Kenyan automotive content creator George Kingara, popularly known as Jojji, has shared how his passion for photographing cars gradually grew into a career that eventually earned him his first monthly salary of KSh10,000.
Speaking during an interview on the Mic Cheque Podcast, Jojji recalled that his journey started after his uncle bought him a camera. At the time, he had no commercial ambitions and simply enjoyed photographing cars at automotive events.
He explained that he would attend car meets and exhibitions, take photographs of vehicles and then send the images to their owners through direct messages on social media. His only request was that they tag him if they shared the pictures online.
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“I used to message people and tell them, ‘I took a photo of your car. Here it is. If you post it, please tag me.’ I was doing it as a hobby.”
His consistency gradually attracted the attention of event organisers, who began inviting him to cover automotive events. Although he was not initially paid, organisers offered him complimentary tickets and transport because he did not own a car.
Jojjisaid he would photograph the events and deliver the images to organisers afterwards, helping him build relationships within Kenya’s growing automotive community.
The turning point came during the COVID-19 pandemic, when short-form video content, particularly Instagram Reels, began to gain popularity.
A friend asked him to film a video of his car, marking the first reel he had ever created. Although he had little experience with video production, the clip performed better than he expected.
“That was the first reel I ever made. It blew up. At that time, it got about 500 likes.”
Encouraged by the response, he shifted his focus towards creating automotive videos. However, he said he still had no idea that content creation could become a source of income.
The first KSh10,000 salary
About a year after he began producing videos, a car showroom approached him with an offer that changed his outlook.
The business asked him to create video content on a monthly basis and requested that he name his price. Unsure how to value his work because he had never been paid for content before, he suggested KSh10,000.
“They asked me how much I wanted every month. I didn’t even know people could pay you a salary to make videos. I didn’t know how to charge, so I said KSh10,000.”
Under the arrangement, he visited the showroom once or twice each week, filmed multiple videos and then returned home to edit and deliver the content.
As his work became more visible, other businesses began approaching him with similar opportunities, allowing him to expand his client base and establish himself as a professional automotive content creator.
