She’s a soft-spoken dreamer who watches chick flicks on her own so that she can cry during the sad bits, but Daphney Mngomeni is also determined to make her mark in the media industry.
Daphney, 21, has just returned to Flow as an intern. She did her first stint in June, and was asked to come back this month.
She really wanted to be an investigative journalist, having decided at a young age that reporting would suit her inquisitive nature and be an outlet for her love of writing.
“I’m a dreamer. I like to stay in my shell and observe people,” she says.
Her mother, Selina, wisely warned her that there was no money to be made in journalism, and she instead settled on studying Corporate Communications at the University of Johannesburg. She finishes her degree next year.
Ironically, it was a conversation between her dental assistant mom and Flow CEO Tara Turkington, that led to Daphney being employed as an intern.
Daphney says Tara had been at the dentist and started chatting to Selina, asking about her and her family. When she heard that her daughter was studying corporate communications, she suggested Daphney send her CV to Flow.
A smile lights up Daphney’s face. Working at Flow has been her best job yet, she says; over the years she has done promotions and worked as a sales assistant, jobs she did not particularly like.
“Sales is not for me,” she says with a shudder.
Flow media developer Kate Rau says Daphney has not disappointed when it comes to the quality and quantity of her work, and she also has a “wicked sense of humour”.
Kate says Daphney tackles her projects with a positive attitude, and applies journalistic and marketing principles to her work.
“She’s written a variety of articles for Gauteng Tourism, and has compiled static content for the same site. She’s also worked on more technical aspects of the Mandela Day site and has tried her hand at social media, too. No wonder she’s our resident apprentice!”
Daphney and her mom live in Alexandra now, but she grew up in Wendywood and attended Wendywood High School.
“Alex can get very busy but thankfully we live in the suburbs, so it’s quiet,” says Daphney, an only child who describes her relationship with her mother as very close.
Next month she goes off to the Eastern Cape, a trip she describes as “going home”. While she has spent most of her life in Gauteng, the Eastern Cape – and Butterworth specifically, where many of her family live – will always be home.
When she completes her degree, her immediate wish is to continue working at Flow. But within the next five years she not only wants to own a similar media company, but also wants to invest in a restaurant.