You know how the key person in an organization gets referred to as the brains, or the head? De Villiers is our head, heart, feet, hands, eyes and ears. He launched Villages Connected by taking his idea out into the world and sharing it with anyone who would listen. But the great thing about de Villiers is that he listens too. And Villages Connected has grown from an idea in his head, to a real live community of people who are actively sharing their passion for Africa - all because he's out there every day sharing his.

When de Villiers moved from South Africa to Canada in the late 90's he was amazed by the Western interest in Africa. But despite people's interest, he noticed that our access to information through traditional media tended to focus only on devastation and violence.

So, after 10 years in the film and television industry, he conceived of Villages Connected as an alternative source for media about the African continent.

A world traveler and culturephile, de Villiers has tremendous respect for the often-misunderstood communities of the developing world. He grew up in South Africa but he has traveled, lived and worked extensively throughout Africa. And he's seen a lot - ingenuity, strength, and passion, as well as disease, cultural devastation and racism. He is very clear. We're here to make sure people get access to all kinds of stories about Africa - what's working and what isn't what's beautiful and what's bleak, what development looks like, and what doesn't need to be messed with.

You'll never meet a more approachable media guy so if you have ideas or something you want to share with the Villages Connected community email him. He is always keen to talk about ways to connect communities through great media cause hey, that's what we do!

In addition to producing award winning media, de Villers has a background in marketing, and he studied Politics & Economics at the University of Manitoba and Broadcast Production & Journalism at Red River College. He's also a member of the Social Venture Institute in Canada and the Principal of Ubuntu Productions.