Colin Gayle is the Co-Founder and CEO of Africa Creative Agency (ACA). The mission of ACA is to conceptualize, create, and leverage intersections between African culture and global markets by creating the first Pan-African Talent Agency and Digital Marketing/Branding Agency. Drawing on decades of experience across music, media, television and film, Mr. Gayle set his sights on Africa and introduced a myriad of entertainers and brands to the continent for the very first time. Among his notable accomplishments are:
• Serving as Creative Executive and Executive Producer for Bounceback Media, which produced the number one-rated show for Channel O/MNET, Diamond Life as well as The Beef, Behind the Scene, and O’Access. The latter saw Soweto-born host Nonhle deliver American music to the African audience for seven years while also offering a platform for local talent
• Implementing the launch of the 2010 World Cup Inaugural Event.
• Overseeing and producing, hip hop superstar 50 Cent’s storied Tour of Mozambique and South Africa, which ended with the rap legend meeting Nelson Mandela for a highly publicized MTV segment
• Spearheading the rebranding of the South African Broadcasting Corporation with top global performers
• Brokering the agreement to bring world renowned Bishop T.D. Jakes’ Mega Fest to South Africa
Yvette Gayle serves as Chief Operations Officer and Head Of Communications and Engagement. With over 25+ years of media experience she brings a wealth of knowledge. Formerly the Head Of Urban PR at Interscope Geffen A&M, Gayle spent 18 years with the company crafting campaigns for a multitude of multiplatinum artists which included 50 Cent, Mary J. Blige, Diddy and Keri Hilson to name a few. She oversaw the day to day PR efforts for artists that graced the rosters of Aftermath Entertainment, G-Unit Records, Dreamville Records, Shady Records, Zone 4 Music and Mosely Music Group. In 2020 Gayle was recognized by Billboard Magazine for her achievements landing a coveted spot on their 2020 Women In Music Executives power list. CNBC also lauded Gayle as one of “31 Women Creating A Positive Impact in Africa.”
Gayle has a Bachelors degree in Political Science from West Virginia University. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and resides in Johannesburg South Africa.
Roger L. Patton is a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Law School where he was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. Currently, Mr. Patton serves as General Counsel and Head of Business Development, North America and International for ACA. Prior to joining ACA, Mr. Patton served as General Counsel and EVP of Business Development for Hidden Beach Experiences, an independent record label and experiential entertainment production company based in Los Angeles. Mr. Patton was responsible for overseeing all legal and business affairs as well as spearheading all new business ventures and strategic alliances. He also represented a select number of clients under his own law firm banner, the Law Offices of Roger L. Patton, where he provided a diverse roster of clients with legal, business affairs and strategic business development services in the areas of entertainment, new media and co-branding.
As a transactional entertainment attorney, Mr. Patton served as director of business and legal affairs for the music division of Warner Bros. Pictures where he brokered composer agreements, soundtrack deals and music licensing agreements for the major motion picture studio. Later he became a partner at the Beverly Hills boutique entertainment firm, Bloom, Hergott, Cook, Diemer & Klein, where he represented some of the top recording artists, producers, independent labels and production companies in the entertainment business, brokering deals for a diverse A-list client roster including Destiny’s Child, TLC, En Vogue, Coolio, Snoop Dogg, Babyface, Narada Michael Walden, Vanessa Williams, Chris Rock and others. Mr. Patton’s diverse entertainment experience also includes having served as Chief Entertainment Counsel for former President Bill Clinton’s Presidential Inaugural Committee, where he negotiated all of the entertainment and media related agreements for the Clinton Inaugural activities.
Kevin Boakye serves as CFO for the Africa Create Agency in an advisory capacity. Currently, Mr. Boakye is a Senior Associate in the Sub-Saharan Africa fund with the Carlyle Group. He is based in Johannesburg.
Mr. Boakye previously worked for three years as an Associate in Carlyle’s Corporate Mezzanine Fund based in New York. He was responsible for structuring, evaluating and executing private debt and equity investments across various industries including business services, industrial, healthcare, consumer and retail. Prior to joining Carlyle, Mr. Boakye worked as an investment banking analyst in the Global Leveraged Finance Group at Lehman Brothers.
Mr. Boakye received an M.B.A from Harvard Business School. He holds a Bachelor of Arts (A.B.) degree from Dartmouth College.
Thami serves as a Junior A&R and Executive Assistant. He is a big fan of music and was an active musician for over 6 years.
With 5 Years experience as a Junior Business Coach and lead administrator of one of South Africa’s leading Micro Enterprise Incubators. Thami has helped grow over 100 businesses and through that aided in creating over 180 jobs.
Leah Marville is a renaissance woman. She is an Attorney-at-Law, holding the titles Miss Barbados World 2009, Fashion Model, TV host, entrepreneur and philanthropist.
