PHOTOGRAPHER and film maker, Jonathan Phyllis, from Humansdorp, created an online television channel, Kwai Kat TV, on social media to uplift his community – plagued by gangsterism and gang-related killings.
With a desire to capture every passing moment, Phyllis started taking pictures with his film camera in Jeffreys Bay in 1994.
In recent times, he has opted to use a more modern camera to zoom in to his surroundings.
Phyllis, also the founder of Humansdorp my Plek, a Facebook page which showcases his photographic work, created Kwai Kat TV, after he had a dream in which God instructed him to do something in his hometown to uplift the community.
Since the channel opened in September 2019, it has already received at least 1 200 likes on Facebook.
With no funds or actors, Phyllis reached out to his friends and family to play various roles in his productions.
Family members, Nico Smit and Brenda Smit, his greatest supporters, helped him to interview and produce videos for local businesses.
“I am a person who always thinks out of the box. I had an idea to create an online TV channel for my people and I am proud to be the first to do so,” says Phyllis.
“My duty is to reach out and discover outstanding achievements in our community, not only the popular people, but also the man on the street.”
Phyllis has always dreamed of creating local movies, while giving back to his community through teaching the youth about acting and photography.
He recently showcased a sequence of short films titled, Lockdown, on Kwai Kat TV, which are mostly based on the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The important thing for a channel to grow is to feed your page with exciting stuff and my main ingredient is the element of surprise: you never know what to expect,” he says.
All actors on the show are from Humansdorp, but Phyllis plans to scout for talent elsewhere to create local movies in each area of Kouga.
Kwai Kat TV currently has five local presenters, Genovia Smit (21), Theolene Smith (20), Jess-Leight Jones (17), Nicolene Frysenburg and Nicole Frysenburg (both 14).
Phyllis also produces music videos for local artists.
Later this month, he plans to launch his cooking show on Kwai Kat TV, which will allow the community to showcase their culinary creations and in this way to pass on family recipes to the next generation.
“The cooking show is a way for younger girls to learn how to cook and bake grandma’s old recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation,” says Phyllis.
“I know the show will be a great success. I already have people lined-up to show their cooking skills and share their recipes.”
Looking to the future, Phyllis hopes to get proper equipment so that he can create a movie and sell it to Netflix – his biggest dream.
