When Kash Money, a drama series that explores the themes of power, betrayal, and greed within a wealthy family dynasty, hit Netflix earlier this year and shot to number one in Kenya, it was not just a creative win - it was a business triumph.
Behind the headline-grabbing drama is Grace Kahaki Munthali, a producer and co-founder of Insignia Productions, who has quietly built one of the most financially successful brands in Kenyan television.
Alongside her business partner, director Philippe Bresson, Ms Kahaki has produced some of the country’s biggest hits, including Single Kiasi, Chocolate Empire, and My Two Wives, while navigating an industry notorious for budget cuts, inconsistent funding, and creative constraints.
In an industry where most productions struggle to break even, Insignia has pumped as much as Sh80 million into a single project - and still managed to pay its actors industry-leading rates.
From surviving Covid-era shutdowns to pivoting into commercial advertising and digital content to keep cash flowing, Ms Kahaki has turned storytelling into strategy - and strategy into serious money.
Now, with Kenyan productions climbing the global charts and platforms like Netflix and Showmax investing in local content, Grace is betting big on what she calls “the next entertainment gold rush.”
You grew up in Malawi, studied psychology and came to Kenya to learn more about your mother's roots. Were you not meant to be a psychologist?
Nothing really. Everything fell into place. I have always been a lover of art. Growing up in Malawi, I watched everything I could and was always mesmerised by how a film could make you feel certain emotions.
I majored in psychology and studied drama for my A-Levels. When I met Bresson, he was restructuring his company, and we kind of clicked; our dreams aligned. Since 2012, I have produced over 15 TV shows (series).
We have made a couple of films for MNet, but Bresson and I are passionate about TV shows. I enjoy the process of telling longer stories because I think it is challenging to tell a good story in an hour and a half.
Is it also because TV shows are where the money is?
Correct. At the end of the day, all factors remain constant, it's business. There is passion in what we do, but there is also the bills aspect.
Film/TV production is a hit-or-miss business. How do you ensure there is a return on investment?
Our business model is what Covid-19 taught us: that you cannot put all your eggs in one basket. Before the pandemic, we had three TV shows on air. One on NTV (Pieces of Us), and two on KTN (My Two Wives and Junior). Life was good because we had three pay cheques coming at the end of each month.
Then Covid-19 came, and all the stations said they could only afford to pay 50 percent. Some shows were cancelled because we could not shoot due to the pandemic.
Remember, at that time we had our in-house employees; the producers, editors, camera crew and cast members who were all relying on us. I couldn’t go to them and say, 'because of what is happening, I want to slash your salaries.'
Luckily enough, we had an emergency fund that kept us going. Nevertheless, Bresson and I had to come up with a different strategy going forward.
We diversified our business, pivoting to the TV and commercial advertising world. And, I can tell that sometimes one TV commercial project that airs for just 13 seconds can pay more compared to what is budgeted for, say a 13-episode TV show that I may be shooting for three months.
Besides TV, we also diversified our portfolio by venturing into agency work and digital content. That is how we are now able to balance the business because now the money from these other streams can help take care of our overheads, pay salaries for actors and employees.
How capital-intensive was your latest production "Chocolate Empire"?
Super intensive. I will not give you figures, but picture this: we employed over 175 people, including cast and production crew. This was the biggest cast I have ever worked with.
There were other costs like location. We needed new locations, and they cost a lot of money because, at Insignia our shows are known for being very refined, with appealing aesthetics.
Like if the script is about someone living in a mansion, we ensure we get a mansion to look the part. We do not compromise in terms of location, and in some locations we paid as high as Sh500,000.
Then there was transport and food for the cast, the wardrobe was also quite expensive considering we had so many women (35) on it. Each woman needed to be dressed, from shoes, to clothes, to hair wigs, which doesn't come cheap in Nairobi. We are talking about an average of Sh50,000 for wigs, and some cost even more.
What’s your biggest project investment, and how much was it?
I don’t like this question. I mean, film production is expensive. We have spent quite a lot on every one of our productions, but to answer you, I can only give a range. There are projects we have pumped in between Sh50 million to Sh80 million.
