As the Apprentice Nation 2022 event fills with youthful energy awaiting a line-up of artists, behind the scenes, Pamela Sibanda, Jan Genesis’s apprentice director, is already on the way to sculpting her career.
Apprentice Nation is a careers platform that uses music to inspire and engage young people; we wanted to dig deeper into Pamela’s story and her experience on set with Jan.
When we catch up with Zimbabwe-born Pamela after the event – at her parents’ house – she reveals that her dream of directing stemmed from the fireside stories her grandfather used to tell and a chilly January move to England when she was just five years old.
From Nickelodeon shows to Friends, Pamela said she “…escaped [the British weather] through television and movies.”
But what struck us more than the unpredictability of British weather was that these shows were more than passing the time – they replicated time in Zimbabwe.
"EVERY NIGHT, AROUND THE FIRE, THEY WOULD TELL STORIES FROM THE PAST"
“Growing up with my grandparents, they would honestly – like every night around the fire – just tell us a lot of stories on things that used to happen in the past. And I think the atmosphere, like the setting, the fireplace, the snacks that we used to make, really developed my sense of storytelling in general.”
Pamela now has a BA honours degree in Film and Television and an MA in Directing and Producing Television Entertainment from the National Film & Television School, and Jan Genesis, our multi-camera director, is Pamela’s mentor.
Pamela explains that she reached out to Jan on LinkedIn and didn’t expect the level of support that poured out to her, not only in advice to join associations like Directors UK but the opportunity to shadow Jan on Apprentice Nation 2022.
When we delved into the importance of having a mentor in this industry, Pamela said, “Yeah. I think it’s very important, especially for careers that aren’t as accessible as many other industries.”
Pamela’s experience on the day didn’t disappoint, and when asked what stood out the most, Pamela said, “everything being completely honest, everything. Because it all was like a puzzle that I’ve been trying to kind of wrap my brain around.”
"JAN THOUGHT VERY QUICKLY ON HIS FEET"
“Jan thought very quickly on his feet, which was like a teachable moment for me and the importance of, you know, how much he collaborates with his team, and they all very much support him. Jan’s a very good leader.”
Pamela continued to say that she learned the importance of “…a rig day, especially if you don’t have a rehearsal day, as a lot of problems can be addressed, so on the day you can just go.”
Having spoken to Mark Thorn, the producer, Pamela said that she could see that the relationship that Mark and Jan had definitely made Jan’s job easier. And speaking to Mark actually, some of the things that he likes about Jan is that he’s always prepared – he doesn’t just have like a plan A and plan B – he has a plan C, D and E.
Pamela’s next steps include a pitch for a children’s science show and looking for her first role on set supporting a production – a credit we’ll all be looking forward to.
Genesis Media Productions has produced a two-part mini-documentary on Pamela’s experience as an apprentice director.
WORDS: Sarah Powers PHOTOS & FOOTAGE: Genesis Media Productions