Rockstar Group begins Namibian operations

WINDHOEK, APRIL 5 – /The African continents premiere leading multi-award-winning music, entertainment and brand activation group, The Rockstar Group, launched its highly anticipated dedicated Namibian operations in Windhoek and Swakopmund. The launch of ‘Rockstar Namibia’ introduces a new era of world class strategic, production and activations services on a local level in Namibia, informed and complimented by the best of the best in the Namibian industry.

‘Rockstar Namibia’, a Namibian registered company with offices strategically based in both Windhoek and Swakopmund with extended resources inclusive of an existing staff compliment of over 30 Namibian individuals across a range of disciplines, is co-owned, managed and run by some of the best of the best in the Namibian industry. The senior executive team is made up of three Namibian co-owners and senior directors namely Michael Vermeulen, Odile Gertze and Fernando Paulus and headed up by Managing Director, Jandre Louw.

“It’s a very exciting time for us at Mikel-Jes as a leading technical and staging company in Namibia and a perfect time for us to lead the industry to a next level and into a very exciting next era in our partnership and co-ownership of Rockstar Namibia. Now we get to combine the best in Pan African and international production experience with the best in Namibia, our crew and staff gets unprecedented exposure to world class skills development, training and support and have all of the combined resources and experience at our fingertips locally whenever we need it to continue offering and delivering worldclass services and productions to clients and brands across Namibia and continue to let Namibia lead the way in Africa as a world class hub for innovation, technical excellence and cutting edge production solutions, starting with the Namibian Annual Music Awards 2019” said Michael Vermeulen, Managing Partner Co-Owner and Director of Technical Staging and Production for Rockstar Namibia and Managing Director of Mikel-Jes Music Productions.

“It’s a very exciting historic time for us at the Rockstar Group Ghana to now have a Namibian sister company in the group and an acclaimed successful Namibian business leader like Michael as part of the Namibian ownership and leadership of Rockstar Namibia and the myriad of cross-border opportunities we will build together over the months and years to come with the Namibian team” says Sammy Forson, highly acclaimed Ghanaian personality and Managing Partner of The Rockstar Group Ghana.

MICHAEL VERMEULEN ROCKSTAR NAMIBIA

Michael Vermeulen, co-owner and Director of Technical Staging and Production for Rockstar Namibia, is a highly acclaimed, respected, successful and influential personality in the Namibian production industry and also the owner and Managing Director of the leading, most experienced and successful technical staging production companies in Namibia, Mikel-Jes Music Productions.

Michael has been the Namibian head of technical and staging for the Namibian Annual Music Awards for several years and some of the most successfully staged shows to date in addition to the successful staging and production of a myriad of events and productions for some of Namibia’s leading brands such as MTC, Namibian Annual Music Awards, NBC, Standard Bank Namibia, Price Waterhouse Coopers, Volkswagen Group, Nampower, Old Mutual, Huawei, Telecom, Namibia Sports Awards, October Fest, 081Every1 Fest and list goes on.

“I am thrilled to be joining the Rockstar family and now being part of the leadership team at Rockstar Namibia, which will enable me to lead the way for so many young talented Namibians especially opening doors for talented powerful young Namibian women. To know you have such a powerful team supporting you and your dreams is an incredible feeling and I look forward to working together” added Odile, Managing Partner co-owner and Director of Experiential for Rockstar Namibia

“Odile is a phenomenal multi-talented women which such an exciting significant future ahead of her and will no doubt soon emerge as one of the most influential young business leaders on the African continent, leading the charge at Rockstar Namibia” noted Somoina Kimojino, Managing Partner of The Rockstar Group Kenya and Managing Director of the Capital FM and Media Group Kenya.

ODILE GERTZE ROCKSTAR NAMIBIA

“Odile is one of those very rare multi-talented leaders that has no borders or limits to her ambitions and will no doubt lead Rockstar Namibia to significant successes and especially opening doors for many young talented Namibian women to follow through her very strategic position at Rockstar Namibia, we cannot wait to explore opportunities between Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Namibia,” said Sammy Thuo, co-Founder and Director of the number one Kenyan and East African media and creative agency SARACEN OMD and Managing Partner, The Rockstar Group East Africa.

Odile Gertze, co-owner and Director of Experiential for Rockstar Namibia, is a very well-known, respected, successful and famous Namibian personality both in Namibia and across its borders. Odile is a former Miss Namibia and Namibian Miss World finalist. Born and bred in Windhoek Namibia, with a passion for the entertainment industry, Odile continues to make her mark.

With a degree in Fashion Design from Elizabeth Galloway Fashion Academy and qualifications in Journalism from UNISA, she also has a passion for dance and is qualified Ballet Dancer and enjoyed a successful dancing career, particularly with the widely popular African Ballet Titled ‘Anima’. Odile has been working as an actress, professional dancer, MC, radio presenter, TV presenter, model and journalist. Odile has featured on the Namibian Annual Music Awards stage on several occasions over the past few years both as one of the lead on-stage dancers and in addition as one of the shows main hosts in 2018, to an estimate broadcast and live stream audience of over 400 million viewers in over 75 countries.

JANDRE LOUW ROCKSTAR NAMIBIA

“I’m thrilled to be given the opportunity to help drive the leadership team at Rockstar Namibia starting with heading up the music team at the next Namibian Annual Music Awards but in addition the huge world class door that’s now opened for a Namibian company and a Namibian team to offer a new vast range of cutting edge music production services to brands, corporations and advertisers” according to Fernando Paulus, Managing Partner co-owner and Director of Music for Rockstar Namibia.