Leah started her career as a model in Cape Town South Africa, where she lived and worked for some time before moving on to different cities around the world. She made her name as one of the top fashion models of the Caribbean, winning an award for the same in her hometown of Barbados. While traveling and working as a model, Leah juggled her time to finish her studies at Law School in Barbados and later Trinidad and Tobago.
While pursuing her legal career she worked in Jamaica at the Council for Human Rights, where she oversaw the rights of death row inmates and then later went on to work for the prestigious Gordon| McGrath Jamaica – an intellectual property firm. She has also lived and practiced throughout Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago in the areas of entertainment law, corporate and family law.
In 2009, Leah went on to represent her country on the world stage, as Miss Barbados World, where she became one of the country’s most successful contestants. She was awarded The Continental Beauty Queen of the Caribbean by the Miss World franchise, a first for Barbados. She was named by The Jamaica Observer newspaper as one of the 69 Most Powerful People in Jamaica and was voted as “The Sexiest Woman Alive” for 2009 by premier pageant magazine group Global Beauties.com. Leah Marville is also the recipient of two national awardsfrom the Government of Barbados, for her work in HIV and with the youth.
Her entertainment career also led her into television where she was the main host for US Network, BET-J Caribbean music show Wicked Style, which later became Splash! on BET’s sister station, CENTRIC. She has also produced and hosted her own show Passport 246 and a show following her charity’s work in “The Love Campaign School Tour” which aired throughout the Caribbean. Leah is also the face of many documentaries on Barbados as well as several television shows that continue to air throughout the Caribbean.
Leah now blends both her legal and fashion careers in several entrepreneurial ventures and recently moved to Los Angeles where she became a part of the Africa Creative Agency family.
Tshiamo Monyobo is a Brand Manager at AfricaCreative Agency.
An experienced African storyteller, Tshiamo has demonstrated excellence in various media sectors for over 7 years; namely in Music, Television, Film and Radio working with renowned African creatives. A Law graduate of the University of the Witwatersrand, her expertise include, but are not limited to: brand management, public relations & marketing, production and music programming.
Highlights:
– Television Producer for the South African Broadcasting Corporation’s daily 6 hour music show on SABC 3. Tshiamo was a part of the inception and engineering of this show that showcased the best of global pop culture.
– Public Relations & Marketing Specialist for Universal Music Group Africa’s Urban Division; working with top tier African artists.
Head of Africa Creative Publishing
Mzwandile Sibanda
Mzwandile is the Head of Africa Creative Publishing, a division of Africa Creative Agency and is also a talent manager for Africa Creative Agency with a focus on music producers and singer-songwriters. He also serves as music supervisor and curator for film and TV production and is part of the internal ACA A&R team.
Mr Sibanda previously served as the A&R for Universal Music Publishing a position which saw him play a pivotal role in signing and developing their clients over a four-year period. He is a Law graduate of the University of Durham with experience with IP Law and Contract Law and has previously worked for the ONE Campaign.
Head of Digital and Streaming division
Jade Kelly
Jade Kelly heads up the Digital and Streaming division for ACA. She is the founder of Breakroom Africa, a digital publication with a strong focus on emerging talent in Africa. Having worked previously and concurrently as a music and culture writer, she is committed to championing talent across the continent.
Publishing Administrator
Elspeth Muthambi
Elspeth is Coordinator for the Licensing, A&R, Royalties and Creative Publishing Brand Team. She is a University of Johannesburg alumni with BA specializing in Strategic Communications and Marketing. She is passionate about all thing’s creative arts and global connections for both knowledge sharing and pushing the boundaries to keep re-defining what is hype and trendy. One of the learning objectives is to learn a second international language, while also intensifying her skills in Digital Marketing in order to stay reinventing and staying relevant.
Head of Live
Kagiso Kalane
Kagiso Kalane is the Head of Live for Africa Creative Agency, with a focus on Live Event Production and On Set Production. Mr Kalane is a 360 degree entertainment and event consultant with over 10 years experience curating and producing festivals and concerts across the country, from talent line up curation, sponsorship procurement to handling all event logistics and management.
Highlights:
– Co-founded Groove Afrika, a groundbreaking entertainment force and brand in the Cape Town nightlife scene.
-Founded and produced Western Cape’s Largest Main Market Festival “iPotsoyi Festival” 2014 to 2018.
– At Bridge Entertainment served as Project Manager for SA’s Largest Concert Headlined by a Local Act. The Fill Up series with Cassper Nyovest.
– Curated and Produced the National Ivyson Tour with Nasty C. 2017 to 2019
Brand Manager
Sinesipho Mbandazayo
Sinesipho Mbandazayo is the Brand Manager for Africa Creative Agency (ACA).
Ms. Mbandazayo holds two Journalism qualifications from the Nelson Mandela University and Tshwane University of Technology respectively.
She has vast experience in Broadcast and Print media ranging from: Financial journalism, basic Pan-African business experience to entertainment and lifestyle feature writing.
She is a Television & Radio Content Producer and an impeccable writer whose played a key role in telling some of the continent’s greatest stories.
