Next media’s Hellen Menta builds own audience, one shoot at a time

The Sanyuka TV host Hellen Menta is charting her own space on the social platforms, with hopes attract a big following while fulfilling her duties at the media house,

An entertainment show host and content creator, Menta has chosen to let viewers into her world without creating a different personality for the camera.

Born Hellen Natukunda Muganga, Menta balances her work on Uncut and the Saturday youth show Tuli Luno with creating TikTok videos. She believes staying authentic and consistent will help her build an audience beyond television.

Sundays, she says, are hers to make more content.

After spending Monday to Saturday on television, she turns to the videos that are building her presence beyond the studio. She thinks through an idea, shoots it and hands the footage to an editor. Even when she does not feel like filming, she pushes herself to work.

“I decided to remain the real me even in content,” she says.

It is a straightforward approach in a field where creators face pressure to keep reinventing themselves. 

Menta’s choice is to let audiences become familiar with how she speaks, behaves and sees the world, rather than construct a separate character for the camera.

She was born in Kyengera and grew up in Nansana, although both her parents deceased, leaving her behind with two brothers.

Those details form part of her personal story, although her account of her work centres on what she can control now: her ideas, her schedule and her willingness to keep producing.

Procrastination, she says, is something she dislikes and works to resist.

That determination matters because her digital work must fit around an already demanding television routine. 

Sunday gives her room to shoot TikTok videos, but having a designated day does not mean the ideas or energy arrive on demand.

Sometimes, the hardest part is simply filming when she would rather not.

Her process begins with sitting down to think about an idea. Once she has shot the material, an editor helps prepare it for publication. At other times, a trend provides the starting point, giving her something current to interpret through her own content.

The balance is between responding to what people are watching and retaining the personality that drew viewers to her in the first place.

Menta believes authentic content has a strong chance of travelling widely. It is a conviction that also shapes how she handles criticism. Rather than devote her attention to a few negative reactions, she focuses on the people who enjoy her work.

For someone whose job depends on public attention, that is a practical decision about where to spend her energy.

Her growing interest in influencing comes partly from the flexibility it offers. Television operates around fixed programmes and broadcast schedules. Digital content gives her greater control over when she creates and publishes.

She also believes it can attract audiences beyond those reached through traditional broadcasting. 

Commercial work brings a different responsibility. Before promoting a product, Menta says she examines and uses it. Her stated approach is to gain experience of what she is recommending before asking an audience to take an interest.

She encourages young people interested in media to begin creating digital content early. In her view, traditional media alone is no longer enough.

Her immediate ambition is to reach one million followers within weeks. She has not supplied her current follower count, but the target makes clear how quickly she wants to grow.