Kgomotso Masebuko Turns Creator Win Into Career Opportunities

For Johannesburg digital creator Kgomotso Masebuko, winning a major creator programme was not the end of the journey. It was the beginning.

Following her standout performance at the Dentsu School of Influence in partnership with CSA, Masebuko has secured two significant career opportunities — an internship with Dentsu Influence powered by CSA and an ongoing content partnership with FoneYam.

Her story offers an encouraging glimpse into what South Africa’s growing creator economy could mean for young people looking to turn digital creativity into sustainable careers.

From One Big Week to the Real World

Masebuko emerged as a standout performer during One Big Week, the accelerator associated with the Dentsu School of Influence.

Her performance earned her the FoneYam Content Creator Excellence Award, with judges recognising her authentic storytelling, strategic thinking and ability to connect culture with commercial relevance.

But perhaps the most important part of the achievement is what happened afterwards.

Rather than simply receiving recognition and returning to business as usual, Masebuko’s performance opened the door to practical professional opportunities.

She will now join Dentsu Influence powered by CSA as an intern, where she will work alongside strategists and creators and gain hands-on experience within the influence marketing industry.

At the same time, she will work with FoneYam as a long-term brand storyteller.

Together, the two opportunities provide exposure to both sides of the creator economy — agency experience and direct brand collaboration.

When Creativity Becomes a Career

For many young people, content creation begins as something they enjoy doing in their spare time.

A smartphone, an idea and access to social media can be enough to start building an audience.

But turning that audience into a sustainable career requires a very different set of skills.

Creators need to understand storytelling, branding, strategy, audience behaviour and commercial partnerships. They also need to understand how to work with businesses while maintaining the authenticity that attracted their audiences in the first place.

Masebuko’s journey demonstrates what can happen when those creative abilities are combined with structured opportunities and industry exposure.

Her internship will give her the chance to learn from professionals working in the influence industry, while her partnership with FoneYam provides an opportunity to apply her storytelling skills in a commercial environment.

Culture Meets Commerce

One of the qualities that helped Masebuko stand out was her ability to connect culture with commercial relevance.

That connection is becoming increasingly important in the creator economy.

Brands are no longer simply looking for people with large audiences. They are increasingly interested in creators who understand their communities, communicate authentically and can tell stories that resonate with consumers.

For creators, this creates an important opportunity.

The ability to understand both culture and commerce can turn content creation from a social-media hobby into a professional career.

FoneYam Partnership Creates a Longer-Term Opportunity

Masebuko’s relationship with FoneYam will extend beyond a single campaign.

As a brand storyteller, she will collaborate with the company on content reflecting its commitment to empowering young South Africans through accessible technology.

Long-term partnerships can be particularly valuable for creators because they provide an opportunity to develop deeper relationships with brands rather than relying solely on one-off promotional campaigns.

For audiences, they can also feel more authentic when the creator genuinely understands and connects with the brand’s purpose.

Masebuko’s Message to Aspiring Creators

Reflecting on her achievement, Masebuko says her family did not initially fully understand what building a career in the creator economy meant.

That changed once they saw the vision.

For her, authenticity has been central to standing out.

“One Big Week taught me that standing out comes from being unapologetically authentic.”

Her new opportunities, she says, are evidence that content creation can become a meaningful and sustainable career.

That message could resonate with thousands of young South Africans who are already creating content but may not yet see themselves as professionals within an emerging industry.

A Sign of Where the Creator Economy Is Heading

Masebuko’s story reflects a broader shift in how brands and agencies are approaching South Africa’s creator economy.

The traditional model of simply booking influencers for individual campaigns is increasingly being complemented by longer-term relationships, skills development and professional pathways.

That shift matters.

A creator economy that creates genuine employment and development opportunities can become much more than a marketing channel. It can become part of South Africa’s broader youth employment and entrepreneurial ecosystem.

Masebuko’s journey from One Big Week to the real world is a compelling example of what that pathway can look like.

For the young creator, the award may have been the recognition.

But the internship and brand partnership could be the beginning of something much bigger — a career built around creativity, culture and commercial storytelling.

And for South Africa’s growing community of digital creators, that may be the most important win of all.