Digital content creators shape daily conversations, drive consumer behavior, and build micro-economies right from their smartphones. Yet, the structural recognition of their commercial and cultural value has historically lagged behind traditional media platforms.
Manuela Dias de Deus, Founder and CEO of creative communications agency One-eyed Jack, recognized this disparity during the pandemic. Her observation birthed the South African Content Creator Awards—a non-profit initiative designed to benchmark, upskill, and professionalize the local digital landscape.
In this comprehensive feature interview, Dias de Deus unpacks the strategic trajectory of the platform’s current 2026 edition, the commercial realities of brand-influencer partnerships, and the entrepreneurial hurdles that local talent must overcome to build truly sustainable media businesses.
1. What specific gaps did you observe in the digital media ecosystem that initially inspired you to establish a dedicated space for content creators?
The gap wasn’t really in the ecosystem itself, but in the lack of recognition for the work creators were already doing.
The awards were born in 2021 during lockdown, when creators became a daily lifeline, entertaining, informing, and connecting people through everything from comedy skits to cooking trends and educational content. At the same time, I attended an advertising awards show and realized how many winning campaigns relied heavily on creators, yet there was no platform recognizing the creators themselves.
That was the spark: to celebrate creators in their own right, and help legitimize and grow the creator economy locally and across the continent.
2. How has the original vision for the platform evolved from its launch in 2022 to the current 2026 edition?
In 2022, the focus was on “shining a spotlight on the people who make us feel good,” at a time when creators were a huge source of connection post-pandemic. Since then, the industry has matured significantly. Creators are no longer just entertainers; they are educators, thought leaders, community builders, and entrepreneurs running full-scale media businesses.
With that evolution, the awards have also shifted. It’s no longer just about celebration; it’s about benchmarking excellence and recognizing real cultural and commercial impact in the digital ecosystem.
3. What is the story or strategic meaning behind naming your agency “One-eyed Jack”?
It was definitely more story than strategy. I spent weeks trying to register “proper” names like Access All Areas, but everything was taken. Around the same time, a friend had a one-eyed cat named Jack.
Over drinks one day, while I was deep in the naming process, he joked I should just call the agency One-eyed Jack. It stuck immediately. I could see the branding instantly; it felt distinctive, a little irreverent, and full of personality, which is very much the energy of the agency.
So it didn’t start as a strategic exercise, but it became one. The name has grown into its own identity and has shaped how people experience the brand ever since.
4. You have often emphasized that creators are entrepreneurs and cultural drivers. What do you see as the biggest hurdle keeping local creators from scaling their work into sustainable businesses?
The biggest challenge is that many creators are brilliant creatives but haven’t been equipped with business skills. Content creation is one skill set, but building a business around it is another. Suddenly, creators are expected to understand contracts, pricing, intellectual property (IP), cash flow, teams, and strategy, often without formal support.
The industry also evolved very quickly, so infrastructure and education are still catching up. And finally, there’s burnout. Many creators are the talent, strategist, editor, salesperson, and community manager all in one, making scale incredibly difficult without proper systems and support.
5. Entry to these awards remains entirely free for creators. How do you maintain this non-profit model while simultaneously expanding the platform’s scope and cash prize offerings?
Keeping entry free has always been intentional; we never wanted cost to be a barrier to participation. The model is sustained through strategic brand partnerships that see the awards as a year-round ecosystem, not a one-night event.
The platform now includes workshops, nominee activations, voting campaigns, and ongoing creator engagement, so the value exchange extends far beyond the awards night. It’s not without complexity, but the guiding principle remains: accessibility first, and growth built through partnerships that genuinely support the creator economy.
6. Through the implementation of masterclasses and mentorship initiatives, what core competencies are you prioritizing to upskill emerging talents?
Initially, the workshops were designed to help emerging creators monetize their craft and understand how to turn passion into income. But as the industry matured, so did the workshop content.
Today, our workshops are increasingly focused on helping established creators understand some of the simplest yet most overlooked business principles required to build thriving, sustainable businesses. This ranges from pricing and partnerships to scaling teams, diversifying revenue streams, and protecting their mental well-being while growing their platforms. Ultimately, we want creators to not only succeed creatively but to build businesses and brands that can sustain them long term.
