Actress Altovise Lawrence is now the co-host of the afternoon drive show called The Best Drive with DJ Sabby on YFM. She chats to Fundiswa Nkwanyana about her career as an actress and radio presenter.
I’m excited for the opportunity to use my voice to not only tell a story, but to control a narrative, too. After winning the first season of BET’s Top Actor Africa, I decided to focus on growing my acting career. Over the years, I’ve acted on Isidingo, Scandal and recently on Netflix’s Queen Sono amongst many other acting jobs. I’m now growing my radio career because I’ve realized the power of my voice and I understand how to use it. I became ready to pursue a career in radio after receiving an opportunity to do the urban music news radio segment on The Best Drive afternoon radio show. This fuelled my love for radio, and I knew that I was on the right path.
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I love working on radio because it happens in real time. I have to be fully present at every moment, quickly adapt, and keep listeners informed and entertained. I’m grateful to be working and learning from DJ Sabby. He is patient and challenges me to do my best.
Adjusting to my new working hours has been a challenge. Acting often required me to be at work in the early hours of the morning and now radio requires me start working in the middle of the day. It’s completely different hours, and it took me a while to adjust to the amount of stamina that co-hosting a radio show needs. But, I’m learning to embrace these changes.
I’m excited about joining the best radio show. It’s an entertaining and engaging show that many people can relate to. We keep listeners company as they go on about their day, and I enjoy interacting and laughing with them. We have a lot of exciting content lined up and people must tune in to hear what we have in store.
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Finding my purpose and working hard towards it helped my acting and radio careers to flourish. There is nothing glamorous about the entertainment world. You have to know why you are in this industry so you don’t get swayed by people and situations that do not add value to your life. As long as you work hard and know your purpose, I believe your career in radio will be rewarding.
Catch Altovise on The Best Drive on YFM, Mondays to Fridays from 3pm – 7pm.
