BEYOND THE CAMERA: WHY ZAMBIAN CREATIVES MUST START BUILDING BUSINESSES THAT FUND THEIR STORIES

The Ministry’s 100 Fuel Tankers Offer a Powerful Lesson for Zambia’s Creative Industry, Build the Business That Can Finance the Film

By the National Association of Media Arts, NAMA

The handover of 100 fuel tankers by Kinglong Motors Zambia Limited to the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts is more than a story about fuel transportation.

For Zambia’s creative industry, it should also be a story about possibility.

It should make filmmakers, musicians, actors, producers, digital creators and other young creatives ask a different question:

What if we stopped waiting for the creative industry to be funded, and started building businesses that could help fund the creative industry ourselves?

This is not to suggest that government should stop developing a dedicated funding model for film and the arts.

Quite the opposite.

Zambia urgently needs sustainable mechanisms for financing film, television, music, theatre, digital content and other creative enterprises. NAMA continues to believe that the creative economy requires stronger investment, clearer funding structures and meaningful partnerships between government, the private sector and the creative community.

But while those conversations continue, there are opportunities already sitting within the existing youth empowerment ecosystem that creatives can explore.

And the fuel tanker programme provides an interesting example.

100 Tankers, 100 Cooperatives, 100 Opportunities

According to the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts, the 100 fuel tankers were procured from Kinglong Motors under a hire purchase arrangement, with Government paying 50 percent upfront and the balance being serviced over three years.

The first 50 tankers arrived in 2021 and were allocated to 50 youth cooperatives, followed by another 50 in 2022, bringing the number of beneficiary cooperatives to 100.

The tankers were subsequently managed through eight oil marketing companies, with monthly remittances contributing towards servicing the financing arrangement and meeting other programme obligations.

The Ministry is now moving towards facilitating the handover of the assets to the beneficiary youth cooperatives.

Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts, Mr. Kangwa Chileshe, described the tankers as productive assets capable of helping young people establish sustainable businesses, create employment and contribute to Zambia’s economic growth.

That principle is what the creative industry should pay attention to.

The asset is not the destination. The business is.

A fuel tanker is not simply a truck.

It is an income generating asset.

When properly managed, it can generate revenue, create employment and build a business.

And that business can potentially support other economic activities.

This is where the lesson becomes relevant to creatives.

Creatives, we need to think beyond the production

One of the biggest challenges facing Zambia’s film and creative industry is access to production financing.

There are talented filmmakers with scripts that have never been produced.

There are producers with ideas that remain on paper because they cannot raise the required capital.

There are young creatives with equipment, skills and ambition, but without sufficient working capital to build sustainable production companies.

There is simply not enough money going around to finance every good creative idea.

As an industry, we are working towards changing this.

NAMA continues to engage stakeholders around the creative ecosystem and the need for stronger financing mechanisms.

But there is another conversation we must begin having.

What other businesses can creatives establish to generate the capital required to produce?

This is where cooperatives and youth empowerment programmes become particularly interesting.

Your film company does not have to make all its money from films

There is nothing wrong with a filmmaker owning a business outside filmmaking.

In fact, it may be necessary.

A production company could potentially have interests in several complementary businesses.

• Equipment hire.

• Event production.

• Transport.

• Catering.

• Printing.

• Digital services.

• Photography.

• Studio facilities.

• Tourism.

• Agriculture.

• Logistics.

• Creative technology.

• Or other legitimate commercial ventures capable of generating income.

The profits from those businesses can then help finance film development, short films, documentaries, television series and other creative projects.

The business funds the story.

That is the mindset we need to develop.

Hollywood was built around an ecosystem, not just cameras

When we look at successful global film industries, we should remember that cinema does not exist in isolation.

Film is connected to finance, technology, distribution, advertising, tourism, hospitality, fashion, music, real estate and numerous other industries.

The lesson for Zambia is not to copy Hollywood.

The lesson is to understand the ecosystem.