“It’s such an honor to welcome an amazing musical mind such as Fernando to the family and Fernando’s influence as part of the Rockstar Namibia leadership will no doubt pave the way for a new era of musical excellence and opportunities for brands, corporates and the music entertainment industry in Namibia and the region” said Chali Bravo, Managing Partner of The Rockstar Group Zambia.

“Fernando has been a key integral part of the Namibian Annual Music Awards over the years in leading the music team and we have already reached out across borders for Fernando to assist us in building our music team in Senegal as we set off our journey in shaping the Senegalese Music Awards for our region,” noted Rokhaya Kebe, Managing Partner, The Rockstar Group Senegal and French African Territories.

Fernando Paulus, co-owner and Director of Music for Rockstar Namibia, is a highly acclaimed, respected, successful and influential musical leader within the music and entertainment industry in Namibia. Fernando is extremely well respected across the who’s who of the Namibian artist and musician community, across all Namibian music genres and nuances and can connect the notes musically of almost any song across any Namibian music genre.

Fernando and his band have supported and dominated live performances across the biggest shows and stages hosted in Namibia in recent years including as the house band for Namibia’s biggest night and platform in music, the Namibian Annual Music Awards for the past 8 years, both as musicians and band leader and most recently taking over the helm as the overall music director for the NAMA’s to huge acclaim.

“To say we are absolutely thrilled in launching Namibia’s own Rockstar company is an understatement. Rockstar Namibia is a natural evolution of our huge passion for Namibia, our very vested partnerships and relationships with the best in the Namibian industry and a product of our extended and vast investment into Namibia, commitment made over almost a decade in Namibia, skills development and skills transfer programs into the Namibian industry over the past 8 years alongside our role as the Executive Producers of the Namibian Annual Music Awards. Michael, Odile and Fernando are some of the absolute best in their fields in the Namibian industry and we are absolutely ecstatic to embark on this next chapter of our journey, welcoming them to the family, not only as colleagues but as managing partners and co-owners in Rockstar Namibia.” – Jandre Louw, Managing Director of Rockstar Namibia and President of The Rockstar Group.

“The African continent has some of the most talented personalities in the world and we can go head to head with the best of the best on the globe, with unwavering confidence… for Rockstars good is never enough, not in a million years and there’s nothing we cannot do to achieve historic impact… if it doesn’t exist or if it’s never been done yet… we will invent it along the way!”, Jandre added.

The Rockstar Group was announced as the Top 2 Music Marketing Companies worldwide, and the Number 1 Pan African Marketing, Music, Entertainment company by international music authority – MIDEM in Cannes, France.

“We completely endorse The Rockstar Group as the leading Pan African events production, activations and experiential agency and full-service music entertainment company on the African continent and look forward to our close on various projects over the years to come,” says The Republic of Senegal’s Honorable Minister of Culture, Abdou Latif Coulibaly

The Rockstar Group is the first completely Pan African 360 Major Music Company, content, digital, events and activations production network. Rockstar delivered on various aspects of the FIFA World Cup 2010 South Africa’s global campaign supporting Sony Music Entertainment (the Official FIFA World Cup Global Partner), launched major networks into and across the African continent such as mobile telecoms giant Airtel into 18 African countries and have global recognition and accolades from global authorities, media and awards. Rockstar have successfully delivered and rolled out over 1,550 small to major activations and events in over 103 countries across 5 continents, providing world-class global experience on a local level and the most cost-effective budgets, exponential returns on investment, association and exposure and always tied into a myriad of local empowerment extensions, programs and opportunities!

FERNANDO PAULUS ROCKSTAR NAMIBIA

“We endorse The Rockstar Group and the Ugandan Tourism, Wildlife and Culture Ministry is proud and thrilled to work with Africa’s leading Pan African events production, activations, experiential agency and full-service music entertainment company on the Hall of Fame Africa and League of Kings & Queens in Uganda for the foreseeable future!” says The Republic of Uganda’s Honourable State Minister for Tourism, Wildlife, Antiquities Godfrey Kiwanda

The Rockstar Group provide brands an unrivalled mix and reach of the best activations, events, festivals, music and entertainment or integrated brand-based experiences from around the world and across Africa on a local level! The Rockstar brand essence is proudly African born and rooted and its lifeblood is aspiration! Though its core business is music, live events, brand experiences, brand content, creating and executing music as a core strategic pillar for brands to reach and connect to mass audiences and consumers, talent & music management, an offering that extends beyond the functional levels of excellence in its delivery and expertise to connect emotionally with audiences through what matters to them most – Music! Lifestyle! Bands! Being part of and living the life of… ROCKSTARS!

“The Namibian Annual Music Awards (NAMAs) took place recently produced by the incredible Rockstar team, the staging at the NAMA’s, blue carpet pre-show, broadcast and digitally streamed across the African continent to 400 million viewers shows Africa is in many ways ahead of the entertainment game.” Noted world leading USA based Hip-Hop Magazine THE SOURCE

The Rockstar Group at its core specializes in music and entertainment, the most vast Pan African industry network and on the ground presence in more than 40 countries across Africa, and with its reach and more than 25 years of Pan African experience is unrivalled as a 360 music, entertainment and integrated brand experience company across the extend of the Pan African continent, and within Namibia, with a vast local, regional and Pan African network of suppliers, crew, specialists, and providers, vetted through long standing process of direct experiences learnings and successes, procurement over years of experience in each market and closely forged loyal and professional relationship of reliable delivery and most cost effective logistics and pricing across the board.

“THE ROCKSTAR GROUP has without doubt placed Namibia on the map in Central, East Africa and in the middle East with the world class production of the Namibian Annual Music Awards.” Noted Clouds Media Group International. – NDN Staffer