Lani Lombard leaves a lasting legacy as M-Net's head of publicity exits after 25 years: Read the moving, touching and funny tributes.

by Thinus Ferreira

Say the name "Lani Lombard" and if you've worked in South African television or covered it as media over the course of the past quarter of a century, you know exactly who she is - the gatekeeper supremo and publicist to TV's biggest shows and stars who is exiting her apex position as publicist after 25 years at M-Net.

Lani Lombard started at M-Net in 1996 as scriptwriter in the marketing department. Remember the M-Net continuity presenters? She wrote what they told you. 

As the decades rolled by, first doing publicity for the myriad of M-Net's local shows of which Who Wants to be a Millionaire? was her first, then kykNET when that channel started to do its marketing and publicity, back to M-Net as publicity manager, then doing M-Net corporate communication as head of corporate communications, and eventually ascending to the pinnacle as head of publicity at M-Net, absolutely nobody's deep contact list, expansive industry relations, insider acumen or publicity star-making power even remotely compared to hers.

Lani Lombard has been the publicist in South Africa's television everybody working in PR aspired to be.

From her tour de force pitch-perfect press conferences, to her often-imitated but never equalled "Hollywood-in-SA" TV upfronts, press junkets and set visits, when it came to drumming up publicity for M-Net shows and stars, there has always been Lani Lombard - and then the rest.

South Africa's TV industry, the journalists and media covering it, and those who have worked with Lani Lombard over many, many years are weighing in with tributes:

MultiChoice
Since joining M-Net 25 years ago, Lani Lombard has worked tirelessly to ensure M-Net – which now broadcasts the best international and local content - is widely recognised as the most thrilling and informative channel on DStv. 

Her role has been pivotal to the channel’s growth and positioning amongst its audience. We thank Lani for her tireless efforts and commitment to M-Net and MultiChoice over the years. We wish her all the best in her future endeavours.

Jan du Plessis, director: M-Net channels

Lani Lombard has been an integral part and driving force behind the M-Net Publicity machine.

Over the years she not only passionately protected the M-Net Brand, but was a shining example to the industry of the power of great, innovative and strategic publicity. 

She has also demonstrated great passion for our local productions, especially the Talent and is endeared in the hearts of many. Through her effortless work we all started to understand the true value of publicity’s contribution to the success of our content. I will personally miss her and wish her well.

Cathy Pinnock, CEO YIP Photography

Lani was our beacon of shining light at M-Net, I still remember the first time we met her, almost 20years ago in the first of her 25 offices in the Magic Centre building.

We had always worked on Idols and she had just come over from kykNET. She welcomed us with open arms and a big smile, after which followed many, many years of shows, interventions, syndications and fun times.

Lani Lombard is one of those people who everybody just lives. I'm sure her infectious laughter and incredible work ethic will be truly missed in the office. Lani, I have a feeling that you are going to be truly happy in the next phase of your life. Much gratitude for having had the opportunity to work with you for all of these years.

Lucia Poolman, tvplus editor

Lani Lombard leaving M-Net is a huge loss for the industry. I've worked with her for many years, and she's always been the perfect example of professionalism and elegance. Since my days as a young reporter at Beeld, she treated every media inquiry with the importance it needed. 

When I worked at Huisgenoot, we got to know each other very well when Nick Greyling, a SuperSport employee was kidnapped in Nigeria in 2010. 

Lani handled the complex situation expertly with the required sensitivity during my interview with his wife. Being editor of tvplus for the last couple of years, I’ve always known Lani Lombard was just a phone call away to clear up a situation or intervene when necessary. She was always on the ball and often pre-empted questions and avoided conflict. Her honesty was appreciated – something I will dearly miss.

I can speak for the whole team that we will remember her fondly, that she set the bar high and that we will always be grateful for her the way she conducted business.

Buhle Mbonambi, Independent Media Food & Drinks editor

Lani Lombard is an institution at M-Net. Few of us even know M-Net without her being part of the company. I guess we got a taste of it when she was on sabbatical a few years ago and it was rather strange. 
She has been a very impactful publicist and will go down in history as one of the best to do it in South Africa. 

I have been impressed by how professional she has always been. Whether it was the many on-set visits, media upfronts or just her sending a mail or a text to say thank you, she always made sure that she was professional and treated you with respect. 
Together with the team she worked with at M-Net, she has set the standard for TV publicity. I am confident that she leaves a very capable team of publicists who are already making sure that her legacy remains almost perfect. 
She will be missed. I personally am grateful for her years at M-Net and will forever treasure the working relationship we have built over the past decade.

Terence Pillay, TV & radio presenter Pillay Media

I met Lani Lombard under funny circumstances. I was writing a column for The Mercury in Durban and renamed an M-Net show, calling Project Fame, Project Shame, because I had such huge problems with the show.

“Get him up to a live show and let him experience it full-on,” she said to one of her minions. I was on the next flight out, and met her in person at the show, which I still ended up hating. But as they say, the rest is history. I was in awe of this woman who ran the publicity department at M-Net like a well-disciplined army!  

