GEORGE NEWS - A young performing arts graduate with her roots in George is venturing into local film-making. Juni Howard is currently shooting a TV series named Route, aimed at the age group 14 to 35.
Juni certainly does not lack chutzpah - she is performing, writing and directing this ambitious project. "I am the creator and content producer of Route. Not only do I love arts because it is essential for the human spirit, I firmly believe in using art to educate, entertain and inspire the youth in South Africa," she explains.
The 24-year-old, who was educated in George, has also appeared in shows at the Artscape in Cape Town and the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown. "I recently made an appearance on e.tv's Rhythm City, where I played the part of a doctor."
Local platform
Juni explains how filming the Christian TV series came about. "After discovering that there are a lot of aspiring artists and actors in the Garden Route who have never had the opportunity to develop their talents to the fullest potential, I decided to create a platform to share their stories. Network DSTV 341 offers morally sound and wholesome family viewing.
Programmes are aimed at uplifting and influencing the lives of its viewers through top shows that include everything from comedy, talk shows, documentaries, entertainment and music, as well as other children and youth shows, with a selection of inspirational family movies."
The four independent channels broadcast over the entire continent of Africa and a part of Europe and reaches an estimated 50-million viewers. A further 200-million homes are reached through AppleTV, Roku, Amazon Fire and GoogleTV.
Juni shooting a scene from a higher vantage point here in George.
"The 15-episode series is scheduled to air at 17:30, which is a good time for families to watch our quality episodes with a local content," says Juni. She wants to venture into locally creating top quality TV commercials and she envisages using local actors. "I believe that by adjusting the scripts it can become a way of educating people about the services offered by the company, department or institutions." Companies that are interested in having a TV commercial shot locally can e-mail Juni at howardjuni@hotmail.com.
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