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Time to break that ceiling
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February 8, 2010
By Munyaradzi Vomo
Scores of young women her age would give anything to be in her place as Channel O's presenter of the celebrity show O Access, but Nonhle Thema feels she has hit a ceiling and needs new challenges.
"I believe in leaving things when you are still on top of your game rather than to have to leave when things are falling apart. I am married to Vuzu now (I can see a lot of guys sighing with relief here) and O Access is a baby from another marriage which I had with Channel O. I can't bring that baby into the new marriage and so I had to say farewell," she said.
For a show that started in 2005, with Nonhle as the presenter, O Access is easily Channel O's most successful project and is now in season four.
"No other shows have done what we have done on O Access and that has been really great.
"I think the good thing about our show is the amazing team of producers I worked with. They always backed me up through all that came with being a celebrity show presenter," she said.
Recalling her very first celebrity interview in the US, Nonhle revealed that it was far more difficult than she had expected because she was nervous.
"I had to interview R&B artist Fantasia and there were about 20 people around us watching - it was terrible. She was shooting her video and took a break to talk to us by her trailer. I wished I could take her into a corner and just be alone but in the end I was all right and everything went well. As if that was not enough, the next day I was interviewing Akon," she said.
The twenty-seven-year old's other memorable interviews were with Ne-Yo, 50 Cent, Pharrel Williams, Rihanna, Kelly Rowland, Eve and Nelly Furtado.
While her admirers would drool over her rubbing shoulders with the who's who of the American entertainment industry, Nonhle said the show was not always easy to put out.
"You would get people like TI or The Game who were intimidating during an interview. I remember being really scared during an interview with The Game because he had so many guys lurking around - some friends and others bodyguards. To make matters worse, it was rumoured that one of them had shot 2Pac. While it was really scary, I put on a face and made sure the interview went well."
Then there were the ones that were "too big" and would simply not have time for an interview, save for few minutes. However, Nonhle would stand her ground and get the story out of them. I had to make them understand that we were making a serious show, not just some try-out, and in most cases we got good stories."
As she moves on, Nonhle is not only going to be Vuzu TV's face but is involved in upcoming shows that she can't discuss yet.
"Let's just say I am able to do more things here - I am all about growth and Vuzu gives me just that. I am helping build the brand that makes me do more than just music, so viewers should watch this space."
Nonhle bows out of O Access tomorrow and though Channel O has remained mum on who her replacement is, she has her own hopes.
And she has a few tips for her successor. "I am hoping it is a funky, fresh, young African who is smart and outgoing. They should understand that this is a great job but it means hard work too."
Nonhle said the new presenter should also understand that they will answer questions in the US about Africa - and that some of the information they have there is misleading.
Catch the final episode of O Access season four tomorrow on Channel O at 9pm.
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