Founded and headed by the charismatic Kagiso Moima Wa Masimini – KG – to those who find the pronunciation a little complex – this is a busy, innovative, and well-respected technical production and rental company based in Kew, Johannesburg, South Africa.

KG’s passion for lighting has driven the company’s successful path since 2005 and there are now over 100 Robe moving lights in its inventory, which has been part of the success, and these fixtures are constantly busy servicing a range of high-end corporate, business, and social events.

Backmotion invested in Robe right from the start.

In 2005, and for the next four years KG was initially focussed on lighting design work. The trajectory shifted around 2009 when he started purchasing kit, and the first moving lights – six Robe ColorSpot 250E ATs – joined the company then.

Delighted with the purchase, KG continued investing in Robe over the years, the latest acquisition being additional LEDBeam 150s, and through all this business and interaction, he has forged a great partnership with Robe’s southern Africa distributor, DWR.

Robe products currently in the Blackmotion inventory include LEDWash 300s, Pointes, Spiiders, Robe LEDBeam 100s and PATT 2013s in addition to the LEDBeam 150s, and KG is really looking forward to getting his hands on some of the new LedPOINTES, stating, “of course everything going forward will be LED”.

With power and load shedding often an issue in South Africa, reducing electricity consumption is a constant goal as well as a practical and socially responsible action, with most events striving to be as carbon neutral as possible.

When asked ‘why Robe?’ KG again underlines the excellent relationship with DWR and their “incredibly quick, efficient and friendly service,” which ticks all his boxes. On top of that, he chose Robe for its reliability, sustainability, and ROI.

“It’s a premium brand, with which you can never go wrong, especially in TV where you need camera-friendly lighting that guarantees the delivery of fantastic results for any production.”

He believes that making Robe a Blackmotion ‘house’ brand has helped boost the company’s growth, development, and reputation.

He has visited the Robe factory in the Czech Republic, which was “super impressive,” mentioning that he especially loved the demo theatre so much: “I really want one in my house!”

KG still spends around 40% of his time designing lighting shows for Blackmotion Designs, and as part of that detail key lighting is an art he particularly loves. This is another reason he enjoys working with the Robe fixtures so much … for the great range of “proper whites” and the “excellent” colour mixing which traverses all of Robe’s product ranges.

“I appreciate the most recent luminaires all being powerful and multifunctional. As a designer, it is great to have the latitude to do several things with one light source, and Robe has always thought out-of-the-box like this.”

KG’s career as a lighting professional started in television and film lighting, and much of Blackmotion’s work is still in this sector, together with a mix of agency work for business events and corporates to whom they offer slick and innovative technical solutions. In addition to lighting, they offer audio, LED, rigging, staging and streaming services, so they can cover all production aspects.

KG and his team work throughout South Africa, and in several other African countries via a network of partners, a business model that allows them to scale up and innovate as needed.

For specific shows, they will bring in other LDs, a setup that KG also enjoys in addition to being able to facilitate their ideas and creativity with the kit that he can offer.

Approximately 12 or 14 shows and events per month go out the door, meticulously prepped by 13 full-time staff plus 24 or so regular freelancers, and this is a dream that’s come a long way since KG first became fascinated by lighting aged 13 when he ended up onstage at a Lucky Dube concert in Mpumalanga!

“I remember being transfixed by this red light on his dreadlocks, like a celestial glow,” he says recalling the eureka moment that made him want lighting to be an integral part of his life.

From that day onwards, he single-mindedly decided to make production his career and his life, first studying Performing Arts Technology at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) then working as an intern with MJ Events Gear, one of SA’s original major lighting rental companies, which proved his stepping stone into the fascinating world of film and TV lighting from which he’s not glanced back, and that helped him cultivate a work ethic that sees him enjoy every second of every day.

Photo Credit: Louise Stickland