Sammy Mwangi is the founder of Heartstrings Entertainment, where he also directs and produces.
He has made great achievements on the stage and has received numerous accolades, including the Head of State Commendation (HSC).
Mwangi first performed on stage in high school, when he joined drama clubs.
“I was in Form One at Pumwani Secondary School when I discovered theatre while in France. I enjoyed every minute of it, and as a result, I won Best Actor three times in French Drama Festivals. So, after Form Four, I continued with public theatre,” he explained.
At Kenya Polytechnic, Mwangi earned a diploma in tourism before continuing on to a diploma in graphic design. He later learned French at the Alliance Française.
He started earning after being employed as an intern for Flamingo Tours, a local touring company. He was in charge of French-speaking tourists.
Mwangi would accompany them to tourist locations throughout the country. At the time, he was working as a tour guide while also presenting rehearsed plays on stage.
However, the Likoni clashes in the 1990s ended his tour guide employment and his ambitions of taking driving lessons and becoming a driver guide.
Mwangi had been earning money from theatre by the time his tour guide job ended, and he chose to devote his full attention to it.
“I became tired and wondered why I was struggling to find a nine-to-five work rather than converting my pastime and passion into a lucrative career. I established a space for artists to practice their work, requiring a professional attire. A large number of known and upcoming artists have passed through Heartstrings,” he remarked.
Mwangi formed Heartstrings Kenya with Erastus Owuor, Victor Ber and Ken Waudo. It was initially known as Falaki Arts Ensemble.
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At the time, events were free at the British Council, but Heartstrings Entertainment began charging admission prices.
Because of their uniquely Kenyan content, Heartstrings concerts could no longer fit in the British Council Auditorium.
This caused the management to relocate from their original location to the Goethe Institute before moving on to the Alliance Francaise and the Kenya National Theatre (KNT), where they would fill to capacity.
By 2015, the other original members had left, leaving Mwangi to run the company.
“To mark this transition, I registered Heartstrings Entertainment,” he said.
In a previous interview with Standard, Mwangi denied accusations that her partners’ departure was the result of a vicious fight.
“There was no fallout. I’ve seen many artists and actresses pass through Heartstrings over the years, and once they’ve used the platform we provide to foster their abilities and gain exposure, they go on to other opportunities,” he said.
As team leader, Mwangi employed an Operations manager to handle the non-artistic aspects of their office, such as contracts.
Mwangi’s responsibilities as artistic director included hiring, directing, and producing the play.
He cites professionalism as one of the reasons for his company’s success.
“You need to be professional. If you want to make a career out of theatre, like any other industry, whether media, production, or even oil, you must be professional in order to thrive,” he remarked.
