Hadithi za KNOB Digital: “I resigned from my Radio Job to start own Channel,” Shaban Francis, Founder, Shampuz Media

Hadithi za KNOB Digital: “I resigned from my Radio Job to start own Channel,” Shaban Francis, Founder, Shampuz Media

In 2020, during the COVID pandemic, Shaban resigned from his job at Radio Jahazi to create an online TV featuring artists. Having resigned, no secured job, no camera accessories for his long-awaited show, what next for Shaban? 

Shaban Francis, founder of Shampuz Media, is an award-winning YouTuber, former radio presenter at Radio Jahazi, TV and radio host, photographer, audio and visual editor, voiceover artist, and MC. He believes that presenters are crucial in the radio industry, connecting audiences with stories, news, music, and facts. However, many great minds with great talent never get the chance to push or spread the word out there.

For example, Artists promote their music on the radio by submitting their tracks to stations for airplay, pitching their music directly, or hiring radio promotion companies. Stations may add the track to their playlist if they like it. Artists can also pitch their music directly to the station, providing an overview and describing why it would be a good fit for their programming. But not every artist gets that opportunity, despite their great skills, their music or art fails to be recognized

People long for someone to believe in them, “All we want is a chance,” he says. We all have dreams and if we work hard enough, we deserve that chance. We may not have had the experience or even the right level of passion, but someone believed in us. The least we can do is give that same gift back to someone else. Don’t give it to the first person you see: give it to the person that you believe has earned it. Everyone is biased. You, me, and everyone. Bias can harm the people getting the opportunities, causing you to miss out on talent and even results. But it goes even deeper than that. According to Shaban “Positive opportunities are crucial for success, as those with great talent often have few opportunities or bad luck, while those with moderate talent have experienced impressive positive sequences.

But, the way we perceive the world and interpret events significantly impacts our overall well-being and success. While some individuals possess a positive mindset, which seeks opportunities and growth in every situation, others possess a negative mindset, focusing on faults and obstacles

_We are inspired by Shaban’s story, the urge, and the passion to bring change and recognition in the industry, creating a platform where different artists can rise and be recognized for their great ideas. As the top digital marketers in the Coastal region of Kenya, we are committed to creating more platforms for such ambassadors and we hope through our initiatives, we shall succeed in creating 500 jobs, and 1000 referrals and impacting at least 20,000 young people by 2030. See more here, 

In 2020, during the COVID pandemic, Shaban resigned from his job at Radio Jahazi to create an online TV featuring artists. Having resigned, no secured job, no camera accessories for his long-awaited show, what next for Shaban? The risks were a lot, and at this point, he didn’t know what to do. It was a time when the world had gone south; 21% of businesses were closed, while 79% were operational, with a varying degree of impact on the time of their business operations. Not forgetting the curfew timings, which were reduced, the need for working hours was from 9 pm to 4 am on June 7, 2020. That would mean not everything would work as planned.

He remembers this time when he decided to get himself something, a tripod stand that looked so great from the view, and with only 1000 that could be his, he made the order, and the rest surprised him. The delivery was made only to realize it was tiny and less functional, things had gotten worse, and this time, he learned his lifetime lesson on online purchasing.

To produce his stories, Shaban first hired a camera and a microphone; this arrangement lasted for a full year. On November 17th, 2020, during his birthday, a great miracle happened. This came about following a conversation with his close friend Fred Beuchi, who had extended an opportunity for him to photograph the Mount Kilimanjaro climbing expedition. He was to do a video, and the client, having believed in him and that Shaban had his equipment,  had to think first. He got immediate funding from another client he was working with, and a day before the event, he went to purchase the very first gadget. This was a huge turnaround for Shaban. 

Shaban has conducted more than a thousand interviews, one of which being an intense one with Kaligraph Jones. He has had to deal with difficulties including press cards, audio problems, and getting caught by police. Because they were unwilling to back his endeavors, he also had issues with location managers and filming site managers. Shaban says his worst experience was this interview he was doing with these big influencers, not knowing the audio was not working he proceeded on with the shoot, and later when he was listening to the product after the client had so many expectations, the video was awful, he had a lot to explain, “and the sad fact is afterward, you get termed as incompetent” Having conducted over a thousand interviews, he has encountered difficulties in obtaining influence and backing from superiors. But he still keeps pushing…

Shaban is a strong believer in self-belief and his vision, even though he did not have the best upbringing. He also believes that everyone deserves to feel happy and good about life and the only way to do that is to learn to love yourself. “To everyone out there doing their best, know that this industry requires boldness, it’s not easy and there is still a long way ahead. Even when others don’t value your work, just keep going.” It’s all about discipline, confidence, and consistency in the field. Apart from media and telling stories, Shaban loves traveling as well since it broadens his perspective and sparks his interest. 

Welcome to Hadithi za KNOB DIGITAL. For millenniums, humans have told stories to connect, relate, and weave imaginative truths that enable us to see one another more clearly with compassion and courage, that is why, through this initiative we target to tell stories from a different point of view, your point of view, learning and understanding the struggles we take to get to the top, that needs to be heard, talk to us and Dont Stop Being Bold!