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Showbiz Reporter
WHEN then ZiFM Stereo boss Supa Mandiwanzira took Samantha Mussa on board two years ago, he took a risk.
Mussa, a little-known broadcaster in the country, had to fill the gap left by Tinopona ‘Tin Tin’ Katsande who was fired from the station following a leaked sex tape.
But two years down the line, Mussa, now MisRed, has proved her mettle on the station’s popular breakfast show, The Ignition. The name ‘MisRed’ (pronounced Misread) is what a lot of young women face every day – being misunderstood, misinterpreted. She believes that she represents every young woman who has made a mistake and has been written off by society.
Together with veteran broadcaster Tonderai ‘TeeKay’ Katsande, the two set listeners’ moods for the day.
In the last two years, MisRed has carved a niche for herself as an MC and PR consultant.
She is sought-after as a model for shoots and has started pushing on the TV front as a host for the weekly ZBC musical show, ‘Coke on the Beat.’
The personality, who celebrated her second anniversary as a presenter on the station on Wednesday, says despite a successful launch into her career, she was still work in progress.
“You have to count your blessings if you’re still on radio after two years; it says something about your work. I’m celebrating God’s blessings, I’m work in progress and open to learning more,” said MisRed.
She said working for ZiFM Stereo had opened countless doors for her. Each week day, she wakes up just after 3AM to prepare for their 6AM-10AM shift.
“Working for the station has opened my world to countless possibilities and even more fascinating people. ZiFM has given me a direct platform to hear what people are thinking, feeling and experiencing. I’m growing continuously and ZiFM has been a catalyst to that growth.
“I’ve travelled doing what I love and met international celebrities.”
Taking over from celebrated predecessor Tin Tin, MisRed was worried if she would strike the right chord with listeners.
“Looking back, one of my biggest challenges was people trying to turn me into another Tin Tin. But gradually, I’ve been accepted for who I am and how I do things on radio, which is a plus for me,” said MisRed.
“It’s good though that I haven’t faced challenges in terms of gender discrimination. Everyone I deal with treats me the same and as serious as my male counterparts.”
In an effort to build an international brand, MisRed set up a website, www.imisred.com <http://www.imisred.com> , which is a platform for interaction between her and her followers.
The mother of one, who has had to juggle work and parenthood, endeavours to build a brand that young girls can look up to.
Having gone through an abusive relationship and subsequent divorce, the vivacious radio personality has not allowed circumstances to slow her down.
“I’m not one to celebrate mediocrity as I haven’t achieved my set goals of being a brand that people especially young girls can look up to. It’s always tough (parenting), not because I’m a mother but a single parent and it’ll never balance as it’s difficult to always be there for your child.
“My parents have been an amazing support system and I’m grateful to them. They help me where they can and it eases the pressure,” said MisRed.
The lively presenter wants to be remembered as the girl who proved anything was possible and that dreams can easily be turned into reality, especially in the media fraternity.
Online Reporter