Bustop TV turns 4

By Tonderai Zvimba

It has been four years since audiences were introduced to hilarious comedy productions by Bustop TV, a fast-rising media start-up company which has thrived on social media with its satirical skits that go viral as they comment on political and social issues.

Bustop TV, which is youth-run, was formed in 2014 by filmmaker Lucky Aaroni after he left a similar company, PO Box which he co-founded with his film school classmates Rolland Lunga (Boss Khedha) and Admire Kuzhangaira (Bhutisi).

“Some founding members of PO Box decided to pursue other avenues so we decided to rebrand to Bustop TV with the help of Dereck Nziyakwi, Samantha Kureya (Gonyeti) and Sharon Chidewu (Magi),” said the Bustop TV founder.

Through Bustop, the likes of Gonyeti and Magi have carved careers for themselves and are now getting a lot of gigs as MCs as well as comedy slots.
Aaroni said it has been a great four-year journey though it has not been smooth sailing as he faced a lot of challenges along the way.

“Lack of professionalism among the team was a challenge when we started Bustop TV. It (Bustop TV) started growing very fast and it needed a business approach, not just an artistic touch and we didn’t have that knowledge of running a business enterprise.

“I wish I’d learnt basic HR, bookkeeping and how to run a business earlier.”

Despite this, Aaroni said his biggest lesson was the power of collaboration. Incorporating comedians who are not from the Bustop TV stable such as Madam Boss, Mai Titi, sought-after artistes and other production houses has made Bustop TV a force to reckon with in the arts industry as it keeps their clips relevant making them capture wide audiences.

Also, they have branded themselves as a news outlet as their personalities, like any media house, attend events and broadcast news from there.

Aaroni, who also doubles up as the producer of Bustop TV, said the future looks bright for them as they want to start producing content for Africa.

They want to follow in the footsteps of Nigeria’s Mark Angel comedy which boasts of three million YouTube subscribers and Uganda’s Annie Kansiime whose video clips are viewed by millions.

Bustop TV has grown rapidly in the past four years as YouTube videos on their channel have managed to get over 18 million views.

They have over 20 000 Twitter followers and 123 000 likes on their Facebook page.

Aaroni said the media company employs six people who are making a living off these productions. The Chronicle