Facilitator: James Bassingthwaighte

Wawee Music

James Bassingthwaighte is a music director and composer for film and television with particular experience in managing large projects around Africa that need efficient workflows and execution. Obsessive about collaboration and diversity in music teams, he relies on a vast network of artists, musicians, friends and colleagues from around the continent to ensure that each project is executed perfectly and authentically.

Skilled in vocal composition and production, beatmaking, scoring for large orchestras and music project management, James has been the music director for long-form television formats such as The Voice (South Africa, Nigeria, Francophone), X Factor SA and Coke Studio (South Africa and Africa), supervised large film composition projects such as Kizazi Moto: Generation Fire for Disney+, and worked on commercial releases with artists including Busiswa, Samthing Soweto, Yemi Alade and Beyonce. Academic qualifications through UCT and Berklee College of Music, combined with certifications in Project Management and Data Analytics, contribute to a holistic understanding of the music industry.