Episode 557 with guest Kerrin Black
Purpose
To build an empire that can show the world that anything is possible if you are willing to take massive action and if you refuse to quit.
My Story
Born 1979 in Johannesburg South Africa. Kerrin attended school in Johannesburg and KwaZulu Natal South Africa. Studied Speech and Drama and Theatre Production at The Waterfront Theatre School and make-up artistry at The Big Issue (Cape Town). It all started growing up in an entrepreneurial family. Working in the family-run business she was readily equipped and inspired to start her own business. Whilst working for an exclusive game lodge, she met a colleague highly proficient in website development. He was able to help her launch Talent Finders. Business Summary
Talent Finders
The business concept for Talent Finders was born out of her own journey, having studied theatre and working at a leading production house in South Africa. It was here that she realized the complexity of the casting process in the movie industry and was surprised by its inefficiency. She realized that there had to be a better and more time and cost-efficient way to search for talent using the power of the Internet. And so, the idea was born to create one central online talent community that promotes, connects and educates talent within the entertainment industry. First employed by Velocity Films which exposed her to the world of entertainment talent. It brought an understanding of the obstacles faced by talent involved in entertainment industries, particularly the challenges involved in obtaining work. This understanding evolved into the establishment of Talent Finders in 2007 and the first of many attempts to build a website that eventually resulted in the present www. talentfinders.com. Initially targeting modelling and actors’ agencies, she grew the website to its present state. During this time she redesigned the site and expanded the scope to include other varieties of talent such as sports people, musicians, speakers, dancers, entrepreneurs and all those in the creative space. www.talentfinders.com is the place for ‘Talent’ to promote itself both internationally and domestically.
Faces of Hope Foundation
At 21, Kerrin left South Africa and travelled to several different countries returning 8 months later with a new vison to start a non-profit organisation, Faces of Hope Foundation. (www.facesofhope.co.za ) This NPO was prompted by a friend’s lymphoma diagnosis. It seeks to raise funds for select cancer patients to help in meeting debilitating financial costs to cover their treatment. There have been many challenges in the process but Kerrin has donated considerable time, persistence and ingenuity in raising funds for this foundation. In so doing she has formed associations with a number of local and overseas collaborators. Having also supported and volunteered for other non-profit organisations like the Starfish Foundation and Just Footprints foundation in South Africa and the UK, it enabled Kerrin to have better insight and understanding of how these organizations work. This gave her the tools with which to not only set up both Faces of Hope in South Africa but also Faces of Inspiration in the US. The latter is a grant-based organisation that raises funds in the US for entrepreneurship, mentorship, healthcare and endangered wild life.
