Nadia Jaftha on Betting on Herself and Building ACE Labs Into a Global Brand

• Nadia Jaftha opened up about her journey from content creator to co-founding ACE Labs with her fiancé Reece Meyer
• The Cape Town-born creator studied Film and Media at UCT and once received a scholarship to study acting in New York
• Nadia spoke about proving herself as a woman in business and what drives her to keep building beyond her personal brand

Nadia Jaftha has never been content with simply growing an audience. The South African content creator, influencer and entrepreneur sat down with Bona magazine to reflect on her career, her creative roots, and the business she has been quietly building alongside her personal brand.

From Cape Town classrooms to content creation

Born in Cape Town, Nadia spent part of her childhood in Gqeberha before moving back to the Mother City at age seven. Switching schools multiple times made it difficult to fit in socially, and she leaned into creativity as a way of finding her footing. Performing, storytelling and making people laugh became her confidence boosters long before they became her career.

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She went on to study Film and Media at the University of Cape Town, and later received a scholarship to pursue a Master's in Acting at the New York Film Academy. She turned it down, but the moment stayed with her.

Building ACE labs and going global

When Nadia started posting content, there was no roadmap for turning social media into a sustainable career. She simply enjoyed the craft. But as her following grew, so did her ambitions, eventually leading her to co-found the creative agency ACE Labs with her fiancé, Reece Meyer.

The agency blends digital storytelling with strategy, producing campaigns built specifically for social platforms. Its biggest milestone to date has been earning recognition as TikTok's leading Creative Exchange Partner, a title that signals more than commercial success for Nadia.

Proving herself in business

The transition from creator to founder was not without friction. Nadia admits she has had to work harder to establish credibility in business rooms, partly because content creation is sometimes dismissed as a lightweight profession. She believes that misses the full picture, arguing that creators bring genuine insight into consumer behaviour and culture that many traditional agencies lack.

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Rather than fighting the perception head-on, she has chosen to let her results do the talking. During Women's Month, she reflected on what that journey means for other women watching from the sidelines. She said:

"I hope my journey shows other women that they don't have to wait for permission to build something meaningful.”

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Source: Briefly News