7. Managing the intersection where creators, brands, and corporate metrics collide can be delicate. What are the most common misunderstandings brands have when partnering with digital influencers?
A few still come up regularly:
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- Traditional PR Mindset: The expectation that influencer campaigns should behave like traditional PR, where everyone posts the exact same message at the same time. That approach ignores how audiences actually engage with creators today, where authenticity and individual voice matter most.
- Short-Term View: Treating creators as short-term activation tools rather than long-term media partners. That limits storytelling and impact.
- Vanity Metrics: The assumption that reach equals effectiveness. In reality, trust and audience alignment often outperform pure follower numbers.
The best results happen when brands co-create with creators, rather than broadcasting through them.
8. For the 2026 event cycle, you have introduced five new categories tied to corporate sponsorships. How do you align commercial partnerships with the authentic, grassroots nature of digital culture?
It’s about balance. Some categories, like Thumb-Stopping, exist purely to celebrate creativity. But the creator economy is also a commercial ecosystem; creators earn income through partnerships, and the awards should strengthen that reality.
Sponsored categories work when there’s real alignment. For example, the Cars.co.za Automotive Content Award makes sense because Cars.co.za is both a listing platform and a content brand. Their category isn’t just sponsorship; it’s a way to discover and potentially work with talent. The principle is simple: protect grassroots creativity where it should remain untouched, and only introduce commercial partnerships where they genuinely add value.
9. Given the prior launch of pan-African categories, what major trends or distinct differences have you noticed when comparing the South African creator ecosystem with the broader continent?
This is a great question, and it’s something we’re very mindful of, but I want to be transparent that we only ran the Pan-African category for one year. We don’t yet have a large enough body of work to draw deep comparative insights across multiple cycles. What we did see in that year, however, was a really exciting breadth of storytelling styles and platform usage across different markets, which reinforced just how diverse and fast-evolving the African creator landscape is.
We also made a conscious decision not to continue the category in its current form until we could properly resource it, particularly ensuring that nominees could be brought to South Africa for the awards experience itself. For us, inclusion can’t just be symbolic; it has to be experiential and properly supported, which requires the right sponsorship structure.
So rather than over-claiming differences, we’re currently treating Pan-African participation as a growth opportunity for the future. When we bring it back, we want to do it in a way that genuinely reflects the scale, diversity, and connectivity of the continent’s creator economy.
10. How do you plan to scale the reach of the platform to achieve your vision of making it the definitive benchmarking event for digital storytelling across Africa?
The scaling strategy is really about depth and distribution.
Firstly, we’re growing the ecosystem year-on-year through consistent
touchpoints, not just a single awards moment. The workshops, nominee
announcements, voting phase, and awards night, all function as content and
engagement layers that keep the platform active across several months, not just
one event.
Firstly, we’re growing the ecosystem year-on-year through consistent
touchpoints, not just a single awards moment. The workshops, nominee
announcements, voting phase, and awards night, all function as content and
engagement layers that keep the platform active across several months, not just
one event.
Secondly, we’re building stronger creator and brand participation loops. That
means more categories that reflect real commercial demand, more sponsored
partnerships that connect creators to paid opportunities, and more structured
ways for brands to discover talent through the platform, not just celebrate it.
Thirdly, distribution is key. We’re intentionally designing content from the awards
and surrounding programme to travel, through creator channels, brand channels,
PR, and media partners, so the reach is decentralised and amplified by the
ecosystem itself.
means more categories that reflect real commercial demand, more sponsored
partnerships that connect creators to paid opportunities, and more structured
ways for brands to discover talent through the platform, not just celebrate it.
Thirdly, distribution is key. We’re intentionally designing content from the awards
and surrounding programme to travel, through creator channels, brand channels,
PR, and media partners, so the reach is decentralised and amplified by the
ecosystem itself.
And finally, the long-term vision is regional expansion. We’ve already tested pan-
African participation, and the ambition is to grow that in a way that is properly
resourced and sustainable, so the platform becomes a true benchmark across
African markets, not just South Africa.
African participation, and the ambition is to grow that in a way that is properly
resourced and sustainable, so the platform becomes a true benchmark across
African markets, not just South Africa.
In short, we’re not trying to scale one event, we’re scaling a creator economy
platform that lives all year round.
platform that lives all year round.
