{"id":829199,"date":"2025-06-25T17:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-06-25T15:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/?p=829199"},"modified":"2025-06-25T16:58:41","modified_gmt":"2025-06-25T14:58:41","slug":"the-south-african-who-went-from-university-dropout-to-working-with-netflix-marvel-and-disney","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/business\/829199\/the-south-african-who-went-from-university-dropout-to-working-with-netflix-marvel-and-disney\/","title":{"rendered":"The South African who went from university dropout to working with Netflix, Marvel, and Disney"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

At just 25 years old, Johnny Malepa is the founder of Malepa Agency and has worked with the world\u2019s most recognised brands and entertainment powerhouses, including Netflix, Disney, Marvel, MTV, and more. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, his journey from a small township in Limpopo to global recognition wasn\u2019t straightforward or easy. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malepa was born in Tzaneen and raised in Ga-Kgapane, in Limpopo. His creative flair began from a very young age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt the age of eight, I discovered my love for art and spent countless hours drawing and using a paint app on the computer,\u201d he said in an interview<\/a> with GQ South Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy father often asked me to help him type work documents, which led me to develop technical abilities using a computer.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said what started as digital sketches and childhood curiosity soon turned into music composition, beat-making, and rapping during his high school years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that music nudged him toward design. Malepa taught himself photography and video editing to help promote his songs, laying the groundwork for what would become a highly successful creative career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After high school, he enrolled to study IT at university, but dropped out in his third year due to personal circumstances. That decision, he now said, was pivotal. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt turned out to be a blessing in disguise because it allowed me to focus more on my career,\u201d he explained. \u201cI still have intentions of returning to school to complete my education.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fast-forward to today, Malepa is the founder and creative director of the Malepa Agency<\/a> and has earned a coveted spot on the 2025 Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 list. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a huge honour. Every entrepreneur needs validation from what they grew up looking up to,\u201d he said in an interview<\/a> with Africa Melane. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not just a personal achievement, but a win for young creatives who come from where I come from. It shows that in any situation, you can still make something out of your life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Working with global giants<\/h2>\n\n\n
\n
\"\"<\/a>
Johnny Malepa, founder and creative director of the Malepa Agency.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Malepa\u2019s portfolio includes work for KFC, Comedy Central, Showmax, BET, M-Net, and DStv, and collaborations with international icons like Drake, Beyonc\u00e9, Adele, Taylor Swift, and the late AKA. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of my proudest moments has been the work I\u2019ve done for TV and radio channels, brands, and artists that I admired while growing up,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBeing able to influence the media landscape and bring my unique perspective to the table while working with my favourites has been my proudest moment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even with these high-profile accomplishments, Malepa is open about the challenges he faced in building his career. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t come from a place where I had a mentor. I had to be good with losing, and also be good with just winning quietly,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that loud victories didn\u2019t define success for him, but by what he calls ‘quiet wins’, the unseen milestones that validated the grind. \u201cEvery project I take on, I approach with intention.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malepa attributed much of his creative and entrepreneurial inspiration to two influential figures: AKA and Kanye West. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTheir artistry, creativity, and business acumen have always captivated me. I\u2019ve strived to emulate their success, both artistically and as an entrepreneur,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s been incredibly fulfilling to have had the opportunity to work with AKA and to cross paths with Kanye West.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malepa said his motivation today comes from the people who look up to him. He explained that many depend on him emotionally and symbolically. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When others see that he made it out, they feel inspired to believe they can do the same. This continues to drive him forward. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Malepa said he still carries the personal goals he set for himself as a boy and is motivated by the desire to reach them. His message to other young South Africans is to start where you are, with what you have. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no one definition of success. You don\u2019t have to wait to be chosen. You can literally come from anywhere and do whatever you want to do.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m not perfect. I\u2019ve failed. I\u2019ve been broke. I\u2019ve wanted to give up. But those are human emotions. You keep going. Be hopeful. Pray about it. Just do what you do best.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When asked about the role young South Africans play in shaping the future, Malepa believes that the youth are already driving transformation in their own ways. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEach generation has its own way. We\u2019re in an Amapiano era now, and music is one way of telling our stories,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

At just 25 years old, Johnny Malepa went from a township kid to working with the world\u2019s biggest brands and artists like Kanye West and Taylor Swift. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":92,"featured_media":829263,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9872],"tags":[21149,22952,22953,22951,853],"class_list":["post-829199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","tag-forbes-africa","tag-gq-south-africa","tag-johnny-malepa","tag-malepa-agency","tag-south-africa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/829199","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/92"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=829199"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/829199\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":829419,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/829199\/revisions\/829419"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/829263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=829199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=829199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/businesstech.co.za\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=829199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}