adminJoseline Sithole
Our SME and Start up corner
What I will remember at my nephew’s wedding is the Master of Ceremony. This lanky, funny young man is what I would call a total package, the real deal. He had jokes, he could dance and above all left us all happy. ( I could not help but envy his wife — such a happy home) What was most remarkable was the ease with which he belted a joke that fitted with any particular situation during the ceremony. Though he is obviously what we call a “pro” at his work, I could not help but wonder how much time and dedication he has invested in becoming what he is today.
Today we honour this remarkable young man, by unpacking the Business of Laughter, the Business of Comedy.
Indeed, the Business of Comedy has evolved, in Zimbabwe and on a global scale. The public perception of comedians has also greatly improved and your daughter can safely bring home a comedian as a husband, without causing too much raucous and hushed tones within the clan. A story is told about a comedian who was introduced to his prospective father in law. Upon hearing the vocation of his future son, the father in law, was perplexed as to why it was necessary to pay for laughter when he could laugh himself. Despite this snide remark, the father laughed at his own joke. This poor perception of Comedians is echoed by Doc Vikela (Victor Mpofu), a leading comedian in Zimbabwe.
He laments that, there is low appreciation of stand-up comedy as an entertainment genre, which is exacerbated by unavailability of consistent performance spaces and a limited number of promoters.
However, comedy has gained new recognition and respect for its health benefits and sometimes for its ability to comment on societal well-being as a whole.
Throughout the world, Comedy Yoga; a form of practice that combines laugher and yoga has gained prominence in many countries (I will strongly recommend this to any motorists in Zimbabwe especially when waiting for fuel). Though I am not that extreme, I love to watch Ibu’s Hypertension and Comedy Central just to loosen up after a hard day.
Perhaps, a strong case to support Comedy as an art form, can be found from its financial benefits.
All you need to do, is to ask Kevin Hart and Trevor Noah whose estimated net worth are now USD$ 150 and 15 million and respectively.
Though statistics of net worth value for our comedians, are hard to come by in Zimbabwe, we know that our own comedians have fared very well. The likes of Carl Joshua Ncube , Carl Chigumbu and Doc Vikela are now recognised internationally. I am particularly proud of our girls; Gonyeti (Samantha Kureya), Mai Titi (Felistas Murata Edwards) and Madam Boss (Tyra Chikocho).
I know that there are many lady comedians with “girth and mirth” out there.
However, despite all the glamour, building a strong comedy brand is no “laughing matter.”
As such, pulling off a joke or two in a kombi will not make you a comedian. Some of the comedians who were interviewed for this article, mentioned that this business can come with a lot of rejection, which can make one quit prematurely. In addition at the beginning of the career monetary rewards are also not very forthcoming. As a result, aspiring comedians need to treat their gift as business.
Mai Titi one of the leading women comedians in the country advises new artists to be confident of their talent. In addition she believes that it is important to stay focused amidst all the criticism that one might get.
The comedy value chain just like any business; consists of a plethora of players who need to be managed.
These players include: promoters, stylists, venue operators, financial advisors, publicists, graphic designers to name just a few. An office will also be good. Innovation and creativity is needed to cut costs with regards to the operational costs of running your own comedy business.
This means making use of those jobless graduates and pooling resources with other like-minded people in the business. Imagine comedians getting together, buying a block of buildings, contributing to pay one tax consultant, one financial manager and administrator and above all build a dedicated place for Comedy. (I have already the name for it, Chihuta Comedy Theatre)
In addition, the art of making people laugh requires a keen sense of technical and innovative ability. (Remember you are competing with Zimbabweans who have a natural flair for creating their own comedy.) It is thus important to know your target audience and what appeals to them. As a result your comedy (product) should continuously be tailored to suit that particular audience. Vigorous marketing of your brand is also very important and resources need to be availed for this. Social media is a cheaper way of doing this. Understudying comedy greats is also an important aspect of growth. After I read Charlie Chaplin’s autobiography I was amazed at how much I appreciated his comedy more.
Management of one’s brand is an absolute must. Having a manager with a keen eye on business growth is of utmost importance. My most favourite managers of all times are Debbie Metcalf-the late Oliver Mutukdzi’s manager and Jah Prayzah’s manager; Keen Mushapaidze. These two managers have proved to have a keen business sense. What your manager should do is to make you money, and make you lots of it. This is the person who implements your strategic vision into operational tasks. So if possible comedians should stay out of operations and concentrate on what they do best.
A survey of our comedians revealed disturbing communication skills, with a majority not responding to calls and sms messages. This tardiness and uncaring attitude towards fans and prospective clients might negatively impact brands and lose loyal followers.
As a country, we should work towards exporting out talent and build a strong Comedy Country Brand. And if you are that person who is constantly throwing some jokes, perhaps this is your calling. I will leave with you one of my favourite Laughter Quotes by Doris Lessing “Laughter is by definition Healthy” so go on Laugh out Loud.
◆ Joseline Sithole is Founder and Managing Consultant — Southern Africa Development Consultants — an SME Consultancy Company.
Bongani Ndlovu