What are your thoughts on digital technology and how can it be utilised as a medium?
I think digital technology is the best thing to have happened to young creatives right now. What it has done is cut through the red tape and give creatives the opportunity to create authentic, individual work in their personal capacity. We can now share our work with an audience, without having to deal with gatekeepers. So it’s an incredible medium for independent creatives to not only get their work out there but actually thrive in this climate.
What is your advice to comedians who are going through a hard time?
As a comedian myself I find that my work matters most when I am going through the hardest of times. I am my first audience. So if my work sparks joy, if my work is entertaining, if my work gives hope or is in any way inspiring – it does that for me first. So if you’re going through a hard time as a creative, just create. And it doesn’t have to be work that you’re going to share or want to trend or appeal to any audience per se but it has to be work that you will be inspired by. When life gets tough, keep creating.
What’s your take on the current state of SA comedy?
I love SA comedy! I love how diverse it is. We’ve expanded so much that there’s something for everyone’s taste. So people are doing skits; people are on stage; people are creating digital content; people have YouTube channels; people are doing animation. People are doing all sorts of things that South African audiences can sift through and get exposed to the kind of comedy that they want. The SA comedy scene is expanding! And we love to see it!
Comedians don’t have income at the moment, what needs to be done?
I sometimes feel like being a comedian in South Africa is not really respected as a legitimate career. And that’s where it starts. We need to dismantle the idea that being a comedian is a thing for yourself, like a hobby. The craft pays when you start treating it as a business. We need to create a culture of smart money thinkers within the creative space. The creative aspect is important but the financial knowhow will allow for longevity. We need creative institutions to mandate learning around finance like investments, bonds etc so that creatives are equipped in this dog eat dog game.
How is your company surviving since it play in the comedy space?
If I were to literally summarise it… Consistency. Being visible. And creating work that’s memorable. Creating work that travels and transcends through culture and language.
With Covid, what the future holds for SA comedy?
Now I feel like we are in a position where we can create anything, really. We can create work that is individualistic, work that is unique. The limitations of lockdown have afforded us the opportunity to think outside the box. You’re forced to use the space that you in, the tools that you have and the expertise that you have to create comedy. Because of this, we are going to get a wave of comedians creating from the comfort of their own home in ways we’ve never seen before.
How has your family taken to you being a full-time creative?
My family has no idea what I do. They don’t care, lol! They don’t give a d#*n how many followers, views, trendings or virals I got going on, I still have to wash the dishes.
What is your typical day like and has the Global Pandemic impacted your schedule?
A typical day consists of four to twelve hours on the Isibaya set. And finding room in-between to constantly brainstorm content ideas for The Black Wendy Channel as well as for brands that I’ve partnered with. The pandemic has impacted my schedule by literally expanding my schedule, making me way busier than I thought I’d ever be. But I’m so fortunate to be managed by wmgrep.com and have a team behind me to make sure I’m on point—from brainstorming to postproduction. My manager makes sure that I deliver a hundred percent; no matter how busy I get.
What do you think is the role of “creatives” in the world?
The world would not exist without creatives. Period.
You have done that with your work, how has the reception been?
I’ve been creating content for about four years. The reception, initially, was everyone around me watching my work and no one else. And four years later the reception has been overwhelmingly positive. A skit I made four years ago literally got four views but now, four years later, my skits are on Comedy Central. I still sometimes pinch myself!
How do you relax during lockdown?
Well with an ice cold Savanna, obviously!
What does creativity mean to you?
I cannot live without creativity! There are so many things in life that are unpredictable and temporary; creativity isn’t one of those things. Creativity will always be around, there’s always something new being created. The fact that I get to wake up every day and partner with that and join that energy to create something of my own, that for me is the meaning of life.
How can our platform (NoJokesComedy) can be used to grow the industry?
I would say it’s already doing it by involving creatives like myself to have a platform to share work. #NoJokesComedy is already doing the work, it just needs to keep doing it.
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