Goliath spoke to media update’s Adam Wakefield about why the Loeries® Creative Voice is so important and what his personal and advertising background brings to the role.

Last year, between May and August, once a week Goliath took to the air on YFM. He would usually talk to a professional in a creative field, picking the pro's brain about their craft with the listeners.

Goliath believes the format worked, especially once the segment found its footing. While Goliath is best known as a comedian, it is the six years he spent at Net#work BBDO as an art director that made him the perfect choice to host the segment.

“The audience YFM speaks to don’t get professionals in one of those fields to speak to them, so this was new. It was a different perspective for their audience. We’d end up with people phoning in or sending us Facebook messages or tweets saying, ‘I’m an up-and-coming photographer. Thanks for getting this guy on’,” Goliath says.

“Many who are considering going into any form of artistic endeavor just don’t have the mentors. In that regard, it was really cool. We pushed it a little bit and started getting people to send us examples of their work, which, for me, was fascinating.”

Going to where their creative audience lives

While Goliath could not reveal too much about what he and the Loeries® have planned for this year, their emphasis will shift from radio to social media and channels where their target audience lives.

“What didn’t come across last year was a little bit of my personality. I’d like to be the comedian who knows about this industry and to make it, first and foremost, palatable for my audience – the people who follow me,” Goliath says. “That is what they expect, but to also educate, motivate, and inspire at the same time.”

How Goliath the comic was forged by Goliath the creative

Goliath began his comedy career in 2011, and the creativity he exhibits on stage can be traced back to his days in advertising.

“You can’t learn to be a comedian. You have to have a passion to perform, jump on stage, act, and put all of yourself out there,” Goliath says.

“At heart, I’ve always been a performer. I’ve always been the guy who opens up the dance circle and makes it bigger. What advertising taught me was the ability to write funny, the ability to tell stories, and the ability to communicate to a very wide audience.”

All the radio and television scripts Goliath wrote while he worked in advertising were brought to life by others. It provided excellent preparation for his switch to comedy, as he is now the one performing his own creative work.

Goliath says, in advertising, which is based on putting out ideas, there is some gap between delivering an idea and receiving feedback. In comedy, the feedback is immediate, which can be daunting.

“You write your first set, you think it’s amazing and take it elsewhere but you don’t really get the reaction you want because you haven’t thought about the audience and whether or not it is going to connect with them,” he says.

“It’s live, it’s right there on stage. It has an impact on your ego. What advertising taught me, especially working for a big agency like Net#work BBDO, is not to be scared to stand up on stage and perform in front of people. We were selling R20-million campaigns to a banking CEO to try get him to hand over his money to shoot a fun TV ad.”

Why young creatives should check out the Loeries® Creative Voice

As an ambassador for the advertising and creative industries, Goliath says his job is as a mediator for the person on the street who wants to be creative but has no one to talk to about it.

“I’m the guy to chat to about these things and I will point you in the right direction if you need inspiration,” Goliath says.

“Follow me, because I’m going to give you access to what that world is about. I’m going to dissect things and break them down so they are palatable for you to understand and enjoy. I’m also going try convince you to join the industry, and even come down to Durban to see what Loeries® Creative Week Durban is all about.”

For more information, visit www.loeries.com.

Interested in submitting your creative work to the Loeries®? Read more in our article, How can I enter this year’s Loeries® Awards?

*Image courtesy of The Loeries®