18 December 2020

Starrstruck brings the cheer back to the holiday season

Submitted by: Pearlmar Chauke
Starrstruck brings the cheer back to the holiday season

Living through what will most likely become a history lesson in the year 2050 has been both a devasting and hopeful experience.

Every person has a different perspective of what 2020 meant for them. For some, jobs have been lost, families have gone hungry and lives have been incredibly shaken up, while for others, 2020 has brought a sense of community and connection that no one could have seen coming. Starrstruck has experienced both the devastation and the overwhelming sense of hope and community.

One of the most hard-hit industries globally has been the entertainment industry leaving performers and the entire industry, who bring productions to life, out of pocket and fans disconnected from their favourite performers. Out of the realization that the entertainment industry will never be the same, Starrstruck was born.

Starrstruck is a pay-per-view online entertainment platform that promotes digital content curated with local South African performers that aims to reach fans in a world where social distancing and virtual events have become the norm. Starrstruck’s purpose is to create a space that connects both local performers and fans through state-of-the-art technology in a more meaningful and engaging way, while providing fans a VIP, golden circle experience from the comfort and safety of their homes.

With the fear of the second wave looming, Starrstruck is here to bring back the holiday cheer. One of their latest productions is a Christmas extravaganza with featured artists; Brandon October, Tarryn Lamb, Timothy Moloi, Siki Jo-An and the remarkable Mzanzi Youth Choir accompanied by incredible pantzula dancers and session musicians. This show brings the compassion, humanity and goosebumps that will make this holiday season feel a little normal again. 

Starrstruck has also partnered with Reach for a Dream Foundation to spread the Christmas joy by streaming the show to children at the Charlotte Maxeke hospital in Johannesburg.  

“For the past 32 years, the Reach for a Dream Foundation has never faced a more trying time. The reality of COVID-19 has meant that we have not been able to move freely and get into the hospitals where our children are being treated. This has really been a difficult year for all of us at the foundation but we have done everything possible to adapt with the help and support of our loyal sponsors, volunteers and wider public. 

The unprecedented time has also meant that we could not host our annual fundraising events and have face-to-face engagements with our dreamers, donors and partners as before. The partnership with Starstruck has come at a significant time of year where all of us need hope and encouragement, especially our dream children who are vulnerable and isolated more than ever.

The foundation would also like to thank Starrstruck for thinking of our dreamers during this time and for believing in the power of dreams” says Roxanne Manuel, Marketing Manger of the Reach for a Dream Foundation.

If you are in need of that extra cheer this holiday season or wish to spread the love and joy, be sure to check out A Starrstruck Christmas online for only R100 in which 25% of the proceeds will be donated to the Reach for a Dream Foundation, to inspire hope to the little dreamers of South Africa. Be an ubuntu ambassador and purchase your virtual performance here: https://www.starrstruck.live/event/starrstruck-christmas/ 

Described as a Public Relations (PR) guru by her peers, Madelain Roscher is the Managing Director of PR Worx, a full-service marketing-communications agency, which she established in 2001. With 22 years’ in-depth industry experience based on an impressive consulting and corporate career, the firm has achieved remarkable successes under her leadership. ​ Notably, PR Worx is the highest awarded public relations firm in Africa having been honoured as the best in Johannesburg, Ekurhuleni, South Africa and Africa awards for nine consecutive years. Madelain also won the 2019 Africa Women Leader Award by the World Women Leadership Congress and Awards, 2017 Woman of the Year: Media category; the Most Influential Women in Business award; was recognised as the Most Admired PR Professional in South Africa; and was the first person to receive the Public Relations Institute of SA’s Lifetime Achievement Award. ​ Her knowledge of the sector and developing commercial strategies that are impactful and that generate a maximum measurable return on investment for her clients, are some of her strongest service offerings. Her responsibilities include strategic business development for her own firm and that of PR Worx’s blue-chip client portfolio. ​ Prior to starting up PR Worx, Madelain was head of South African Airways’ worldwide corporate communications function and the airline’s global spokesperson for a period of six years. During this time, she was one of two employees that was selected from 25,000 airline staff to represent South Africa in Switzerland as part of an aviation MBA programme.