Bio
Shado Twala is a South African radio DJ, journalist, entrepreneur and radio and television producer best known as a presenter on radio stations such as Radio Bop, METRO FM, 702, P4, Cape Talk and Heart 104.9FM.
Shado was born and raised in Cape Town. She began her career as a personal assistant to an executive director at North West National Parks Board.
She moved on to become personal assistant to Mark Lamberti who then was Marketing Director of Jazz Supermarkets, where she was responsible for co-ordinating events, promotions and product launches.
She first came to public attention in 1989 when she was chosen as the Best Presenter in a national poll which won her a prize to travel to New York on an exchange programme, to learn more about presenting.
She started her career in radio at Bop Radio in the 1980s. Later radio appointments include 702 Talk Radio, Radio Metro, P4 Radio, 567 Cape Talk Radio and Heart 104.9FM (which was P4 radio rebranded).
During this time Shado also wrote a few articles for the Sunday Times, Two Tone Magazine (an insert in the Vrye Weekblad), Tribute Magazine and the Old Mutual Jazz Heritage Magazine.
She also worked in the media and public relations sphere, working for the Western Cape government (as media liaison and PR officer for Western Cape premier Ebrahim Rasool), from 2005-2008.
Drawing on her love of jazz, Shado formed Khano Entertainment in the nineties, which developed and managed the careers of artists and produced international and local jazz events throughout South Africa and Africa.
Shado has also written about, commented on and presented papers on social issues including women abuse, the role of the arts in a developing society as well as participating in democracy education through her work in the media.
She was one of the six celebrities featured in a Breast Cancer awareness campaign who appeared naked in a calendar inspired by the movie Calendar Girls, in 2003.
She is currently managing her own entertainment business, Black Olive Entertainment, and is also a Public Relations and Media Consultant for Just Mesh Creative Communications.
Shado is one of the judges of the SABC2 reality competition SA's Got Talent, based on the British "Got Talent" format, since October 2009.