Lulu Hassan, whose official name is Khadija Hassan Musa, a top and celebrated Citizen TV news anchor, stands out with her captivating news presentation alongside her husband, Rashid Abdalla.
Besides her long, illustrious career in the media industry, Lulu manages a production company, Jiffy Pictures, credited for some of the most-watched local TV series.
Having made it to the 2023 Top 100 Kenyans list, Lulu, in an exclusive sitdown with Kenyans.co.ke shared insights into building and sustaining what has now evolved into a formidable production company.
''We started the company in 2015 and currently have many shows, some of which are not running as of now,'' she states.
Shows produced by Jiffy Pictures, she added, are not only aired on Citizen TV but also on Maisha Magic. The company's first shows, however, aired in Tanzania.
''We started with Tanzania, on Maisha Magic Bongo, there was Huba, Moyo, and there was one with Getrude Mungai that was a talk show, Aziza, Moyo, Maza, Sultana and Kovu,'' Lulu listed the trending shows.
Shows currently being aired in East Africa include Zari, Kasiri, Huba and Becky, scheduled for Monday to Friday on Citizen TV.
In the initial stages of the startup, Lulu and her husband lacked the financial resources needed to bring their vision. They thus turned to various local banks for support. Despite facing numerous rejections by banks which failed to buy into their vision, Lulu persisted in seeking financial assistance.
''I explained to them and drew a roadmap on what I wanted from even though didn't have a bank account then, they bought my idea,''
Consequently, Lulu stated that some of the shows are funded by the clients, that is, TV stations that are running her shows.
In terms of returns from the company, she candidly admitted that, like any other business, it registers losses and profits. Their initial show resulted in a financial setback, necessitating them to return to the drawing board to draft an effective business plan.
''But then whatever we put on screen secured us another show, and we were not concentrated much in making profit but rather show people what we are capable of doing,'' Lulu disclosed their initial business approach.
Initially, they contracted an outside company with equipment and staff to execute their story idea and script, a decision that proved too costly.
''We reached a point where we had to acquire our staff and our equipment because they were charging us a lot of money, and we ended up with nothing,'' Lulu recounted.
Lulu Hassan further says that as a production company, they are currently not planning on embarking on a different business approach as they plan to maintain their niche, which attracts a large viewership.
''We want to up our game in the stories that we tell right now. We don't want to venture into movies or animations because, as a company, we cannot do everything for now,'' she states.
Besides her shining career in the media, Lulu has been recognised and awarded for being a role model for aspiring journalists and women seeking to chart their own paths.
