Chatsworth Centre, situated in the heart of the bustling community of Chatsworth in Durban, has an extremely loyal shopper support base. Rubecca Khan, JHI Senior Portfolio Manager for Chatsworth Centre says: “Being a community driven centre, we strongly believe in supporting the development and upliftment of the community in which we operate, so we decided that this centre would be the ideal platform to support and grow local talent and this is when Chatsworth’s Got Talent was born!” she says.
Now in its third year, and scheduled to continue in 2014, Chatsworth’s Got Talent gives the community of Chatsworth and surrounding areas the opportunity to audition in a high profile talent contest. To make the competition as appealing as possible and to ensure maximum community support, major prize giveaways were negotiated, giving the winner a once in a lifetime reward including a major cash prize and the chance to score a role in a local movie production with Big M Productions. Held in August and September this year (2013), Chatsworth’s Got Talent was co-ordinated with the assistance of Big M Productions, The School of Performing Arts and the Youth Film Development Project.
National Marketing Award
Says Khan: “Last year’s Chatsworth’s Got Talent competition received national recognition in the South African Council of Shopping Centre’s annual marketing awards, which recognise exceptional shopping centre marketing, innovation and creative achievements together with economic success.”
Owned by Sanlam Life Insurance, managed by JHI Properties and marketed by Primedia Lifestyle, Chatsworth Centre is very much a part of the rich and diverse fabric that makes up the unique community of Chatsworth.
Adds Khan: “In recent years the area has been impacted by drugs with teenagers as well as children as young and 10 and 11 years of age reported to be addicted to the popular and highly addictive drug, sugars. Sadly the drug also has a poor rate of recovery. With limited entertainment options available for the youth of Chatsworth, some teenagers become bored easily and start experimenting with deadly substances. Sugars addiction also fuels the crime rate in the area.
“With this in mind and after extensive research by the Chatsworth Centre management team, we identified that there is a great deal of talent in the Chatsworth community and that there had never been a platform created to showcase this. Talent contests such as Idols SA and South Africa’s Got Talent are coordinated on a much larger national platform, making it harder for individual performances to be remembered and acknowledged.
“This talent contest formed the perfect medium for us to interact with the community on a one to one basis. Chatsworth’s Got Talent was realised as a talent contest aimed at empowering the community and affording them a medium to portray themselves via music, dance or sketch at no cost to them but their time. The community was motivated to participate in the talent search competition by not just gaining publicity and rewards, but by participating and earning respect in the community.”
Concludes Khan: “This campaign is very close to our hearts and we are glad that we are able to provide the first stepping stone to helping these talented individuals realise their potential and take their talent to the next level.”
The winner in the dance category of the 2013 competition was Andrew Bothi and in the singing category the winner was Kenty Ramkissoon.
For further information contact Chatsworth Centre on 031 4035451 or email rubecca.khan@jhi.co.za.
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