It is rare for broadcasters in Kenya to commission a TV show for more than two seasons. "Single Kiasi" got three.
The Showmax model is that your show is judged based on ratings. It has to hit certain numbers to get a renewal. In other words, the renewal is dependent on the reception.
The appreciation we got for Single Kiasi [which follows the lives of three women in Nairobi] was huge. It was the most streamed TV drama on their platform last year. We are hoping we will get a season four.
Would you say it was your most successful production?
Single Kiasi did well, but I would pick Kash Money, because this was a completely an independent project. It was an idea we came up with seven years ago, developed the scripts all by ourselves and in-house funded it.
This is different from project like Single Kiasi, where Showmax were involved, in that there are things you cannot do because of the regulations set.
With Kash Money, there were no boundaries for exploration; we had the liberty to do what we wanted. And the fact that it hit number one on Netflix in Kenya when it was released, that to me is a huge success.
How well does Insginia pay its actors?
There is always that aspect of when you achieve certain success, it will tag on to your reputation, and like I said, we always don’t like to compromise with our productions.
So, if people now know this is how much Single Kiasi were paid, every time you have a job, they will come with that sort of attitude.
Nairobi-based film producer and director, Grace Kahaki.
Photo credit: Pool
Remember, for projects like Single Kiasi, we all got paid by the broadcaster, us as the production house and the actors because the project didn’t belong to us but Showmax.
From where I sit, and this doesn’t mean I am doing PR for them, but one thing I can vouch for, having been in this industry for a while, Showmax has set up a very good model of remunerating actors according to standardised rates and best practices.
What if the production is independent, like "Kash Money"?
Depending on the budgets we had, I can tell you that we paid actors at the same rate as the Single Kiasi actors. Even when the production is independent, we try as much as possible to maintain a certain standard because our reputation is important.
Even if we don’t make margins but can break even by managing to pay the cast and the crew at good industry rates and ensure we maintain a certain standard, it’s an achievement because reputation in this industry carries a lot of weight if you intend to succeed.
Because of the standards set by Single Kiasi, we have gone lower in terms of remuneration of cast and crew in the projects that came after.
We have maintained that, and that is key because it helps build morale among actors. Actors' role just doesn’t end by casting them for a show; they also play an important role in helping market a show because as much as that is our work, we can't do it on our own, we need their help thus having them motivated helps a lot.
If you pay actors well, they will push the product because, one, they know they were paid well and two, because of number one, they will want that project to succeed.
Even when the product is just so good that it can market itself, you will still need their help?
What I have learned with Single Kiasi is that you can have a brilliant show, but if nobody knows about it, then it is not as good. Marketing helps drive sales, you can't sit and assume just because you're out on a good show, it guarantees it will be a hit.
You have to create awareness about it to attract as many numbers as you can, because the success of a project depends on the reception.
You have spoken much about a good standard rate for Kenyan actors. What are these rates?
I will not talk about movies because, like I said, I am not an expert in that. As for the series, an actor will have to ask three questions: what is their role? How long is the production? Where is the production? If it is airing on a local TV station, then you know the budgets are much lower, so you have to keep that in mind. With that, there are two models you can discuss with the producer. One agrees on a monthly salary or to be paid per episode.
For any main actor, depending on the streaming platforms nowadays, if an actor is getting less than Sh30,000 per episode for any production, that is a rip-off.
It’s unfair because a certain production I know of an actor earns Sh200,000 per month and another pays Sh70,000 per episode. Some productions even pay between Sh100,000 to Sh150,000 per episode for the main character. So it depends.
What needs to happen so that the Kenyan film industry can achieve its full potential?
I think we are in a good space right now, heading in the right direction. The industry continues to grow; it is doing way better than a few years ago.
We are rich in stories, and I believe that to achieve our best we should not compare Kenyan productions to others, let us do things our way; there is so much power in one’s uniqueness.
Moreover, as we do that, let's always remember we are still a young industry, not as old as Hollywood, which was already established with working systems by 1915.
