At the age of 17, Isaac hired a local videographer to film his high school prom. The videographer thought he would make a decent profit by making DVDs of the event, and then going on to sell these DVDs to his classmates.
Two weeks after prom, the videographer delivered 250 branded DVDs to Isaac. Full of excitement, he quickly ran up to the school computer laboratory and watched one of the DVDs. The film was simply dreadful! The editing was shoddy, the music was all wrong, it felt like a horrendous first draft. Surprisingly though, his classmates loved it! He sold out in a day. He actually went on to make more copies with extra scenes, called it a “deluxe version” and sold it at a premium price. This experience made Isaac extremely curious about what it takes to make great quality videos. He began searching online and watching videos on how to shoot and edit on YouTube. What began as simple curiosity quickly became an obsession. At some point, he was spending 16 hours a day just playing around with video editing software.
After six months of watching tutorials, Isaac registered Media 256, ltd. A film and television production company domiciled in Kampala. Today, Media 256 has 10 full time employees and has shot and produced content from over 36 countries in Africa. Media 256 has done work for brands such as Coca Cola, United Nations Development Programme, Nestle, United States Agency of International Development, the African Leadership Academy and Cable News Network (CNN). Specifically for CNN, Media 256 shoots and produces African Voices and Market place Africa. The company has been profiled by both CNN and the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for it’s efforts in rewriting the story of Africa.
Isaac has received recognition for his entrepreneurship journey as well. In 2011, he won the Young Achiever’s Award for Film and Television. The award was presented to him by the presidents of both Uganda and Rwandan and the Queen of Buganda. In 2012, Isaac was recognized as an Anzisha Fellow. And in 2014, 2015 and 2016, he was listed on Forbes “Top 30 under 30 most promising entrepreneurs in Africa.” Isaac’s dream is to sustainably create films and TV shows that showcase and celebrate African resilience, ingenuity and beauty.
Links to some of Isaac’s work:
- Aqua sipi (TVC)
Role played by Isaac – Writer, Director, Camera Operator, Editor.
Link: https://vimeo.com/53013616
- Star white (TVC)
Role played by Isaac: Writer, Director, Editor.
Link: https://vimeo.com/137352072
- Discover Uganda Trailer(TV show)
Role played by Isaac – Director, Camera Operator, Editor.
Link: https://vimeo.com/106786952
- African Leadership University Recruitment Video (Documentary/Corporate Video)
Role played by Isaac: Director, Camera Operator, Editor.
Link: https://vimeo.com/195602147
More of his work can be viewed on his vimeo channel: https://vimeo.com/isaacoboth
