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Benjamin Cowley

About

Ben started in TV more than 14 years ago where he was involved in both live and pre-recorded programs at Namibia’s one and only national broadcaster: NBC.

Fast-forward several years, he found himself in the fantastical world of TV Commercials hoping this industry to be full of excitement, glitz and glamour. Needless to say, this pre-conceived notion couldn’t be further from the truth!

The Legacy Initiative (Retro Afrika Bioscope) is Ben’s baby and it’s his responsibility to nurture it and allow it to grow to its full potential. He works closely with the original film makers, film owners and national film, video and sound archives in sourcing/locating all the old films and getting them to Cape Town to restore them and ultimately get them onto a platform where the public can view them.

I Am Driven By | Passion in what I do. Being faced with a new challenge every day and knowing that what I am doing will live on beyond me and impact the world in some way… however small it may be.

The Difference Between good And Great | In my experience, people who are good at what they do tend to be content with just that, whereas people who are great, aspire for more and strive to make a bigger impact.

A Key Talent | I believe it is to see opportunity where few people would, and to drive it to be a success – even when everyone else is saying “you’re nuts”. Don’t take no for an answer and believe in your instinct – even if it takes years, the more you are able to turn opportunities into successes, the easier it will be to convince those around you to support you when you have a “crazy” idea.

Principles I Live By | Humility, Integrity and Honesty. Don’t be afraid to dream big.

Dealing With Doubt | That is a constant in life, and I am constantly learning new ways to deal with it. There will always be those moments, but I brush them off, and just push on.

Performing At My Peak | Healthy body, healthy mind is something I live by. Finding a good balance between the two as well as family life. I surround myself with people who challenge me in every way, which keeps me on my toes so to speak. Whilst I don’t always agree, it does give me the opportunity to reflect and hone I am doing

Resources I Use To Stay Inspired | Definitely people, movies (as this is what I do) and then creative working environments.

My Future Dreams And Ambitions | I want to grow my business, using this as a vehicle to change and challenge the paradigm of what has been the status-quo in the South African film industry.

I Am Inspired By | My grandfather, a World War 2 hero – a man who did everything to help change the course of history because it was the right thing to do. Steven Spielberg as a film maker, a producer and phenomenal story teller.

The Legacy I Would Like To Leave | I’ll quote Chuck Palahnuik “We all die. The goal isn’t to live forever, the goal is to create something that will”

Interview Questions

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The Legacy Project

Simeon Oriko is a young entrepreneur, who is the founder and Executive Director of The Kuyu Project, which is a digital literacy initiative aimed at teaching African high school students how to use social media and other digital tools to effect social change in their communities. Another project Simeon is involved in is Jamlab which […]

Luvo Manyonga

Six years ago Luvo Manyonga was a crystal meth ‘tic’ addict. Now he is an Olympic silver medalist and his journey from the townships to ‘flying to Rio 2016 glory’ has been well documented across the web. Luvo Manyonga | The Legacy Project I feel so blessed to have recently had the privilege of briefly […]

  • South Africa
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The Legacy Project

Stuart Turner is hoping he’ll soon be able to see the more of the world from his bedroom. The quadriplegic computer expert is helping to develop technology that will open up new vistas for those unable to travel by projecting what he calls “the extensible self”. Flying a camera mounted drone using just his head […]

The Legacy Project

Anthony Robles is a wrestler who won the 2010-11 NCAA individual wrestling championship in the 125-pound weight class despite being born with only one leg. He is the author of the book Unstoppable: From Underdog to Undefeated: How I Became a Champion and also a motivational speaker. Anthony Robles Key Talent | I would say that […]

The Legacy Project

Our dream when we started CA Connect was to be the first private SAICA[1]-accredited CTA[2] in South Africa that offered contact education to students who were not able to study on a full-time basis. We wanted to run a programme that was founded on inclusion, support and genuine care taking a fresh look at education, […]

The Legacy Project

Rachel Goble grew up in an interconnected and multicultural world. Whether traveling to Central America with her family to survey land for the founding of a non-profit or trudging through the Sierra Nevada mountains as her parents sought to awaken Christians to our role as creation’s caretakers, Rachel learned early that the world’s peoples and […]

The Legacy Project

Swaady Martin, is an Ivorian entrepreneur, prides herself as a custodian of Africa’s rich culture and history. And she preserves it with style. After an eventful, high-flying 11-year career at GE, where she held leadership positions in several divisions across the world (including acting as the Director for Sub-Saharan Africa of GE Transportation and acting-CEO […]

The Legacy Project

Richard St John is a Success Analyst , Speaker , Author and marathon runner. He achieved success as a member of scientific staff at Nortel Networks R&D labs. He’s won design awards, did breakthrough consumer/user research, and masterminded creative production for many of Nortel’s largest product launches. He started The St. John Group, an innovative […]

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