Kudi Maradzika
Kudakwashe "Kudi" Maradzika is a Zimbabwean filmmaker, screenwriter, producer and actress based in South Africa. She is known as the creator and executive producer of the Netflix original crime drama series Bad Influencer. She has worked across Southern Africa’s television and film industries and participated in development initiatives such as the Creative Producer Indaba, Locarno Open Doors and Realness Institute and Netflix’s Episodic Lab Africa.
Early life and education
Kudakwashe Maradzika was born in Zimbabwe and is the youngest of four siblings. Her mother is a clinical epidemiologist, Dr Julita Chideme-Maradzika. She attended Dominican Convent High School, Harare, where she completed her O and A Levels.Career
Acting and early work
Maradzika began her professional career as a stage and screen actor, performing in various productions in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Early in her career, she appeared in local stage productions such as Love at a Crossroads co-starring with Tongayi Chirisa, for which she won the 2006 National Arts Merit Awards for Outstanding Actress. She also starred in Tanyaradzwa and was nominated for Best Actress for the 2006 Africa Movie Academy Awards. She studied Film Media and Production at the University of Cape Town’s Hiddingh Campus, where she trained in screen production, journalism, and performance. She has worked as a film professional and development executive in South Africa since 2012, working as a freelance writer, producer and director for companies such as Quizzical Pictures, Okuhle Media and Black Brain.Transition to producing and writing
After several years as a freelancer, Maradzika moved into content development and production. She worked as a senior producer for Paramount Network, working on content for MTV Base, Nickelodeon, as well as and Comedy Central Africa, producing original African content for regional audiences, including series like Isono and SAFTA-winning Black Tax, and specials such as Mandela Day Project and Africa Day Benefit Concert. Whilst working at Paramount, she won a SAFTA for Africa's Biggest Brags for Best Youth Programme.In 2021, she established, a production company focused on creating African narratives for global audiences. Maradzika was later selected for Netflix and the Realness Institute’s, an initiative designed to develop and mentor African screenwriters and showrunners.