A strong creative industry needs production companies, but it also needs investors, banks, insurers, equipment suppliers, broadcasters, distributors, technology companies, tourism operators and businesses that can circulate capital into creative production.

This is why the Ministry's youth empowerment programmes should be of interest to the creative community.

The Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts is our Ministry too

The creative industry is part of the mandate of the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts.

That means young people working in film, television, music, theatre, visual arts, digital content and related creative disciplines should not automatically assume that empowerment programmes are designed only for other sectors.

We should be asking:

• Can creative cooperatives qualify?

• What youth empowerment programmes are currently available?

• What productive assets can creative cooperatives access?

• Can creative businesses partner with other cooperatives?

• Can creatives establish diversified businesses whose profits can be reinvested into production?

These are conversations worth having with the Ministry and other relevant institutions.

The answer will not always be yes.

Every programme will have its own eligibility requirements, financing structure and conditions.

But the first step is to look, ask and explore.

Creative cooperatives should dig deeper

NAMA therefore encourages creatives who have already established cooperatives to begin investigating the various empowerment opportunities available through government and other institutions.

While I do not only look for a grant to make a film.

Look for opportunities to build an enterprise.

If a cooperative can establish a profitable business, that business can potentially create employment for members while generating capital that can be reinvested into creative production.

Imagine a creative cooperative that owns a business generating income throughout the year.

That cooperative could eventually finance:

• A short film.

• A documentary.

• A television pilot.

• A music video.

• A web series.

• A film festival.

• A recording project.

• A training programme.

• An equipment purchase.

The possibilities are significant.

We need to stop thinking only about the next production

The traditional question has been:

“Who is going to give us money to make this film?”

Perhaps we should also ask:

“What can we build today that will give us money to make our next five films?”

That is a much more powerful question.

It shifts the conversation from dependency to enterprise.

It moves us from waiting for funding to creating capital.

It does not replace government support.

It complements it.

NAMA is still advocating for a proper creative funding model

Let us be clear.

NAMA is not suggesting that creatives should abandon the call for a sustainable creative industry financing mechanism.

We still need one.

The film and arts sector requires structured financing that understands the unique economics of creative production.

Film is different from many conventional businesses.

A production can require substantial upfront investment before revenue is realised.

Projects can take months or years to develop.

Distribution can be unpredictable.

Intellectual property can have long term value.

And many talented producers simply do not have the capital required to get their projects off the ground.

That is why Zambia needs an ecosystem involving government, financial institutions, broadcasters, investors, development partners, private companies and creative organisations.

We must continue that work.

But while we build that system, we should also use what already exists.

Look at the opportunities already on the table

The 100 fuel tankers are an example of how government and the private sector can collaborate to place productive assets into the hands of young people.

Kinglong Motors supplied the assets.

Government facilitated the empowerment programme.

Youth cooperatives became the intended beneficiaries.

This is the kind of partnership model the creative industry should study.

• What would a similar model look like for creatives?

• Could there be equipment financing?

• Could there be studio development?

• Could there be production equipment cooperatives?

• Could there be creative business incubation?

• Could there be vehicles for production companies?

• Could there be digital content infrastructure?

• Could there be creative enterprise financing?

• Could there be partnerships where productive assets generate revenue that is reinvested into creative production?

These questions should be placed on the table.

Imagine a Creative Cooperative with a Business Engine

Imagine a group of filmmakers coming together to form a cooperative.

Instead of waiting for a film grant, they develop a legitimate commercial enterprise.

The enterprise generates income.

The cooperative builds its capital base.

Members are employed.

The business acquires equipment.

The profits are partly reinvested into film development.

Eventually, the cooperative produces its own films.

Those films generate additional revenue.

That revenue goes back into the business.

Over time, the cooperative becomes both a creative production house and an economic enterprise.

That is sustainability.

It will not happen overnight.

But it starts with a different way of thinking.

Our creativity must become economically productive

Zambia has enormous creative talent.

What we have not yet fully developed is the financial architecture that allows that talent to become a sustainable industry.

