Inside Cape Town’s Commercial Production Success with Beccy Kellond

As a globally recognised production hub, Cape Town continues to attract leading commercial projects from around the world, driven by its diverse locations, world-class crews, and film-friendly infrastructure. At the heart of this success are the producers and companies who champion the city on the international stage. One such voice is a long-standing partner at Moonlighting Commercials, Beccy Kellond, whose journey into the industry spans continents and decades.

In this Q&A, Beccy shares her path into commercial production, reflects on the evolution of the sector, and offers insight into what keeps Cape Town competitive in an ever-changing global landscape.

Q. Can you tell us about your journey into the industry and what led you to commercials?

I’m from the UK originally. I have a degree in Russia and started off working in the travel industry running luxury train trips across Russia. I then answered an ad for a Russian speaker at a branding consultancy in London, somehow got the job and I suppose that was the start of my move into the exciting world of branding, then advertising and then – after moving to Cape Town when I met my South African husband – the commercials film industry.

Q. What drew you specifically to working in production and eventually to Moonlighting Commercials?

When I first got here, I had no idea then about the concept of international commercials being shot overseas! I started seeing Cape Town as the production utopia that it clearly was and still is – replicating multiple countries around the world. Moonlighting happened to be looking for a Marketing Manager at the time. I applied for the job and luckily for me, they were more interested in my marketing background than my lack of production background! And here I am – still here 20 years later.

Q. How has your role evolved over the years, and what have been some defining moments in your career?

I started off as Marketing Manager and 20 years later, am really proud to be one of the partners, alongside our Exec Producer Shayne, our Financial Director Nolan and our Founding partner, Philip. I travel overseas a few times a year to attend global industry events like Cannes Lions Ad Festival, Berlin’s Ciclope and London’s Shiny Awards and on annual marketing trips to our client’s cities around the world, promoting Moonlighting and South Africa as a location. It’s hard to single out any defining moments but it’s been really gratifying to see how the industry has adapted and evolved over the years no matter what the world has thrown at us. From Covid, load-shedding & drought to the world economies, war, the changing face of the industry, AI…

Q. What initially sparked your passion for the fast-paced world of commercial production?

Seeing what’s possible and what our incredible production teams and crew pull off for every production. Two weeks ago, in 4 days, we shot scenes based on the court of Marie Antoinette, the French Revolution, Christopher Columbus, the Trojan Horse and Noah’s Ark – in and around Cape Town. We recently shot a Subway commercial in Cape Town that saw the hero travel on every mode of transport from steam train to tuk tuk, through the Amazon jungle, across the desert, via a US rodeo, an Indian street market, a Cuban street and an Italian mama’s kitchen. We pull off some crazy things and it’s never boring.

Q. In your experience, what makes Cape Town such a sought-after location for international commercials?

It’s a combination of a few key things: our locations (that can replicate almost anywhere in the world); the renowned, world-class South African film crew; our climate (opposite to much of the rest of the world); our production value: our track record; our diverse range of talent; and the fact that compared to many places in the world, we’re super film-friendly. In addition to all that, we are a tourist hot-spot with incredible food, wine and beautiful places to visit. Our clients love coming here.

Q. How has Cape Town’s reputation evolved over the years in the global production space?

We have an unwavering reputation for world-class film production here, thanks to the ever-growing expertise, experience and reputation that comes from the many short and long form productions that shoot here every year.

Q. What advantages does the city offer in terms of locations, crew, and infrastructure?

We have a huge array of location types in and around Cape Town which can replicate almost anywhere in the world and the City of Cape Town works with us to accommodate our requests as much as possible. We can lock off areas of downtown Cape Town at the weekend unlike many countries in the world – which is a huge advantage. Our crew are world class – admired and respected by filmmakers all over the world.

Q. What impact has digital content and social media had on the way commercials are produced?

Campaigns’ lead-in times have been significantly reduced so turn-around time is much shorter; budgets are shrinking but expectations remain unchanged, as big brands divert more of their budget away from traditional commercials towards influencer-led content creation.

Q. Are clients’ expectations shifting, and if so, how is the industry adapting?

Budgets are constantly shrinking but expectations remain the same – so the demand of getting more for your money keeps growing. Production teams and suppliers are having to work really cleverly, thinking more and more out of the box to find solutions and make the budgets work.

Q. What trends are you currently seeing in global commercial production?

The global production landscape has changed extensively. Gone are the days when production service companies’ work always came via the international production companies. Now, the work is coming from production companies, ad agencies directly, the agencies own in-house production companies, and increasingly the brands and their own in-house “agency” directly. We are working in really challenging times: the competition for work between South Africa and other countries is stronger than ever with the overall “pot” of commercials’ international service work shrinking globally as brands’ marketing budgets are stretched to cover both commercials and content creation. The concept of travelling for a shoot is further challenged as the benefits of production value and location are set against rising travel costs, war and unrest in many parts of the world, the push for greener practices and sustainability and in some countries, the push to keep the production “at home” for the sake of their own industry.

Q. What excites you most about the future of the industry in Cape Town?

I truly believe that Cape Town is the best production location in the world. The City of Cape Town is known for its film-friendly approach and we really welcome their initiative and drive to work with us to promote our industry. We’re working in really challenging times with an ever-shrinking amount of work; the challenge is to continually find ways to stay relevant, price competitive and solution-focussed to ensure we can bring the work here

Q. What would you like to see improved or strengthened within the local production landscape?

We have to stay price competitive and be able to access the locations we need.

Q. What continues to inspire you after years in the industry?

Just seeing what we can do as an industry and how much internationals love to shoot here. Every single shoot we do affirms why we do what we do – from our crew’s expertise and professionalism to our beautiful city and locations.