George Mazarakis

Mazarakis is known as a Television producer in several genres, from Current Affairs in M-Net's Carte Blanche and the Oscar Pistorius Trial Channel, to lifestyle and entertainment shows such as Looks2Live By and Show Me The Mommy, to large-scale global broadcasts such as the Final Draw for the FIFA 2010 World Cup South Africa, the debate between Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk, the Election of 1994 and the Millenium Broadcast from Robben Island. In 2008 he launched the Carte Blanche Making A Difference Campaign which raised funds for pediatric surgery and Intensive Care Units in six hospitals in five cities around South Africa. The campaign also raised funds for two child charities in Gauteng. Mazarakis originally set the fund-raising goal at R20 Million. To date the Campaign has raised over R120 Million in cash and double that in kind. The Campaign has now completed 17 capital projects for pediatrics in 10 hospitals around the country. He chairs the Trust. He directed the Millenium Midnight Moment with Nelson Mandela on Robben Island on the night of the Millennium to a global audience of 4 Billion viewers. Prior to his appointment at M-Net, Mazarakis held a Senior Lectureship in the Department of Journalism and Media Studies at Rhodes University, Grahamstown, where he taught Radio and Television. . Before that he worked for SABC television as Executive Producer of a bi-weekly Current Affairs program "Agenda". Mazarakis was the Principal Executive Producer of Election '94, the SABC's coverage of South Africa's first democratic election. The show was a live news broadcast running for eleven days. He was also Executive Producer of The Presidential Debate between Nelson Mandela and FW de Klerk.