Open Time flashback with Ashley Hayden

She was the woman with South Africa’s most famous smile, the face of the first days of M-Net. To celebrate DStv’s 30th anniversary Open Time weekend on 7-9 November, we chatted to one of Open Time’s OGs – Ashley Haden – about the early days of pay TV in South Africa, and where life has taken her since.

Read more about DStv Open Time, what to watch, and how to tune in on 7-9 November.  

You famously arrived in Joburg with three suitcases and R100 and reinvented yourself. How did you get your first job? 

So, I started at a restaurant as a waitress, that was my first-first job, and I got fired because I wasn’t meant to be in the hospitality industry. After that I got a job as a temp receptionist, and at the same time I was going to many auditions. After about 10 months of being in Joburg, I got hold of M-Net, and I thought maybe there’s something for me there. They were holding auditions, but there were tons of people, and I didn’t think I stood a chance. I was so shocked when I got through! 

There was someone going on leave or something and they said, “Well, let’s just put her in the mornings and see how she does.” So, I went off and I did that. 

I remember so clearly the first time I went on television. It was around 10 in the morning – back when M-Net used to start in those days, the morning movie was at 10 o’clock and there were like two housewives watching because M-Net was two years old and we didn’t have that many subscribers. I was so anxious, I was beside myself, so I managed to the first link and then the second one came along. I remember talking to someone in the passageway and the controller came running out and saying, “Ashley, get into the studio!” I said “What, what?” He shouted, “Where’s your mic?” I said, “Are we live?” and he said “YES!”.  

I thought that’s it; I’ve blown it. They’re gonna say “Thanks Ashley, thanks for trying but off you go, we don’t need you anymore.” 

Fortunately, none of the execs were watching on that day and I managed to hang on to the job! After that, I went from strength to strength and ended up staying with M-Net for nearly 16 years. 

Along the way I shot Bon Voyage, and I stopped working as a continuity presenter three weeks before my first child was born because the shorts were getting tighter and tighter and my face was getting rounder and rounder. I moved on to do other things: I did Come Dine With Me (a charity edition on BBC) and Survivor: Santa Carolina. So, I stayed within the family to a certain extent. 

How has celebrity culture in South Africa changed since you were a presenter on M-Net, from 1998 to 2003?  

You know, I think that we were really lucky when we started. There were two or maximum three SABC channels and then M-Net came along and it was so aspirational. Everyone wanted an M-Net decoder, and I think I was really lucky to be in the right place at the right time. There were so few of us – we had great exposure and we were working frequently. We were always in peoples’ homes, in their lounges and people felt like we were part of their family. I think it’s so much harder these days for people wanting to break into the industry. First of all, there are so many channels to choose from, including streaming services.  

I don’t think if I started now, I would make it and be where I am in another 13 years’ time. But I hope I would have a better Day One!  

What are a couple of the practical lessons that you learned at M-Net and DStv that you’ve been putting into practice in your own company, Feature Perfect Productions? 

That’s a good one! I think that one of the things I came to realise from being a broadcaster, that I take with me, is that the anticipation of something is always way more terrifying than the actuality of it. 

The first time I had to do a Miss South Africa live broadcast, I was having sleepless nights. Yet, once we got to it, I had at my disposal all the skills I needed to get the job done and all I needed was to have faith. 

What my time in front of cameras has taught me is to worry when it’s time to worry – you’ve got this, you know what you’re doing, just keep going, putting one foot forward and you’ll get there.