By Prudence Minayo
Samantha Bridal is one of the best wedding shows to grace the Kenyan television screens. Most associate it with class, glamour and fairy tale weddings. Away from the show, the company has organized dozens of weddings over the years and immensely contributed to the multi-million wedding industry in the country.
Through their wedding fairs, they have also showcased numerous designs and products from far and wide. From multi-million weddings to simple weddings, the team is known for its professional services meant to make every client feel special.
The show and company is the brainchild of Dr. Catherine Masitsa- a veterinary by profession.
Here is her inspiring story as told by WoK.
Background and Education
The Samantha Bridal founder was Brought up in Eldoret and Kakamega counties. She attended Moi Girls followed by Butere Girls for her A levels. They were the the last group to do the A level exams before 8-4-4 was introduced.
She pursued a Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Nairobi, where she would later pursue her MBA. Dr. Catherine has also attended various executive programs at the Strathmore Business School.
Career
Before venturing into the world of media, she worked with some of the biggest pharmaceutical companies. She had a stint at the global pharmaceutical giant Pfizer. During this time, she developed management, and sales and marketing skills.
The entrepreneur then worked as the technical sales manager in charge of Africa at Norbrook. Later, she went on to become a national project officer at the European Union. In this role, she was in charge of program management of the rural development projects funded by the union.
Magazines and Samantha Bridal
According to a Forbes article, she started Going Out Magazine in 2000 with US$500 capital. During this time, she learnt how advertisers worked in the country.
They wanted publishers to know their market very well. Her own wedding in 2003 inspired her to start a Bridal Magazine. In 2004, she launched Samantha Bridal, the first of its kind in the country. The magazine became well known after she got her show on TV.
The 2007-2008 post election violence greatly affected her business as advertisers stopped advertising with them. She was forced to stop Going Out Magazine and another magazine she was running named Business Woman.
Things became hard as she had a bank loan of Ksh7 million and a Ksh3 million overdraft. She found herself owing the bank Ksh10 million which forced her to sell her house. After securing a buyer, her documents at the Ministry of Lands disappeared causing her more misery.
At one point, she cried at the Lands offices until a sympathetic official helped her locate them. She sold the house for Ksh28 million and ended up paying the banks Sh32 million due to accumulated interest. She got the remaining four million from some real estate investments. She was in her thirties and managed to rise out of the problems.
TV show
Initially, when she began the Bridal Magazine, her dream was to have a TV show. Despite shooting a pilot, she was unable to land the deal until much later. In 2009, she began shooting for the TV show and it first aired in 2010.
It went on to become one of the biggest bridal shows attracting thousands of viewers. Samantha has featured some of the biggest weddings in the country. In a past interview, she said she has seen people spend as little as Ksh7,000 on a wedding and as much as Ksh200 million.
Personal Life
She met her husband Andras while she was working for Pfizer at the age of 24. At the time, he was a consultant neurologist and professor at Moi University. She was conducting market research for a new product and was working with the medical fraternity in Eldoret.
At first, she was not keen on going out with him as he was her client. After going out with him, he proposed two weeks later but she kept him waiting for 8 years.
In a previous interview with The Standard, she said she has a daughter named Elona.
Real Housewives
Recently, the Samantha bridal CEO has been unveiled as the sixth cast in the Real Housewives of Nairobi show. She is happy to join the franchise, in its fourth season, and says it is a great way for fans to get to know her as she isn’t very active on social media.
