OFF THE METER

By Alexzenia Davis


So imagine this… On Tuesday, while everyone is still trying to adjust to another routine week of work, you’re heading off to spend some quality time with Kelly Rowland. On Thursday, as everyone else begins to wind down for the week, you’re on your way to chill with Bow Wow and Omarion. And after the week’s worth of excitement, you need to get away, so it’s off to Mexico for the weekend.

Sounds good? Well it’s a dream that became a reality for Colin Gayle and Thomas Gibson who in 2006 successfully produced what was to become South Africa’s number one show- O Access. The idea was to create a ‘day in the life’/travel show which would bring a taste of American celebrity and worldwide culture into the homes of millions of Africans.

Gayle, a Jamaican born, now Los Angeles resident, got his start in the music industry managing artists such as Kenny Lattimore and Dru Hill, eventually making the shift into producer management. Gibson, originally from Illinois, began his career in 1993 as a music reviewer for YSB magazine. After receiving a position at BET, he was able to use his journalism background to produce several documentaries including a special on Mary J. Blige. Being able to utilize and combine all of their skills and connections has helped the duo, who were quick to realize the untapped potential of South African television.

“O Access came about by taking several trips to South Africa and realizing that the content that they were receiving was very generic and didn’t take them into consideration and include them,” Gayle explains. “O Access tries to connect the dots between Africans and African Americans on a new, personal level.”

Chris brown, Ne-yo, Akon, 50 cent, Omarion, Bow wow, and, T.I. are just some of the stars that have been featured on O Access to date. But it takes a good host to keep viewers coming back for more. Nonhle Thema was already a popular VJ for Channel O when her name was submitted along with several others for a chance to become the official host of O Access. She was exactly what they were looking for.


Video Courtesy of YouTube
O Access Promo

“She has definitely blossomed into, I think, the next face…basically Tyra Banks of her country. She’s going to have her own talk show. She can ad lib, she’s charming. She reels people in with her magnetism and that’s the reason why the show is a success,” says Gibson.

“It’s easy to get comfortable with your perception of who you are and where you are and it’s always refreshing to have someone else who comes in and is from a different cultural and moral background that is uniquely different from us,” adds Gayle. “Working with her has been an incredible experience because we were able to experience America through her eyes and experience Africa through her eyes.”

As mentioned, O Access also involves travel. The crew has filmed in the US, Mexico, Jamaica, Portugal, London, and several parts of Africa, always attempting to capture the liveliness and natural feel of each locale. In fact, when asked what has been their favorite show to produce thus far, both Gayle and Gibson chose shows involving travel.

“The Journey to Africa with Chris Brown,” says Gayle. “It gave me a chance to take someone to Africa who didn’t know much about the continent and I was able to show him a part of Africa that most young African Americans don’t know. It was exciting to see his eyes and his reaction.”

“[It would] probably have to be Beenie Man in Jamaica. He was shooting a video. It was just the experience of seeing Jamaica from a local perspective,” Gibson shares.

While the team is constantly working on various projects, they still feel a special sense of pride when it comes to O Access and producing a show for Africa.

As Gibson explains, “You have to put in a lot of work but I think the benefit is the response you get from the people because they don’t have a bunch of quality programming. And I think you do get more of a fulfillment of doing something meaningful rather than doing something here [in America] because we have a lot of programming to choose from whereas people in Africa don’t.”

And Gayle agrees, “There’s always a positive in being in Africa. There’s always a positive to being in a country where the majority of the people look like you and think like you. There’s a certain level of comfort that you get from that experience. We’re still somewhat foreigners [in Africa] but I feel more at home… my soul feels more at home. It’s more rewarding for me.”