By Veronica Modieleng, Founder & Executive Director, Veromo Enterprise

There is a particular kind of electricity that runs through Atlanta. You feel it the moment you land at Hartsfield-Jackson in the music spilling out of car windows, in the murals that turn entire city blocks into galleries, in the way strangers greet you like family. When we set out to build the Mzansi–Atlanta Creative Industry Expo, we knew we needed a city that could hold the full weight and joy of African creativity. Atlanta did not just hold it. Atlanta amplified it.

Why Atlanta

People often ask why we chose Atlanta over the more obvious capitals of global entertainment. The answer is simple: Atlanta is not just a city that consumes culture, it is a city that builds it. This is the Black economic and creative capital of the United States  home to the studios, the labels, the executives, and the entrepreneurs who have spent decades proving that culture is an industry, not just an export. It is a city deeply rooted in African diasporic heritage, and a city that, in this World Cup era, is positioning itself as a true gateway between the United States and the rest of the world.

For us, hosting MACIE in Atlanta during Africa Month, anchored around Africa Day, was never a logistical decision. It was a homecoming. We were not introducing South Africa to a foreign market. We were reconnecting two halves of the same story.

How We Were Received

I will be honest even after months of planning, nothing prepared me for the warmth we experienced on the ground. From the moment our delegation touched down, Atlanta opened its doors, its stages, and its institutions to us. Our showcases sat alongside Black Music Week programming. Our creatives shared rooms and conversations with producers, executives, and city leaders who did not treat us as visitors passing through, but as partners building something permanent.

The reception MACIE received exceeded every expectation we carried with us from Johannesburg. Audiences showed up. Institutions showed up. Government showed up. And most importantly, the relationships built across those twelve days did not end when the lights came down they are already shaping what comes next for South African creatives seeking real market access in the United States.

The Studios and Leaders Who Opened Their Doors

Part of why this expo carried real weight is who sat across the table from us. Atlanta’s film and media leadership did not just send a representative they showed up in person, and that mattered.

Trilith Studios and Frank Patterson: for welcoming our delegation into one of the most significant production ecosystems in the world and showing South African filmmakers what is possible at scale.

Georgia Entertainment, Randy Davidson and Jezlan Moyet: for championing this platform from the start and connecting us into the heartbeat of Georgia’s entertainment industry.

Peachtree Media Partners and Josh Harris: for bringing media expertise and real industry insight into our conversations.

Tyler Perry Studios and John Morris: for the inspiration and the access. Walking onto those lots reminded every creative in our delegation what Black-owned excellence in this industry actually looks like.

We also want to acknowledge MODEx for hosting the film Summit, where South African and Atlanta creatives, producers, and executives sat in the same room and began the real work of co-production and partnership. Conversations that started in that room are continuing today.

We must also pause to honour a moment that humbled all of us: the recognition extended to MACIE by the State of Georgia General Assembly’s  Geogia African Legislative Caucus. To be acknowledged at the level of state government for the work of building this bridge between Georgia and South Africa is not something we take lightly. It told us that what we are building is not just being felt in ballrooms and boardrooms, it is being seen and valued by the very institutions that shape this state’s future. Thank you for seeing us, and for standing behind this partnership in such a meaningful way.

The Power of Collaboration

If there is one lesson MACIE 2026 leaves behind, it is this: no single country, company, or individual builds a bridge of this scale alone. MACIE exists because government and industry, South Africa and Atlanta, legacy institutions and emerging platforms, all chose to row in the same direction. That is the model we believe in, and it is the model that delivered an expo our continent can be proud of.

With Heartfelt Gratitude

None of this belongs to Veromo Enterprise alone. It belongs to every stakeholder, partner, and friend who said yes to a vision before it had fully proven itself.

To our South African government partners, the Department of Sport, Arts and Culture (Big thank  you to Minister Gayton Mckenzie for personally gracing the us with his presence), the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), the National Film and Video Foundation (NFVF),  and Brand South Africa, including Mpumi Mabuza thank you for backing this platform as an act of national cultural diplomacy.

To our Atlanta family Mayor Andre Dickens and the City of Atlanta and every institution that opened its venues (Mistora, Ray Charles performing arts Center), stages Vods night Club, and networks to our delegation thank you for making space for South Africa in a city that did not need us but chose us anyway.

And to those whose individual contributions carried this expo across the finish line, our deepest and most personal thanks:

Craig King: for your steady support and belief in what this expo could become.

Cal Bowdler: of 610 Media Group for amplifying our story and standing with us in the rooms that mattered.

The South African Chamber of Commerce in America and Ms Shantel Plamber and Mapitso Rivera for championing trade and opportunity between our nations.

for your tireless work behind the scenes.

Milk & Cookies: for bringing your platform and your energy into our programme.

Michael Mauldin and Unite Atlanta: for being among the very first to say yes to this vision.

Kagiso Trust: for choosing to invest in the next generation of South African creative entrepreneurs.

IMPRA: for standing with us as an industry partner from the very beginning.

Social Xcurrency and Sheyoki Jones: for your partnership and your belief in this platform.

And to the entire MACIE family every volunteer, delegate, creative, and team member(Lehlohonolo ,Nonceba, Pontsho, Tshepo, Tumi, Quinton, Gilbert, Lyle, Junior, Lydia and Zweli) who showed up day after day with nothing, but heart thank you. You are MACIE.

What Comes Next

We came to Atlanta with a vision. We left with a partnership that we intend to grow year after year. This is not a one-time expo it is the beginning of a permanent creative trade pipeline between Mzansi and Atlanta, and we cannot wait to bring it back.

Thank you, Georgia, for receiving us so fully. We will be back next year 13th-16th May 2027.