Meet Our Team

Tshepiso Phiri

DIRECTOR

Tshepiso Chikapa Phiri is the CEO and founder of the Known Associates Group of Companies, which include a below the line agency; a design studio; a film production development and finance company; and a state- of-the-Art Film & Television Studio in Gauteng which is under development at the Cradle of Humankind. She is a University of Cape Town Alumni, with 20 years’ experience in Communications, Events, Media & Marketing, TV and Film Producing.

Her career spans from working in international events including the North Sea Jazz Festival and Sithengi Film Festival.

In 2014, she formed Known Associates Pty Ltd (KA) which is a below the line agency that has its own dedicated creative design studio. In 2018 Tshepiso founded Known Associates Entertainment with Dan Jawitz. She has recently reacquired 100% of KAE and has also purchased 100% of Moonlighting Films PTY LTD, a leading television and film servicing company in South Africa. KAE has produced, ‘uBettina Wethu’ a multi season series based on the Columbian smash hit telenovela YO SOY BETTY LA FEY (adapted as ‘Ugly Betty’ in the US).

Tshepiso was the South African Production Executive on Universal Studios’ feature film production Beast, which was filmed in South Africa Starring Idris Elba, South African actor Sharlto Copley, Iyana Halley and Leah Sava Jeffries and the Sony Pictures epic feature film The Woman King starring Oscar Award-winning Viola Davis and South Africa’s very own Thuso Mbedu. She has also produced ETV’s first EVOD feature film Atlantis (2021), John Barker’s The Umbrella Man which had its successful premier at the Toronto International Film Festival, (TIFF, 2022) and Fabian Medea’s directorial début feature film Wild Is The Wind which premièred on Netflix.

She sits on the board of Media Heads 360 and is a shareholder in the business. She is a trustee of the Smile Artist foundation, https://www.smileartistsafrica.com. Tshepiso is the Managing Trustee of the Gerald Sekoto Trust. Tshepiso is also on the board of the Cradle Nature Reserve, which controls over 10 000 hectares of land in the Cradle Precinct in Mogale City.

Lyndon Syster

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

Lyndon is the CFO of Moonlighting Films. He joined the company in 2007 as part of Moonlighting’s payroll company, Reel Pay, and became a director and shareholder of this company, handling all matters pertaining to payroll processing on projects by Moonlighting and other production companies. In 2021, Lyndon became the CFO of Moonlighting Films, where he spearheads the company’s financial affairs and oversees all matters pertaining to general accounting, DTIC rebate, tax compliance and financial structuring. He works closely with Marvin Saven, the previous financial director of Moonlighting who has now moved into an executive position within the company. Lyndon holds a BCom degree in Accounting and gained experience in the film industry prior to joining Moonlighting.

Shireen Hattingh

HEAD OF PRODUCTION

Shireen has over 30 years of experience in the film and television industry, having begun her career in 1996. Her extensive portfolio spans long-form television & feature films as well as producing short-form commercial productions. During her formative years in the industry, Shireen worked in a freelance capacity on projects such as “Ali” and “Amelia”, before joining Moonlighting Films full time in 2015. Since then, she has worked closely alongside Genevieve Hofmeyr for more than a decade, helping to oversee and supervise a diverse slate of productions. Her experience includes feature films, television series, documentaries and visual effects productions. As Head of Production at Moonlighting Films, Shireen plays an integral role throughout the production process, from initial development and budgeting through to scouting, crew assembly, and overseeing physical production. Adding to her extensive credits, Shireen recently served as Producer on the feature film “Just Now Jeffrey”, further cementing her reputation as a highly experienced and versatile production executive within the South African film industry.

Genevieve Hofmeyr

CONSULTING PRODUCER

Genevieve Hofmeyr is widely regarded as one of South Africa’s most accomplished Producers, who has made a significant contribution to the growth of the entertainment industry in South Africa by partnering on over 100 projects across the spectrum of film production including major US studio projects, independent co-productions, episodic television/miniseries and indigenous South African films.

She has worked with award winning filmmakers such as Clint Eastwood, Edward Zwick, Michael Mann, Marc Forster, Martin Campbell, Bruce Beresford, Roland Emmerich, Phillip Noyce and Mira Nair, as well some of Hollywood’s A-List or Oscar winning stars including Meryl Streep, Denzel Washington, Leonardo DiCaprio, Angelina Jolie, Charlize Theron, Hilary Swank, Ryan Reynolds, Matt Damon, Daniel Craig, Alicia Vikander, Tom Cruise, Idris Elba, Matthew McConaughey and Gerard Butler.

Recently Genevieve helmed the SA production of feature films “Tomb Raider” for MGM, “Bloodshot” for Sony Pictures, “The Mummy”, directed by Alex Kurtzman for Universal Pictures; “Mowgli”, directed by Andy Serkis for Warner Bro’s, “Queen of Katwe”, directed by Mira Nair for Walt Disney Productions, “The Dark Tower” for Sony & MRC and “Resident Evil : The Final Chapter” for Constantin Film. (Full credit list available.)

The Hollywood Reporter listed her as one of the three most influential women in South African Cinema and she was listed in Variety’s edition on International Women Leaders in the global film and TV industries.