Like all comedians, I started my career in entertainment at a young age; I was determined to spend my life dedicated to bringing joy to audiences. So I won’t bore you with all the details of my quest, but lets start in the year 2000. I was performing in the Drakensberg for the Millennium New Year party, and I was as loving the performance, on the shows program for that evening was a stand up comedian, and I just loved what he did, I remember staring at this guy and thinking, "now that’s performing!” He had written, directed and prepared his show himself with absolutely no credits, this guy was cracking a room of 400 people up, he had them falling in the isles and begging for more.

By the time his performance was completed the room was standing! It was to be the biggest and longest ovation I would ever see!

I noticed two things that night, the first was that the comedian in question didn’t make jokes; you know like “why did the blonde…..” He was telling life like it is, and most impressively he would work continuously for ½ an hour with out a script check and the performance had the appearance that it was being made up on the spot – try that if you're an actor. I was in awe, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing, On the second of January 2000 I took stock, of my life and decided there was only one way to do this. “I’m gonna be a stand up comedian!” I started going to every conceivable comedy club, and learned as much as possible, fortunately I made friends with top performing Stand Up Comedians, Alyn Adams and I would become very close which lead me to meet Martin Jonas, Al Prodgers, Chris Forrest and others. Their guidance would lead me to my first stage appearance.

It was at Cool Running`s in Melville at a club run by John Vlismass on a Sunday evening, that show would turn out much better than I expected, anyhow I did a number of other performances and none would be that good again, I truly battled to make this work. Odd the harder I tried the worse it got. Today I think I looked at this thing from a far to analytical perspective. I was far to complicated, and thinking about the completely wrong side of the business, you see I was determined to make pub and club jobs work. I would later meet Mel Miller; this was to be a completely different perspective. I began preparing with the ideal of having fun; I would be invited to join “The Comedy Showdown” competition at “The Roxy Rhythm bar” in Melville. I won the first leg of the competition and was invited by the venue owner and other comedians to take over the running of the future evenings. Later the same year I was invited to take part in the "Freshest Five Competition” hosted by John Vlissmas and Red Bull, well out of nearly 100 entrants I made it to the top 4 and the final was truly the most fun I ever had!

By 2002 I was creating shows, I teamed up with 5 of my friends and we began the show known as “The Comedy Shop” It would turn out to be a super hit, our first show was in a Bistro in Turfontein called Risata`s we went on to perform around the country and in all types of venues. By the end of 2003 we where invited to perform for corporate companies the first would be Toyota, it turned out that time that a number of comedians where not happy with the management and show production in Joburg, so “The Comedy Shop” became a management and booking agency.

Early in 2003, I had a surgical operation on my mouth and it would take me back to learning to speak! Hell – like I needed that, but six months later I would be back on stage, but not very good, I spoke like this, “SShhheeeelllooo” it took endless work to get back, but that I did by the end of 2004 our performance at “The Liberty Life Theatre on the square was a hit!” It was called “Stand Up for Sundays!” and it turned out to be the sell out of the year. This performance would change my life, I was the host at this one, and as I stepped out of the curtain I missed my step, the result would be the luckiest thing that could happen to any performer yip “Break a leg!” Well with luck on my side I went from being a sort of funny fellow, to working as a stand up comedian every night of the week, and a diary that needs to be booked two months in advance, my company "The Comedy Shop” would be responsible for the booking arrangements of South Africa’s best funny people. In 2005 I performed in Pilgrims rest, with a one man show known as a “Short cut to Pluto”, and the show would tour the Western Cape and Durban, some time I should do it Jozi. The end of 2005 saw our performance “Five funny guys” at Richard Louring`s The Sound Stage in Midrand. I am most regularly booked as a comedic MC. Although my one man shows are very popular, 2006 saw a range of restaurant shows Including “The Sunnyside Park Hotel” In Jozi and “Amazons” in Pretoria. From the beginning of my performing career I enjoyed radio and have regularly appeared on S.A.FM, Radio 2000 and 702 obviously talk radio – comedians can’t sing – thank goodness!

I was invited to perform at “The comedy Store” in London twice and Sydney’s Comedy Junction, this would take me to team up with British comedian Jason Peck at the Edinborough festival. I was invited last year to join “The global comedy network” and later to contribute to the “Comedy Success Program newsletter” these are based in U.S.A.

Regular festival appearances would include The Nubreed horror festival, Comedy Nine Nine and of course “The Wits festivals.”

Stand Up has become my life, its all I care about, so to my dad “Sorry Engineering didn’t work out!” to my mom “I know Drama school was expensive, but hey it lead me to my passion” To my high school headmaster, Mr. Minnie thanks for saying this… “You’ll amount to nothing but a clown!”

But the truth is Mr. Minnie “You really have to work hard to be a clown”

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