Event Recap: Pressing the Gas on South Africa’s Creative Economy Links With Atlanta

The Fast Track to South African Business Success

June 27, 2025
Constellations – Global Atlanta Office

Next week, Atlanta will be in South Africa in a big way, as a creative and cultural delegation, appropriately called MASSIVE, will make its way to Cape Town for a mega creative-industry conference. 

The economic capital of the Southeast U.S. is the featured destination for the FAME Week celebration, the first time a city has taken that crown instead of a country.

That’s a recognition of just how much the ATL brand has become synonymous with culture in the U.S., but there is still a long way to go in unlocking the economic potential this represents, experts said on a panel convened by Global Atlanta in June. 

Karl Carter, an Atlanta-based entrepreneur, set up his firm, Snake Nation, with a base in Cape Town in 2015. He’d experienced the city many years before, attending the World Conference on Racism in South Africa alongside hip-hop artists his company was representing.  

“What really touched me was the intelligence and sincerity of the youth there,” he said. “Every artist would have a press conference, and at the press conference it was all activists. Everybody was an activist.” 

Still, South Africa has failed to meaningfully move the needle on soaring youth unemployment, which is why Snake Nation is continuing to work to empower creators to make money in the new media landscape. 

The panel discussion, built around the arrival of a Brand South Africa NASCAR stock car in Atlanta, addressed more broadly the potential of the country, even amid stress in the bilateral relationship under President Trump’s recently imposed 30 percent tariff. 

Enjoying food prepared by celebrity chef Lorna Maseko and taking pictures with a 1962 Shelby Cobra restored by Superformance, a sponsor of the NASCAR endeavor, speakers outlined opportunities in food, tourism, hospitality and cybersecurity, another arena where young people could see a boost from U.S. investment.

Henri Ward, COO of Southeast U.S.-based Cyber Alliance, said that the cuts to USAID, a major point of contention and a source of friction in both countries, would not end the American economic focus on South Africa, noting that the Commerce Department is increasing its outreach to the country. South African President Cyril Ramaphosa’s contentious meeting with Mr. Trump in the Oval Office, he said, was viewed by South Africans as their president holding his own against an ambush. 

Either way, South Africa is a market worth hundreds of millions of dollars in cybersecurity, and a gateway for the company into the broader African market. Employing people there is not charity, Mr. Ward said — it’s tapping into talent in an industry that requires 24/7 monitoring around the world. 

“The last thing that South Africa, or any country, wants is someone to come in with a savior complex,” Mr. Ward said. “We view South African companies as business partners, and our role is to partner with them, and quite frankly, to provide economic benefit to South Africans.”

After the event, which also featured experts in food and hotels, a group of VIPs traveled to Atlanta Motor Speedway to view the race, where some of their logos were broadcast to more than a million viewers on the side of the Brand South Africa car.

Other local speakers, Jennifer Barbosa of International Supply Partners, and Jhordan Gibbs of the Milk & Cookies Festival, talked about their experiences traveling with the mayor’s delegation to South Africa last December and putting on a music festival with 25,000 guests, respectively.

It was a glimpse of more to come as the country continues its focus on deepening ties with Atlanta.

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PANELISTS:

Trevor Williams,
Managing Editor, Global Atlanta

Add the panelist bio

Henri Ward,
COO, CyberAliiance

“The market research tells us the largest gap in cyber security right now is talent, globally, and so we were very fortunate to be able to find some of that talent in South Africa. And we are helping companies in the United States to find talent here as well.” -Mr. Ward on the Cyber Alliance’s CyberTrustIQ aptitude tests that helps assess workforce readiness to enter the cybersecurity field

Karl Carter
CEO, Snake Nation

Snake Nation is a mission driven, culture, content and technology company for Creative Rebels in film, music, art, fashion, dance and tech based in Atlanta, GA and Cape Town . We are building a platform that helps M2 (Multicultural Millennial) creators, build audience, distribute their product and monetize their work in the global creative economy.

Snake Nation is named in honor of the historically artistic and rebellious neighborhood where we are based in Atlanta. We encompass online platforms and creative spaces in global creative hot spots. Our spaces are what we call “Social Studios” co work and content creation studios developed for creative communities. We are opening Snake Nation social studios globally, with our first US location in Atlanta, GA and our international expansion planned in Cape Town, Johannesburg, South Africa and other key markets.

“When we talk about the ability of the creative economy to drive GDP economic development, eradicating poverty, this is what we do. Germans build cars; Black people do culture. It’s what we give to the world. The starving artist narrative, to me, is over.” 

Alister Glen
Regional Director of Operations, Valor Hospitality Partners

Africa, Middle East and Asia. Three vibrant and diverse regions on a journey to redefine hospitality by setting new standards of excellence.  Each of the three regions have two things in common. First, each is rich in culture, history, and natural beauty. Second, each represents a significant growth opportunity for innovative hospitality solutions.

Our strategy for success, as we continue to expand our footprint in these regions, is deeply rooted in our core values: Passionate, Real, Inspiring, Dynamic, and Excellent. These values guide every decision we make and every action we take, ensuring that we consistently exceed the expectations of our guests and stakeholders.

As true Hotelitarians, our mission is to energise our teams and properties through a comprehensive approach that integrates people, product, planet, and profit. This holistic strategy not only aims to enhance our operational excellence, but also to make a positive impact on the communities we serve and the environment we cherish.

“One thing undeniable about African people is that they work hard, they’re loyal, they’re genuine, and they’re the most caring people that I’ve ever experienced. I’m African, I call myself African, and it’s almost stupid sometimes how hard we work and how loyal we are.” 

Gary Moorcroft
CEO, Stormberg Foods

“We come from a very disciplined background, and our people are used to running small business, not U.S.- style big Business, where you find very siloed skill set. Our managers have a really broad skill set, like from engineering to finance to marketing to sales to whatever. So if I could out plane loads of South African people, I promise you, I would, because I know exactly what I get. I get honesty, I get integrity, I get a very, very strong work ethic. And we have people just desperate for opportunities. 

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