We’re on the bare silver rooftop 26 storeys up. Gigantic elevator motors and extractors machine on next to us. The safety officer looks at me sideways through her thick turtle-rimmed specs. “Mr Maisela, would you step towards the railing please”, I ask the business magnate as I frame the shot between the towering shadows of the Braamfontein cityscape. One of the most powerful men in the African Insurance industry is tiptoeing slightly right, slightly more right, sorry, a little left, at my gestures. The midday sunlight is brutal. Reflectors are bouncing all over the place. I have to make this shot work. I’ve switched to my commando-super-polite directing mode for these 20 minutes when I am allowed absolute dictatorship. Maisela’s entire entourage is there. His security, his secretaries, his media consultants, even his secretaries’ secretaries are there. Looking on is assistant #3 who minutes earlier eye-gawked me in the elevator after my comment, “Is this NBC the name of the Building, or the Company?” I was oblivious to Max Maisela’s empire that ran cubicle by cubicle from underneath my feet, spreading its reign and 8 point font across the continent.

This was on day one of shooting 12 finalists and 5 Judges around the country for the Johnnie Walker Celebrating Strides Awards. The Awards honours exceptional individuals who never stopped believing in their dreams and took the steps necessary to make them a reality. By creating awards for these individuals, Johnnie Walker aims to inspire people to follow their own dreams.

I’ve been harboring the following theory: The higher up in the world a person becomes, the more down to earth they are. It’s a inverse relationship and I am constantly surprised by how approachable many important public figures are. I was shooting George Sombonos, the owner of South Africa’s largest fried chicken operations, Chicken Licken. His daughter, and heir to his R600 million-a-year 230-store fried chicken serving dominion, wanted to assist, and happily carried around my reflectors. After the shoot, I couldn’t stop Mr Sombonos from grabbing my equipment and carrying it back to my VW rental. Determined to see that I was completely comfortable, he almost broke into a sweat while dashing over the street to buy me a coke at his Booysens Drive shop.

Surprising how a man can be so passionate about Fried Chicken. “It’s amazing” Mr Sombonos says after I ask him how it is that South Africans can’t get enough of the stuff. On my travels also noticed how South African’s really really love Facebrick. But that has nothing to do with this story. George Sombonos grew a small roadhouse on the outskirts of Johannesburg into the biggest fried chicken franchise outside the United States. His story. He scraped his last $1000 bucks to buy a fried chicken recipe.

I’m on Day 3 of the shoot. Ernest Kekana, a business award finalist arrives 20 minutes late. Straightening his jacket he looks confidently back at me through my lens. “Sorry I’m late. How long is this going to take. I need to catch a plane.” His own plane. Well, a jet really. One of 11. And 3 choppers. But who’s counting. His company, K5 Aviation is one of the largest independent charter jet companies in South Africa. He has 5 years on me, I think to myself.

Day 6. I have 20 minutes with South African music icon, Johnny Clegg. I get to Kirstenbosch gardens early. Really early. He is playing that night in a summer concert. He had just landed from LA, where he lives. As you do when you’re a celeb. I give myself 2 hours to setup the shot. I test the shot. I recruit girlfriend to model so I can be absolutely sure I have the shot. Clegg arrives on set. I take 7 pictures. I reposition him. I take a 4 more. I check my camera. Okay. I say to him. I’ve got the shot. Do I have the shot. I check my camera. I have the shot. I’m sure. But am I? Okay, I have it. I check my camera again. I’ve got the shot.

Each finalist has an amazing story. The categories for the Celebrating Strides Awards are Business, Design, Environment, and Arts. The campaign was created by King James Adverting and runs Nationally in print and through PR. You can also see the campaign and vote online on www.celebratingstrides.co.za

Some selected portraits from the shoot can be seen in a gallery here.

Credits:
Art Directors: Mark Stead and Karin Barry
Copywriters: Alex Van Tonder and Paige Nick
Agency: King James Advertising

As a footnote, I like this bit about the Johnnie Walker striding man:
“The Johnnie Walker Striding Man icon, which is synonymous with the inspiring “Keep Walking™” slogan, is regarded the world over as a symbol of motivation and a call to progression. It stands for the first step in the journey of a lifetime. It inspires us to pursue our dreams. Imagine where a stride can take you.