Daniel Ndambuki, aka Churchill or Mwalimu Kingang’i, has
grown from humble beginnings, to prove that comedy can really pay for the
really talented ones. From humble beginnings of acting high school literature
and Fasihi set books, Churchill has carved a niche for himself as a morning
radio presenter at Classic 105, a top MC at Corporate events, and the host of
the popular Churchill show, which airs on NTV on Thursdays and Sundays. Here
are some career lessons you can learn from him.
1. Non- Traditional
careers pay.
While many of us would scoff at a person that makes a living
from comedy, Churchill has proved that the once looked down upon careers-
comedy, music, dancing, and acting, can put food on the table. He, plus musicians
like Nameless, Juliani, Wyre, among others, are helping push the envelope for
the Kenyan art scene, and proving that one doesn’t have to be a doctor, lawyer,
engineer, or manager to make some good money.
2. Start Small.
While many of us wish to start big, Churchill did start from
the small tasks he was assigned in the school plays. A story is told that he
used to sleep on the floor in a one room apartment in Mlolongo. Although we
cannot verify that, what we can note is that he has indeed come from far. At
the time, he probably didn’t
consider that he would rise to the position he
occupies today, but currently, he must be looking back and wondering if in deed
he is the same person.
3. Continuously
innovate.
As fellow comedian ‘Jalang’o often says, acting is one of
the hardest jobs. One has to come up with fresh jokes very often, otherwise,
the audience starts noticing the repetition, and draws away. Churchill has
invested in learning his trade, reading wide, and often borrowing and then
localizing his lines. Where he has run out of ideas, he has invited others such
as Eric Omondi to stand up for him- heck, even Chris Rock runs out of lines and
has fulltime writers to help him come up with new jokes. He crafted Churchill
live from scratch, and from the show, he has achieved massive publicity.
4. Learn to multi-
task.
The era of sticking
to one employer is long gone. In a way, we are turning out to be consultants,
who sell our skills to our clients- employers. Even though Churchill has a full
time job as a co-presenter with Maina Kageni on the Classic FM Morning show, he
still manages to perform some other corporate gigs, to supplement his income.
5. Mentor others.
In the latest Churchill show, Churchill has brought on board
new comedians, something which the audience did not appreciate at the beginning.
Through his show, we now know of new comedians, like the Kibra guy with the
Luhya accent, the police guy with the Kalenjin accent, and the guy with the
Meru accent. Even though these new comedians have taken time to perfect on
their act, they are catching up pretty fast, and who knows, one, or even all of
them, could surpass Churchill in due time.
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