That architecture will require policy.

• It will require investment.

• It will require training.

• It will require access to markets.

• It will require stronger intellectual property systems.

• It will require distribution.

But it will also require creative entrepreneurs who understand business.

Being a filmmaker today should not only mean knowing how to operate a camera or direct actors.

A modern filmmaker should also understand budgets, contracts, intellectual property, marketing, investment, distribution and business development.

The same applies across the creative sector.

This is the conversation NAMA wants to encourage

As NAMA continues engaging government and stakeholders on the development of Zambia's creative ecosystem and sustainable financing models, we encourage our members to explore every legitimate opportunity available to them.

• Look at the Ministry.

• Look at youth empowerment programmes.

• Look at cooperatives.

• Look at private sector partnerships.

• Look at financial institutions.

• Look at investment opportunities.

• Look at businesses that can complement your creative work.

• And most importantly, look at your creative career as an enterprise.

We should not be ashamed of making money from business outside our primary creative discipline if that business helps us create jobs, build assets and finance our stories.

From the Copperbelt to the Cinema

There is a powerful lesson here for creative communities across Zambia, including the Copperbelt.

The Copperbelt has historically demonstrated how industries can create economic ecosystems around one another.

Mining does not exist alone.

It creates opportunities for transport, engineering, hospitality, construction, catering, retail and numerous other businesses.

The creative industry can learn from this principle.

Film production itself can stimulate businesses around equipment, accommodation, transport, catering, locations, tourism, fashion, construction, technology and other services.

But creatives can also participate in other productive industries and use the returns to strengthen their creative enterprises.

The camera does not have to be the only asset in your business.

Your cooperative can own something that generates income while you develop your next screenplay.

Your company can operate a business that pays salaries while you prepare your next production.

Your creative enterprise can become an investment vehicle for your own stories.

That is how we begin building resilience.

The opportunity is bigger than one programme

The 100 fuel tankers should therefore inspire a broader conversation.

We should not look at the programme and simply say:

“Those are fuel tankers. They have nothing to do with film.”

We should look deeper and say:

“What principle can we learn from this?”

The principle is simple:

Empower young people with productive assets, help them build businesses, create employment and enable them to generate wealth.

That principle can also apply to the creative economy.

And perhaps the next major government empowerment programme could include models specifically designed around creative enterprises.

But for that to happen, creatives must also organise themselves, form viable cooperatives, develop business plans and demonstrate that the creative sector can manage productive assets responsibly.

Zambian creatives, let us build

The 100 fuel tankers are going to young Zambians who have an opportunity to turn those assets into businesses.

NAMA wants the creative community to see the bigger picture.

• We need to build businesses.

• We need to build cooperatives.

• We need to build assets.

• We need to build revenue streams.

• We need to build partnerships.

• We need to build investment capacity.

And yes, we need to continue demanding a proper financing model for the creative industry.

But we should not wait for tomorrow's funding model before building today's businesses.

Build the business that can fund the film.

That may be one of the most important lessons Zambia's creative industry can take from this programme.

The Ministry of Youth, Sport and Arts has demonstrated through this initiative that youth empowerment can involve placing productive assets into the hands of young people.

Now the creative sector must be bold enough to ask how similar thinking can be applied to our own industry.

Our stories need money.

Our talent needs opportunity.

Our young people need jobs.

And our creative industry needs businesses capable of generating the capital to make it all happen.

The future of Zambian cinema will not be built by cameras alone.

It will be built by creativity, enterprise, investment and the courage to think beyond the production.

NAMA'S MESSAGE TO THE CREATIVE INDUSTRY

• Don't just look for funding to make your next film.

• Look for opportunities to build the business that will finance your next film.

• The story starts with creativity.

• The industry grows through enterprise.

• And the future is built through both.

• National Association of Media Arts, NAMA

Celebrating, Representing and Advancing Zambia's Media Arts Industry.

Author: Morgan Mbulo, President of the National Association of Media Arts (NAMA) and Media Consultant.