Blogger bitten by presenting bug
Getting as far as the top nine of the SABC’s Presenter Search On 3 competition is a win for Port Elizabeth, reckons a Bay blogger who was eliminated at the end of Thursday’s episode of the show.
Walmer Heights resident Laurina Machite, 24, said she hoped being the first Port Elizabeth contestant to get that far in the competition would inspire other presenter hopefuls to audition for national competitions and dream of making it to the top.
“I don’t want people to be demotivated by the idea of no one from PE ever having made it to the top nine in the history of the show. I want them to see it is possible,” she said.“If I could go this far on something that has never even been my dream, imagine how much more we could do as PE.”
The competition is a search for three new faces to join the SABC 3 shows Expresso, Afternoon Express and Top Billing. The local leg of auditions was held at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on March 25.
Machite, who had never even thought of presenting before, heard about the auditions from a friend who encouraged her to try.
“When a friend of mine said I should audition I just laughed it off and then, when I told my mom about it, she encouraged me to try it out because I had nothing to lose,” Machite said.
After the audition at the stadium, Machite made it through to the callbacks stage where she auditioned for the main judges of the show, including popular television presenter Jeannie D, radio presenter DJ Fresh, Capitec head of marketing Sbusiso Kumalo and Top Billing co-producer Patience Stevens.
Successful contestants then attended workshops facilitated by experienced presenters.
Machite is a well-known Bay digital content creator, social media influencer and lifestyle blogger, with more than 3,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel. On her blog and YouTube channel, the former St Dominics Priory School girl shares a range of lifestyle and beauty advice, from fashion tips to makeup tutorials.
Her three-year blogging career was inspired by her love of fashion, which later widened to skin and hair care, makeup and general lifestyle topics. She then extended her work from writing to filming YouTube videos.
Originally from Zimbabwe, Machite moved to Port Elizabeth in 2008 and lives with her mother and three younger siblings.
She has a BCom accounting qualification from Nelson Mandela University and, while her heart is still set on her blogging career, she has now become excited about presenting.
“I’ve always been passionate about fashion but I studied accounting just as security – and for my parents – because the influencing space is not that secure, but that’s what my heart just followed naturally,” she said.
Following her elimination, Machite was featured on SABC 3’s Afternoon Express and Expresso.
Presenter Search on 3 airs at 8.30pm on Thursdays on SABC 3. A repeat of Thursday’s episode airs on Saturday July 14 at midday.