That was about 17 years ago. We bonded over all things television and she and I became not just work colleagues but really good friends. Soon after that meeting I began working on an M-Net show called Studio 53 and often saw Lani in the hallowed halls of M-Net. 

But I was also still writing and working on radio, so I would use these opportunities to pitch her exclusive interview ideas. It was a win-win. She would allow me room to conduct the interviews the way I wanted, but kept an eagle eye on it nonetheless.

Lani and I also travelled a lot on media trips, obviously with a media contingent, but she always managed to take care of each one like we were the only ones travelling together. This is why she so supremely good at her job. She understands the journalist as much as she does the importance of garnering good media and strikes a very genuine balance between the two. 

And of course she knows and  respects the deadline, which invariably saw us doing radio interviews while she was in a salon straightening her hair or at an airport racing to catch a connecting flight and once on a rickety bus hurtling down the streets of Lagos!

Lani is exceptional at what she does – and her job has not always been easy. She’s had to navigate some, let’s say, dubious, personalities in the media over the years, but always did it with such grace and professionalism.

I’m very sad that she will be leaving M-Net and I have to say, it’s going to be a huge loss. While they have some remarkable people in their publicity department, there can only be one Lani Lombard. I wish her colossal success in whatever she tackles next.

Yvonne Beyers, Huisgenoot editor

When I started working as a journalist one of the very first contact numbers I got and filed was the one of a certain Lani Lombard - then still the spokesperson for kykNET.

And what a wonderful contact and friend Lani became over all of the many years!

I once joked with her and said that when you'd call the M-Net office in the middle of the night, she would answer the landline - she was absolutely always busy with work, and so truly excited about the next big show or series. Lani talked about every new project like it's a great new adventure. She made it sound irresistible.

When I think of Lani, I think of the seriousness with which she listens, I think of her bright eyes, and I think of her specific laugh with which she would say: "I want to quickly tell you something else at M-Net, and it's very exciting".

I honestly wish her just the very best with whatever she does next and I know that as with everything she sets her mind to, it will be a great, big new adventure.

Louise MacAuliffe, multimedia videographer

I met Lani Lombard over a decade ago and my life has never been the same since. What an incredible woman. 

People talk about dynamite coming in small packages - well Lani explodes with that same amount of force, energy and enthusiasm, with regards to absolutely everything that she does. 

One of my high lights of spending time with her, was when we travelled to Survivor SA island, when it was being filmed in the Maldives. I was part of a group of journalists who were going to get to discover the true struggle of what it is like to survive there. It was truly incredible and quite funny too, as the journalists, besides one other and myself, all wanted to go home after just one night on the island. 

Lani has always been very gracious and just makes everyone around her feel very comfortable. She had her serious moments too when she had to pull in the reigns - always keeping it professional. 

It is hard to believe that she will not be around anymore when we are invited to activations regarding the future programming at M-Net. 

One thing I do know is that I definitely want to find a way to stay in touch with her. Lani will always be someone that I will go out of my way for. She never deserves to be let down. She formed many great friendships with many journalists in the time that I have known her - I hope that I hold a special place in her life, just like she does in my heart. 

Donald Clarke, director and showrunner

I first worked with Lani Lombard on the very first series of Survivor South Africa. 

We were out in the middle of nowhere, Panama to be exact, and she was very much out of her comfort zone but I soon realised that Lani was incredibly resilient. 

As a young director, I quickly learned to trust Lani's intuition about the audience, she knew the M-Net audience inside out and became really important in checking whether the editorial decisions were made were the right ones.

Since then I have come to have massive admiration for Lani and any cursory glance at her black book of media contacts would show that she is a formidable publicist. 

Lani Lombard knew every journalist by name, she knew where they came from and she knew exactly what they needed for their publications. And she managed to hang on to these relationships in a way that developed fierce loyalty from them and with everyone she worked with. 

Her press events and launches were clever, effective and fun. We're about to head into the next season of The Bachelorette SA and I shudder to think of doing it without Lani!

Barbara Hollands, journalist

I got to know Lani Lombard when she worked for kykNET many years ago and I was a TV writer for the Daily Dispatch.

Right from the start, I was drawn to not only to her extraordinary professionalism, creativity and helpfulness, but also her lovely friendly nature and lack of pretension, all of which reeled me in to become a devoted Lani fan.

Lani Lombard dealt with so many TV journalists over the years and made us all feel we were her favourite! But it was just that unique Lani magic casting it's spell on us. 

She is shy yet outgoing, confident yet vulnerable and these characteristics draw people to her - from the lowly journo to the smooth-talking TV star and cutting edge producer.

I have shared so many unforgettable M-Net moments thanks to Lani and her team. She is the ultimate publicist. I have never met another like her. I am so sorry to see you go, dear Lani. Whatever you do next will be injected with your magic.