Athenkosi Ndzombane
Art Director, Photographer

I’m an art director & photographer based in Cape Town, South Africa and worked on brands you’ve seen on your feet, in your cabinet and on your television like Nike Football & Lifestyle, Superbalist, FIFA, and many many more. Creating stuff that has been lucky enough to win an ADC Gold, get shortlisted at the Clios, and picked up a few Loeries in my uni years. Enough to be proud about, not enough to be annoying.

Not boring enough to say I’ve never tried to write a short film, or unique enough to say I’ve never thought of DJing but what I will always do is try to bring new things to the table.

I throw everything at the wall when I work — sometimes good ideas, other times really bad ones buts always in the shape of a kitchen sink. Not always elegant, often hard to explain, but always easy to identify. To see some of the process behind my favourite projects, it’s all hiding in the Top Secret panel.

I studied at Red & Yellow Creative School of Business through the Loeries Creative Futures Scholarship and Mo Thulo Bursary. I somehow ended up ranked #12 and #13 in the Loeries Student Rankings two years in a row, as well as 2x Silver Student Lories wins which proves sometimes I know what I’m doing.

Along side my brother we started Developing Agency, a content studio that exists to make creative work with people like me, photographers, filmmakers, friends, and anyone else who wants to build work that doesn’t feel like homework. We’ve worked on a ADC winning project, lost too many pitches and will live to work another day.

I’m currently freelancing, and open to projects, roles and any work that isn’t degrading, soulless or requires showing too much skin...

Formula E ABB World Championship

Medium: Photography
Brief:
Capture the Formula E Season 9 as authentically as possible to give a
‘Behind the Scenes’ look on the ongoing circus of Formula E for
Sunday Times.
Problem:
Formula E doesn’t show enough of the behind the scenes during
theirraces outside of the Unplugged show they have, and need more
content for their social media. This offered an opportunity to
look at the sport in a ‘supporters’ lens, and show the unseen.

Shot in: Jakarta, Indonesia | Cape Town, South Africa | Rome, Italy

Social Content

Collection of my favourite social work.

Post Production - Comfort (Pre-Roll Adverts)

Creative Contributions!

A collection of work that I may or may not be allowed to post...

Nike RUN - Comrades Justified Insanity (Copy-Book) - Art Director & CopywriterM

Event Assets – Assets designed for Manic x Wisdom Kaye NYFW Launch Party

Manic Styling Agency ISSUE 1 Magazine - Art Director + Editorial Designer for Manic Magazine

Wisdom Kaye - For Manic Styling Agency - Art Director + Post-Production

Wisdom Kaye - For Manic Styling Agency - Art Director + Post-Production Artist

Mackenzie + Ryan Hing - Assistant Photographer

Nike & W+K - Nike Winning Isn’t For Everyone - Junior Copywriter

Nike Kids (& Soursop) - Never Done Playing - Junior Art Director & Typographer

Nike Football - Mad Brilliance (Junior Copywriter - W+K)

X-Games Aspen 2025

Medium: Photography
Brief: Capture a different sense of the X-Games to the typical action photography style the client employs.

Team: Johny Sathekge (Additional Photographer & Video)

ComUnity Fashion Show

Role

Team:

Dario Yesca - Projection Assistant (Developing Agency)
Johny Sathekge - Videographer & Editor (Developing Agency)
Nas Tyron - Casting Director & Fashion Show Curator & Producer (2Collide)
Gina Walther - Casting Director & Fashion Show Curator & Producer (2Collide)

Thato Che Bernardo - Producer & Editor - (Crat3s)

Brief:

Create a unique experience for viewers in the showcase the fashion

show.

Problem:

The fashion show was occuring in a space that was far too big and we

needed to find an ingenious way to fill the space without just

typical banners.

Story of A Thorn

Role: Producer

A dejected young woman discovers her musician boyfriend's infidelity and goes through extreme lengths to send a message to him

Flowers by Ari

Role: Production Assistant (2022)

Starring: Jessie Crichton & Nicole Harry

Director, Cinematographer, Edit Mzimasi Ndzombane

Photographer, Art Director: Julie Aarts

1st AC/Foucs Puller & Colour Grade: Tom Radford

Production Assistants: Riaan du Toit, Athenkosi Ndzombane

Make-up: Bulelwa Qupe

160b_7 Collaboration

Medium: Mixed media/Editing
Team:
Monwabisi Sekwane - Photographer
Johny Sathekge - Editor
Athenkosi Ndzombane - Post Production Artist
Xara Croft - Model/Stylist

Photos Over The Years

Collection of my favourite photos through out the last few years.
Brands: Crates x Converse, VisitQatar, IndonesiaTravel, Away

Technical Experiments

Reactive experiments through out the years on TouchDesigner - often
with help from Dario Yesca.

Athenkosi Ndzombane Art Director, Photographer