Chronicle Editor
Mthabisi Tshuma, Showbiz Correspondent
College Central, producers of the popular Wadiwa Wepa Moyo drama were left counting their losses last week when their YouTube account was hacked and all their content wiped out.
This was a major blow for them as they were getting financial gains from the popularity of the show online through adverts from Google and local corporates.
While some concluded that the drama’s producers had been directed by ZBC to pull down the content since the show is being shown by the national broadcaster, it later emerged that the account had infact been hacked.
The series production manager, Kudakwashe Jani, said due to the hacking, they lost a lot of revenue which they were hoping to use to pay the drama’s cast.
“We just woke up on May 15 to find that our YouTube and email account had been hacked as we couldn’t access them. We don’t know who took over the account but there was a money lecture from a guy called Dave Ramsey who actually aired something live on the day on the account,” said Jani.
“We were benefitting financially from the YouTube account via the YouTube ads and without access or content on the page, we can’t generate revenue anymore. This has affected us greatly as we still have outstanding money which we are supposed to pay actors.”
Jani said they have since created a new YouTube account page after consulting Information Technology experts.
He said the hacking was a wakeup call and they have now secured the new account.
“We’ve since created a new account which is more secure and encrypted as we got help from IT specialists. We’ve learnt to research on protecting our content on the web and we are going to invest heavily in that.
“Nonetheless, this is just a lesson and we’re glad it came so early in our career because now we’re aware of what can possibly happen,” he said.
College Central was formed in 2017. They have produced dramas and films that include Wadiwa Wepa Moyo, Things we do for love, Special Class which they worked with Simuka comedy and a number of music videos.
Their defining moment however was the production of Wadiwa Wepa Moyo, a drama that was a hit among many Zimbabweans earlier this year because of its simple, but relatable storyline.
The lockdown also saw the drama gain popularity as people were in desperate need of fresh content. – @mthabisi_mthire.
Online Reporter