Listed in YHP’s Top 20 Young Entrepreneurs to Watch 2012, Rashid Kasirye is founder of the award winning online entertainment and talent platform, Link Up TV. With an audience of over 69,000, the youth inspired channel showcases the best of unsigned and emerging talent with innovative shows, competitions, fresh freestyles and behind the scenes footage of the latest music.

To date L.U.T has featured a plethora of the industry’s most demanded artists including Wretch 32, Tinie Tempah, Chip, K Koke and Benny Banks (just to name a few).

What do general tasks in your career as a video producer consist of on a daily basis?
Sourcing out music, thinking of new ideas and looking for locations.

Why did you decide to become involved in music media?
I always had a passion for music. As a kid I watched MTV Cribs on a regular basis and that made me aspire to want to live the great life I saw and it was then that I knew that entertainment was where it is at.

When did you make a start on your career? 
Straight after high school, I told my Mom I had no intension of carrying on with education. I spent the first year after leaving school trying to find myself and within that time, I started producing music under the name Ice Cold. I managed to get some slight fame around my local area as well as via MySpace. Then one of my friends who was at sixth form was given a project to create a music video, as my time was flexible I decided to help him film and edit it. We managed to pull it off and that’s when I started showing an interest in filming.

I then started filming music videos for some of the artists I was working with at the time. I would produce and record the track in my bedroom studio then film the video and upload it on MySpace.

How you set it up?
Setting up Link Up TV was rather simple, I just opened up a YouTube channel and started uploading content as I went along. When things started to kick off I started going out and looking for content. One thing that helped my channel grow quickly was my Behind The Scenes coverage at music videos such as N Dubz, Wiley, Mz Bratt (just to name a few).

Who helped you?
I never really received much help, the camera I started using for Link Up TV was purchased from Argos using a one grand allowance I had. I used it for one year and then earned enough via Link Up TV to get better equipment.

What have you learnt during your experience?
I have learned a lot, but some of the keys things are that what ever happens in this entertainment world someone is going to screw you over! So the best thing is to just keep going when it happens. Also that nothing happens before its time, but most importantly that it is all about who you know, how good you are just determines how long you know them for.

What advice can you offer to aspiring videographers?
If you are passionate about videography then put your all in, don’t expect to be earning a lot of money from it for a while, just focus on mastering your craft. A very important saying that I live by…Always be one-step ahead of the person in front (make of that what you may).