Jumpstart 2021: 3 Point Productions

The Garage recently caught up with the 3 Point Productions team, a participant in Jumpstart, The Garage’s pre-accelerator program, to learn more about their growth and goals during this summer. In this interview, we spoke with Adala Makhulo, Weinberg + SoC ’23, founder of 3 Point Productions, and her teammate, Mphilo Mauncho.

How is Jumpstart going so far? 

Adala: Jumpstart is going great so far! I’m really enjoying learning more about what other teams are developing as well as learning more about entrepreneurship. I’m learning a lot about how to be successful in the space I am operating in as well as how to effectively manage a team. 

Mphilo: Jumpstart is going really well! As a newer addition to the program, I thought it was going to be difficult to adjust to the system. But my transition has been really smooth. And it's been awesome and exciting hearing from, and connecting with experts of such a wide variety of fields. I'm enjoying myself.

What has been the most valuable workshop/session so far and why? 

Adala: I would say the most valuable workshop thus far has been the session on Recruiting by Ibraheem Alinur, CEO and co-founder of City Health Tech. This was something we were struggling with during that time so it was great to hear from him as well as ask specific questions related to our company. After the session, we reached out to him and he connected us with his co-founder, Irewole, who is an African international student from Nigeria, which is very similar to me although I’m from Kenya. He offered a lot of insight into being an entrepreneur in the US on a student visa as well as insight into job opportunities post-grad. He was gracious enough to offer more insight and guidance post-meeting so we’ll definitely keep in touch with him! 

Mphilo: I found the session on monetization with Harrison Shih to be the most valuable to me. As a startup working in the digital entertainment space, the path to monetizing our business hasn't been exactly straightforward. During the session, Harrison provided us with some useful ideas, and new ways of thinking about our revenue model that have really helped us. And he even offered to set up a follow-up meeting, which was incredibly encouraging. 

What inspired you to start 3 Point Productions?

Adala: I was born and raised in Kenya, and the need for more diverse stories is on the rise. Most young Kenyans do not watch local content, and seek out content from the West, however we rarely see ourselves represented in these stories. We grow up idolizing shows that do not portray us as main complex characters. Furthermore, only a few of our stories make it to the screen and garner international recognition, but the majority of these stories are not told by us. We rarely get the opportunity to tell our own authentic African stories our way.

This is a narrative I wanted to change. In 2020, I started 3 Point Productions with the aim of curating high quality content for the youth, by the youth. We are currently working on Exposition, a digital show that focuses on curating courageous conversations among the Youth on topics of importance to us such as Colorism, Mental Health, Black Hair and Texturism etc. Our digital show airs on YouTube and we have Instagram and Twitter pages as well. The main purpose of pushing our content on these platforms is to create a community among the Youth who care about issues that are of importance to us. We aim to diversify into more forms of content that Youth in Kenya enjoy watching as well as can garner international recognition.

Mphilo: I've watched Adala build this company from the beginning. And her passion for this project is really what inspired me to come aboard. I have a drive for storytelling and media at large. And 3 Point Productions has given me the space to explore that up close and personal. Getting the opportunity to share our own African stories and being the conduit to which people can experience Kenya, and all manner of Kenyan, mindsets and opinions has been awesome, and I hope that comes across in everything we do. 

What is your background? Were you (both) always entrepreneurial?  

Adala: I would definitely say I’ve always been entrepreneurial. When I was in middle school, I used to sell jewellery in school to gain some money. I always knew I wanted to start my own business in the future. I have always been a creative person, and always been interested in filmmaking. Seeing the quality of filmmaking in my country pushed me even more to start this business. I believe it has a lot of potential to grow into one of the leading film production companies in Kenya.  

Mphilo: I would say, yes, I've always been entrepreneurial. From a young age I've wanted to be the boss of my own company. But as a creative, dabbling in many different areas, I was never certain where to start. As I've gotten older, I know it has something to do with people. Working with 3 Point Productions is one of my first real experiences in the entrepreneurial space and it's exactly what I've been looking for, working with real people, on real issues that matter.

What is 3 Point Productions in its current form? 

Adala: 3 Point Productions is meant to be a community for the Youth to have a safe space where their opinions will be heard even if they differ from the masses. We aim to create a space for Youth to learn more about different topics, even if they may not directly affect them. What we really aim to do is create a strong community among the Youth. 

Mphilo: I would say 3 Point Productions is a creative hub. A place to ideate, and explore new things. As a part of the 3 Point team, I've been given room to follow ideas and create content that matters to me. In its current form, 3 Point is working to really engage with our audience, hear from them and what they'd like to see and hear. We're working really hard to keep our focus on the people we make our videos for. I'm hoping this aspect of the business will persist and really propel us forward. 

What’s been your biggest challenge building the company? 

Adala: One of the biggest challenges has been funding. Filmmaking is very expensive and producing episodes costs a lot. We are at a point where we are not making any direct revenue from what we’re doing, so financing is a challenge. 

Mphilo: I'd say one of our biggest challenges has been growing our consumer base outside our immediate circles, outside our network. We obviously appreciate our family and friends in supporting our endeavor but to really thrive we need people who don't know us to be invested as well. Finding those channels and means of expanding the brand has posed a bit of a challenge. 

What is your plan for 3 Point Productions in the next year? 5 years? 

Adala: The plan for the next 5 years is to continue to grow, continue to produce Exposition as well as diversify into other forms of content such as short films, feature films, web series etc. We really want to continue producing content as well as work with brands and companies that align with our brand and interests. I also really hope that in the next 5 years we’ll have built a strong community among the Youth and will be holding events to bring people together and continue curating courageous conversations. 

Mphilo: Adala will have her own ideas, but in the next 5 years, I'd say I see 3 Point Productions as a major player in the Kenyan and hopefully African digital space. I hope that we're creating content that inspires all Africans to think and approach subjects differently. I hope we can tell bigger stories on a bigger scale. Maybe movies, maybe TV? The possibilities for the kinds of stories we'll be able to share as our platform grows are endless, and I'm just excited to be along for the ride. 

How can we learn more or get involved? 

Adala: You can learn more about what we do by subscribing to our YouTube channel! That’s where we post the long form episodes of the show we are currently working on. Also, we tend to be pretty active on our Instagram and Twitter so you should definitely follow us on those platforms!

Check us out here!

YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/Expositionmedia 

Instagram - http://instagram.com/expositionmedia 

Twitter - https://twitter.com/exposition_ 

Mphilo: Right now, 3 Point Productions is producing a show for YouTube under our channel Exposition. Here we've started uploading our videos centred around engaging conversations taking place amongst Kenyan young people. Topics ranging from Men's Mental Health to Kenyan Drinking and Party culture, topics we can all relate to. You can find us on Instagram and Twitter at @expositonmedia. We upload, update and engage with our followers through these channels. So please give us a follow and stay up to date with what we have coming next!

This article is part of an ongoing series highlighting the startup teams admitted to Jumpstart, The Garage’s pre-accelerator Program. For more information about Jumpstart, click here.