Channel’s vision no funny business
YESTERDAY Comedy Central started its #MakeLifeFunnier campaign, with 21 comedians; some are legends in the comedy stable while others are still cultivating a fan base. Tonight caught up with Dillon Khan (pictured), senior channel director for Comedy Central Africa and Creative Services VIMN Africa, to find out more about the channel’s undertaking.
And don’t be fooled by that serious face, it is nothing a brilliant punchline can’t remedy. Jokes aside, Khan doesn’t only appreciate comedy – he wants it to share a greater space in our lives.
It’s been several months since he’s occupied his current title; but his years in the entertainment sphere has given him an insight into the needs and wants of viewers.
This brings us back to his vision for the channel and how the #MakeLifeFunnier campaign complements that goal.
He says: “The vision was to build on what my colleagues have done very successfully before… but to have my own thoughts and visions on how we can go forward as a collective. How do we service the viewers and our partners? What we did was take the feedback from some of the research groups that we have run, asking them how they felt we could improve the channel.”
However, results aren’t immediately manifested with this objective, which is something Khan is also aware of. He said: “We are going to have multiple stages in how we roll this out… It’s a longer term vision and one that we want to roll out in other territories, specifically in Africa. We want to create new vehicles to showcase the talent.
“We want to grow opportunities for comedy as a genre. It is something that was done very successfully in other markets I’ve worked in where comedy was once seen as niche, that is, it just being stand-up. In those markets, we’ve found comedic talent are more than just stand-up, they could do so many things to entertain.
“So what we want to do is take the great talent we have in this country and continent and put them front of mind to viewers, making them think of comedy and seeing comedy in an everyday light.
“We want to be able to partner with them on their everyday initiatives rather than it being a case of we are going to wait for them to be on one of our shows.
“And this is done on all our platforms: linear and digital. We want to create content with them. We also want to be able to see them go and do other formats, going into movies, setting themselves up as successful entertainers like your Kevin Hart for example. That’s the space we want to see them be able to grow and flourish, where we champion them and help them.
“Not to say we are the kingmakers, who chose who does and doesn’t make it. It’s obviously up to each individual how they pursue their career.
“But we are there to be able to help there where we can, offer guidance and showcase their talents as a partner.”
The evolvement of the channel, especially with this process in play, is done with minimal disruption to the channel’s current appeal among viewers, where evergreen content is housed alongside fresh offerings á la Idiotsitter and Teachers.
Khan says they are also mindful of not only pandering to the promotion of the comedic hierarchy. Instead they are catering to up-andcoming talent, too, which was successfully executed with the home-grown Roast Battle series. There are plans afoot for sketch and panel shows.
Bottom line, Comedy Central is forging fruitful partnerships while finding the funny. Now that’s an infectious strategy and Khan is serious about seeing it through!
Comedy Central, DStv channel 122.