept the reality of what it is. It’s a long game. You build with your community, you build with your subscribers,” she told News24.
Stay in school
With social media having taken the world by storm, many youngsters aspire to take on content creation as a career as opposed to going the conventional route of studying and going straight into the job market.
This, according to Mallela, could be detrimental to one’s future, especially if their chosen career in content creation doesn’t work out.
“Stay in school. I know that content creation sounds nice, seeing all these young TikTokers jumping into the space and not wanting to go to school. If you give up on school and your content career falls through, then what?
“Always go to school and have your education to fall back on. My dad always said there are two things people can’t take away from you: Your education and your licence,” she said.
