TV producer and director Shaffee Shaik made South Africa proud when he directed the inaugural South Asian Excellence Awards in New York last night. The glitzy event, which took place at the Waldorf- Astoria Hotel in Manhattan, honoured the achievements of South Asian Americans in various fields and was broadcast to over 100 countries. The ceremony featured South Asian achievers in business, entertainment, social and public service, science, sport, literature, technology, IT and the performing and visual arts. Hosted by British actor Nitin Ganatra, the show included performances by the Jamaican music duo Chaka Demus and Pliers, Indian Idol winner Prashant Tamang and acclaimed international musician Raghav Sachar. The celebrity guests included actress Pooja Batra, tennis legend Vijay Amritraj and former Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz. Shaik produces the popular religious programme Spirit Sundae on SABC1 at 11am on Sundays. “This is a once-in-lifetime opportunity for a TV director, because you get to work in the best and latest high-definition digital outside broadcast units with probably the best TV crew and expertise,” he said. He said the South Asian Excellence Awards had taken months of planning. “Although I’m based in Johannesburg, I co-ordinated most of the technical aspects between our India, London and New York offices via e-mails and conference calls every second day,” he said. Shaik’s first international production was in 2002 when he directed the Bollywood Movie and Music Awards at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlanta City. He is also the director of his own company, New Wave Productions, formed in 1995. When Zee TV launched in South Africa in 1996, he was appointed as their operations director for three years. He is also the African representative for DStv’s Sony TV and B4U. In between, he runs a direct marketing company with his brother, Suleman. His skills have made him Sony TV’s preferred international director for shows in Atlantic City and, over the past five years, the annual British Asian Sports Awards in London. “It has taken a long time, with dedication and hard work, to get to this stage of my TV career, especially to be recognised as a director of international standard,” Shaik said.