Christmas

Ending the year ... quietly
With time on my hands, I discovered I still have a blog site a year later... ok, it was quite a busy year ... only because I am multi talented and, being a woman, can multi task. Between writing creative copy, websites, a DVD, speeches and MC scripts, the awesome Soul Sessions project and diminished comic and MC bookings, I have survived 2009 but can't afford the yacht... or a rowing boat ... or a paddle.
December means total death in the bookings business. January means "do I or don't I kill myself?" February means "maybe things are going to be ok." If you haven't changed career paths or killed yourself by March, it's conference season and gym, diets, resolutions and "finding yourself" exercises are shelved as stress and animal zoo biscuits take over.
The recession introduced a new turn of phrase in gobbledygook in the corporate MC business, as many companies appointed their own "in house" MCs as a "self empowerment exercise". One ex client emailed to say he's rather good at this MC business and thinks it time to change careers and become a professional speaker and MC and was hereby "appointing" me as his manager. When I finally managed to pick myself up off the floor, I replied with one of those seriously bridge- burning-no-going-back-letters.
The Old Mutual Soul Sessions this year were awesome, despite the stress. I was appointed to source, appoint and manage the speakers again as well as write the website, speaker book and chat shows. Working with Harry Dugmore, Mohau Pheko, Patrick Bond, Hein Wagner, Joe Mwase, Dorah Sitole, Sophie Ndaba and Tumisho Masha was a privilege! And of course, there is nothing that gets us to laugh at life more than the amazingly funny comic Ndumiso Lindi.
The chat shows were very popular and the only bad thing was seeing my beautiful copy on a sleazy agent's site, as he cut and pasted word for word my profiles on Harry and Mohau from the Old Mutual Soul Sessions website. They say that copy is the highest form of flattery, but it was the sort of flattery I don't really need. I burst a blood vessel in my eye from the anger, and had to walk around with a blood filled eye for a week as a constant reminder about the sleaze in the industry. I would like to concentrate more on creative writing this next year... the kind of writing that cannot be copied without a big fat law suit slapping him in the face.
I grew the MC and speaker book and trimmed it from one celeb who has a habit of giving a quote to agent and then going direct to client and offering her services for less. Since I work on just 10% with that person, second time I knew for sure was enough.
"Small towns and freak shows, that's my mother" said Colin, after the Black Widow talk in Bloem, now 150 women killers richer for my efforts.