Jiffy Pictures, a local production company, has produced a number of the most successful Swahili telenovelas in Kenya and East Africa.
Its episodes are still licenced by Citizen TV, Kenya’s most popular network, as well as MultiChoice-owned Maisha Magic East, Maisha Magic Bongo and streaming service Showmax.
Popular dramas Sultana and Huba are now airing on Citizen TV and Maisha Magic Bongo, respectively.
Huba is a fantastic illustration of Jiffy’s reach beyond Kenya’s borders, since it remains popular in Tanzania, sparking internet debate with each new episode.
The production house is responsible for several more hit telenovelas, including Maria, Zora, Maza and Kovu, all of which had successful runs on television and received numerous honours.
Their presentations have highlighted various brilliant actors and actresses while also promoting Kenya’s creative economy.
Lulu Hassan and Rashid Abdallah, a well-known Kenyan media couple, founded Jiffy Pictures in 2016.
Abdallah has previously indicated that he met Hassan on his first day at Radio Salaam, the Coast-based radio station where he began his career in 2006, and instantly fell in love with her, which led to their engagement shortly after.
Hassan, on the other hand, began her career at Radio Salaam earlier. She joined the station at the age of 20 after applying for a part-time English newsreader position.
She got the job and enrolled in media school at the same time. Hassan subsequently landed her first TV gig as a Swahili newsreader on KTN, while Rashid Abdallah became a news anchor for NMG’s now-defunct Swahili TV channel QTV.
When QTV was shut down, Abdallah transferred to NTV and continued to work as a Swahili news anchor.
During their time on air, they came up with the concept for Jiffy Pictures, a production company that specialises in dramatic Swahili telenovelas for local audiences, with the couple creating the scripts, scouting talent, and executive producing the episodes.
The company’s social media profiles were created in 2016, and in 2017, they received their first approval from Multichoice – for Maza.
Lulu and Rashid would rejoin television in 2018, after the latter departed NTV for Citizen TV.
Their abilities and on-screen personalities, as well as the idea of a pair anchoring news bulletins together, won over audiences, resulting in brand endorsements.
Soon after, they landed a successful telenovela in the form of Maria, which gained a cult following when it aired on Citizen TV.
As media companies competed for telenovelas, Jiffy Pictures was able to grow its catalogue.
