Ambassador Stories: Legendary South Africans series
Creative dynamo – that would be the perfect way to describe Kudi Maradzika
Currently, a senior producer for Viacom International Media Networks, in which she produces local content for Comedy Central Africa and BET Africa, Kudi is also an actress and scriptwriter and has started her own wellness and lifestyle blog called Hey Kudisco!
“I have always been a creative person which is great, what has been harder is how to streamline this creativity to find a pathway I enjoy,” says Kudi.
Although Kudi has her plate full with various creative pursuits, film is her first love. She graduated cum laude from the University of Cape Town with an Honors Degree in Film Theory and Practice
“I got into film because I admired Steven Spielberg from a very young age. I remember reading about him and thinking, ‘wow, I want to make cool stuff like he does for a living’.
The power of film
“As cliché as this sounds, I love the power that film has to transport an audience into a completely different world and the gamut of emotions film and story are essentially able to evoke. If emotions are just biochemical responses, then film and cinema are the ultimate stimulants. If you look at it this simplistically, film then means so much more in our cultural evolution. It’s our version of the cave paintings in Lascaux.”
The world according to Kudi
According to Kudi, the most exciting project of her career thus far was working on TLC Next Great Presenter 2016. “It was definitely very exciting because it was a brand-new format that had never been done before, so we had to start from scratch and there were no limitations,” she says. Besides producing content – her latest project being The Roast of Somizi – Kudi has starred in short films, commercials, tv shows, and stage productions as well.
“Deep down I’ll always have the desire to be in front of the camera. It’s one of those things that you can’t shake off once you experience it the first time.”
But if you think she kept busy enough, think again. Kudi also does freelance writing for various publications such as Mahala, Colors Magazine Italy, ELLE South Africa, Another Africa, Mail and Guardian, and Chew Magazine, where she mostly writes women’s interest pieces about interesting and relevant topics like egg freezing and LGBTQI issues.
She also creates content for her wellness and lifestyle blog, Hey Kudisco, a “work, wellness, beauty & balance blog”, which she started two years ago as a hobby, without really knowing what she wanted to focus on in the beginning, she eventually settled on fitness, wellness, and beauty.
“I try and work on content for my blog as far in advance as possible, but it’s not always possible. Fitness and the physical capabilities of the body have always fascinated me. There is power and grace in movement and strength. I love feeling strong,” says Kudi.
VELDSKOEN are very proud to have such a strong and successful woman as part of the VELDSKOEN™ family!
You can view Kudi’s producing and directing showreel here.
Kudi loves wearing her VELDSKOEN™ with shorts in summer. How do you wear yours? Post a pic on Instagram and tag us @veldskoenshoesusa with the hashtag #howiwearmine!