User Profile

Owner & Executive Producer, Brown Panther Films

Zanele boasts over 20 years of experience in television, film production and broadcasting. She offers has diverse expertise, gained through her work in local, regional and international markets. Zanele brings a robust understanding of the business--from concept to production to local and global distribution. As the founder of Brown Panther Films, Zanele is committed to building local production capacity and a pipeline of industry talent in South Africa. She is the resident Head Mentor at the ZA Media Incubator (ZAMI), a programme of the eAcademy, where she is empowering young television graduates to realize their visions by helping to strengthen their business, legal and financial understanding of the industry. Zanele started her career in television and film in 1993 at Penguin Films, one of the leading independent production companies in South Africa. In 1995 she was competitively selected as the Discovery Communications International Fellow. Over nine years she worked across multiple business units with responsibility for projects and external producers across all Discovery Communications networks. In 2005 Zanele joined South Africa’s first free-to air channel, e.tv, as Executive Producer for local content, spanning various genres. Promoted to Head of Local Programming in 2006, she had managerial oversight of the business unit’s operational and production budgets, sourcing and managing staff and other resources to meet business needs. In 2010 Zanele was promoted to Group Head of Content with responsibility for business strategy of NHU Africa (wildlife and natural history) and Sabido Productions (all other factual programming). She also led the production of local documentaries for international distribution. Zanele is highly skilled at negotiating budgets to ensure maximum onscreen value and working closely with Legal, Business Affairs and Executives from the different networks. Zanele has served as a juror for the International Emmy Awards, Wildscreen Panda Awards, Guangzhou International Documentary Festival Awards and the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs). A list of Zanele’s film and show credits is available on request. Her personal favourites include e.tv’s ‘Scandal!’ and the 2013 Film ‘Felix’. She holds a BA in Communications from the University of Zululand and a MFA in Film from Howard University in Washington D.C. She is a Fellow of the ninth class of the Africa Leadership Initiative - South Africa and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network.