#BehindtheSelfie: Alexander Leibner, founder of Sandton Media Group

Over his 15-year-long career he has had some notable achievements such as serving on the Adweek Africa Advisory Committee, the Chief Marketing Officer Council African Advisory Board and he has also chaired the Advertising Benevolent Fund.

Alexander Leibner, founder of The Sandton Media Group. Source: Supplied.

Where do you live, work and play?

Live in greater Sandton; work both here or wherever in the world work takes me - play very much in that same eco-system.

What’s really behind your selfie?

This is from a recent journey close to the Islands of Siankaba in a Makoro Dug Out Canoe on the Zambezi River in Zambia...

What does a typical weekend look like for you now?

If it's not finishing up MBA assignments, I'm at an auction, working or traveling to the bush, spending time with family, planning for the week ahead or doing absolutely nothing - I'm a big believer in the 20-minute power nap.

Describe your career so far...

It has been memorable, exciting and dynamic. I have done a lot of things I have always wanted to do and am still left with a good bucket-list of more. I feel I have reached a point where work and life are the same, but in a good way. Without having to exhaust this quote, attributed to a myriad of people, but 'find something you love to do, and you’ll never have to work a day in your life' pretty much sums it up! If I can continue to experience moments that feel like a piece of cinema, I'm good.

What are you streaming/reading/listening to right now?

I like to stay up to speed on current affairs and have my regular line-up of weekend viewing, Germany's equivalent to The Daily Show, as well as an array of podcasts. There's also some select viewing on the streaming services be it movies or the odd series. Most of my reading at the moment comes from academic sources! When I am at the gym, I do take the time to source new EDM tracks for my weekly radio show, filtering through hundreds of new releases to find something that I believe will fit the digital audio format and energy.

What’s your favourite gif?

Not sure about a favourite gif but does the 'Face with Tears of Joy' emoji count?

Give us the quote you like to live your life by?

During lockdown, to keep morale up, I started sharing some of my favourite quotes and thoughts on The Sandton Times Instagram account - one of those was: 'You didn't come this far, to only come this far'.

Do you have any secret talents?

Cooking. And optimal travel luggage packing.

What are some of your best load shedding survival tips?

Operating system redundancy plans; dividing the day up into tasks that need power and tasks that don't; rechargeable cordless restaurant table lights and family/friends in alternating load shedding parts of Johannesburg.