A Dancing Nation by Ballantine’s Whisky and Boiler Room

Championing the social power of music and dance in South Africa and across the world

I am so proud to have been part of the ideation and development of True Music; Ballantine’s and Boiler Room’s now decade-long partnership and integrated platform, spotlighting the international artists and organisations who are creating positive impact in their communities through culture.

I was involved in rights negotiations, platform development and partnership execution spanning creative, experiential, film & PR in South America, Africa, Europe and Russia. A highlight was meeting The Indigenous Dance Academy from Tembisa, SA, on our journey; uncovering the deeply ingrained and transformative power of dance in their township, and hosting a show with Okmalumkoolcat, Black Motion, Black Coffee and more at Johannesburg’s iconic Constitution Hill.

This ongoing initiative has truly introduced Ballantine’s Whisky to new audiences, shaking up the scotch whisky stereotype but most importantly - it has provided a global platform for creative communities the world over.

Thousands of people have attended True Music shows, and the bespoke documentary content has more than 150m views worldwide to date. Thanks to their incredible and longstanding efforts to gain credibility in the culture space, Ballantine’s Whisky has reported record breaking sales over the last 6 years, from 5.6m cases to 9m, and they now hold a steady place among the top 10 scotch whiskies internationally.

See more here.