Creators Corner!
Durban top YouTuber’s talk content creation and making it to the top! Skits by Sphe and Dawud
Phungula give us a glimpse of the life of being a creative.
YouTube has seen an influx of ‘||SA YouTuber’ uploading content on their
platform, but what sets these two channels apart from the rest is the amount of success they
have garnered in a short space of time. With Dawud sitting at just over 60k subscribers and
Sphe at a spectacular 210K subscribers, and both doing it in vernac, it is no doubt that they
deserved to be the cover stars for the Digital era.
Skits by Sphe
KwaDengezi,24-year-old Youtuber, Skits by Sphe, started creating content during college days
after drawing inspiration from a friend of his and a crush. Unluckily, he didn’t get the girl but
secured the bag by becoming an online sensation across Mzansi. His channel focuses mainly
on comedy skits and content in which he wishes to diversify in the near future. “I’ve always been
a class clown, and the skits thing were created in school, it was the easiest route to take.” It is
often rare to have content curators in SA taking it up as a full-time job. However we have seen
this change in the past couple years. With great freedom comes great responsibilities and for
Sphe, it means putting in the work and working through the challenges. “The biggest challenge
when I create content is that I can get 100 000 views on one video, the only get 10 000 on the
next. That is very demotivating. It’s very important to know which content people like to view.”
When Sphe creates content he ensures it’s something his viewers can relate to and resonate
with. “There’s a series called roomza, it’s about student living at Res. It has 25 million views, so
my content is something I’ve been through. I don’t like creating content that I have no
connection with or I can’t relate to.” Sphe has featured the likes of DJ Tira, Babes Wodumo,
Mapintsha and his favorite skits are with actor SK Khoza. Skits by Sphe urges new content
creators/youtubers to make sure to capitalize at every opportunity they may get, especially if
they go viral.
Dawud TV
Dawud Phungula aka the king of south is a graduate from the Durban University of Technology
who delivers entertainment news on his channel, focusing on local music genre, uMaskandi.
Phungula always aspired to be on TV, but due to lack of opportunity in KZN, he paved his own
way to stardom through his YouTube channel. Choosing his niche came with a lot of challenges
but Dawud has mastered his audience and gives them exactly what they want. “My niche is so
controversial! I have to make sure that the content I put out is correct and I do have proof of
what I’m informing my viewers. There’s no room for allegation stories or hearsay. My
subscribers would easily unsubscribe and furthermore tell others to unsubscribe if I’m uncertain
about my sources.” Phungula initially started his channel doing entertainment news in English
but decided to take a break. Upon his return it was harder for him to break into the market as
more YouTubers were producing the same type of content as his. This is what led him to
rebranding. “Changing my brand to focus on Maskandi and presenting in vernac is what makes
my channel stand out as there aren’t a lot of people producing this type of content for the
Maskandi market. Nabantu bayasho ukuthi sike siwabone amaYoutuber kodwa lecontent
oyenzayo nale channel ekanje, siyaqala ukuyibona le,” said Phungula. Phungula advises
content creators to market their content as much as they can. “I use social media platforms, I
have 60k subscribers but I still go to Facebook and ngiphushe into yami!”
Youtube 101 from the guys
Q: what is the YouTube channel starter kit?
Dawud: “We all have smart phones, those smartphones have editing apps. Unless you can
afford, but there’s no need to stress yourself over equipment. Your phone, Kuphelile!
Sphe: “Setting up a YouTube channel, you can do overnight. Maintaining it is expensive,
especially with shooting when you have to offer essentials for the crew. Also uploading the
video is expensive.”
Q: Can I make money on YouTube?
Dawud: “Yes, you need 1000 subscribers and 4000 hours watch time. To give you an estimate,
my first paycheck was R13 000.”
Sphe: “You get paid as much as you create. You need 1000 subscribers and 4000 hours watch
time. You need to qualify first then apply, then you can add ads because that’s how we make
money.”
Q: is there anything else you do besides Youtube?
Dawud: “There's nothing that I do besides YouTube, and I am the bread-winner at home.”
Sphe: “No, I’m a full-time content creator”
Both creators see their brands being named alongside giant media entities and corporations
from across the country.
By: Nontando Mhlongo
