Patrick Lubwama knew how to design. But before Next Media, no one was really paying him for it. Small jobs here and there. Some months were okay. Some months nothing. He was tired of waiting for clients who might pay or might not.
So he applied.
He answered the questions. He showed his work. And they gave him a chance.
That was November 2020. He started at NexCom doing commercial ads. He thought he knew motion graphics. Then he saw the standard they wanted. His work kept coming back. “Change this. Fix that.” It was humbling.
In January 2021, they moved him to the Newsroom. Right in the middle of elections. Everything was fast. Breaking news. Live coverage. No time to think. One day, the pressure was too much. He thought, “Maybe this place is not for me.”
But he stayed.
Some senior people in the Newsroom saw something in him. They did not say much. But they gave him bigger tasks. That told him they trusted him even when he was not sure of himself.
Then came the mistake that humbled him. An error went on air. A small thing, but millions of people saw it. After that, he learned to check everything twice. Three times. No rushing.
The turning point was election coverage 2021. He did graphics that ran on live TV the whole night. When he saw it on screen and everything was working smoothly, he felt it: “Okay, I can do this. I belong here.”
Next Media forced him to learn speed. In the Newsroom, news does not wait. If something is breaking, you have minutes, not hours. He learned to work fast without making mistakes. He dropped the habit of taking too long to make things perfect. He learned that good and fast is better than perfect and late.
His life changed in measurable ways. Before: unpredictable income. Now: a steady salary. He can plan. He can help at home. He can save something small.
His mother tells people, “My son works on TV.” She does not really understand what motion graphics means. But she knows those things moving on the screen during news? That is her son’s work. She is proud.
If Patrick could talk to the Day 1 version of himself standing outside the gate, he would say: “It is going to be hard at first. But stay. You will learn a lot.”
He used to believe a lie: that because he did not have a degree, he was not good enough for a company like Next Media. He learned that what matters is what you can do, not the papers you have.
The moment he knew he was really one of them? The day he handled something big on his own and no one had to fix it after him. That is when he knew he was not just learning anymore. He was actually part of the team.
What did it cost him to grow here? Time. Late nights. Learning. Unlearning and relearning. But that is how you get better. You put in the hours.
And now, when new people come and struggle with motion graphics, especially timing and the art of motion, he helps them. He shows them shortcuts and tricks to make their craft better.
He summarizes his story like this: “Next Media changed my life by giving me a chance to become a professional.”
