The Story⚡
Tell Me More
Bad Influencer is a seven-episode crime drama series set to premiere on Netflix on October 31, 2025. It is created and written by Kudi Maradzika, along with Daniel Zimbler and Sydney Dire, and executive produced by Kudi Maradzika through her production company, Lincoln Green Media. The series is directed by Keitumetse Qhali and Ari Kruger, and produced by Gambit Films. It is the first scripted project from Netflix’s collaboration with the Realness Institute’s Episodic Lab.
The story centers on BK, a single mother and counterfeiter who is in debt and needs to provide for her son. She teams up with Pinky, an influencer seeking sponsorships, to sell the fake bags as affordable alternatives online. Their plan attracts the attention of Bra Alex, the leader of a counterfeiting syndicate, who demands a share, as well as a detective investigating the operation.
The cast includes Jo-Anne Reyneke as BK, Cindy Mahlangu as Pinky, Vincent Mahlape-Sekuba as Bra Alex, Thapelo Mokoena, Mpilo Shabalala, Hamilton Dlamini, Modise Motaung, Kamohelo Pule, Zozibini Tunzi, Mandisa Nduna, Emmanuel Castis, Julia Anastasopoulos, Brendon Daniels, Aubrey Poo, Nat Ramabulana, Lerato Nxumalo, and Charlie Bouguenon.
The series is filmed in Johannesburg and addresses themes of economic inequality and digital commerce in South Africa.
Key Background
Kudi Maradzika is an award-winning Zimbabwean screenwriter, director, producer, performer, and creative entrepreneur focused on advancing African storytelling. With more than 15 years of experience in screen, stage, voice, and digital media, her projects have appeared on platforms such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Showmax, MTV, BET, and Comedy Central. She founded Lincoln Green Media, a production company that develops African intellectual property in film, television, comics, games, and digital formats, emphasizing cultural agency and global impact.
Maradzika holds a BA Honours in Film Production from the University of Cape Town, a Diploma in Digital Marketing from the Red and Yellow School of Education, Cambridge O and A Levels from Dominican Convent High School in Harare, and an LCCI Diploma in Marketing and Sales from Speciss College in Zimbabwe.
Her notable works include creating and executive producing a Netflix Original Series set for release in 2025, feature films such as Njuzu, which was pre-selected for the Sundance Screenwriters Lab and Durban FilmMart Access in 2023, and Death and Its Friends, supported by the NFVF and selected for Locarno. She has also developed the Afro-Futurist IP Artemis Elixa, a comic series expanding into a video game, and is drafting Blood & Tusk, a precolonial alternate-history novel reimagining Africa’s global influence. Additionally, she launched UKO, a creative economy platform shortlisted for the Top 40 Création Africa Programme in 2024, which supports young creatives in scaling their intellectual property.
Maradzika’s awards and recognitions include the Forty Under 40 Africa Award in 2025 for innovation in storytelling and cultural entrepreneurship, multiple SAFTA wins for programs like MTV Base’s Africa Brags and Ses’ Top La, and an Africa Magic Viewer’s Choice Award for Love Games as Best TV Series and Drama. She has earned Promax Global Gold and Silver for campaigns including the Africa Day Concert hosted by Idris Elba, Loerie Awards finalist status for the Savanna Virtual Comedy Bar, an Africa Movie Academy Award nomination in 2006 for Best Actress in Tanyaradzwa, and a Zimbabwe National Arts Merit Award in 2006 for Best Actress in Theatre/Drama.
In Summary
Bad Influencer is available on Netflix starting October 31, 2025.
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