David Kau’s done working for the man. And that doesn’t just mean no more nine-to-five. He probably works longer hours than that anyway.
Mr Kau is done working for anybody. “I work for myself,” he asserts firmly. He owns or co-owns several companies, which manage different parts of his multi-faceted comedy career. There’s a production and promotions company, an events company and an entertainment website that showcases and promotes his shows.
This weekend’s Blacks Only gig? Oh, that’s his brand too. “I think I must’ve MC’ed about fifty Blacks Only’s by now,” he muses. “I’ve lost count”. From being a night in Joburg, Blacks Only is now almost a rolling, cross-country roadshow.
While the comedians are mainly black these days, that doesn’t mean the promoters are. It didn’t take David long to work out what’s what, and he didn’t get up on stage so he could be exploited by some white dude smoking cigarettes at the back of the club. So today he has a personal or a financial stake in everything he does – Taxi Ride, the film he produced that’s becoming a TV series, Blitzpatrollie, the movie he’s starring in, his comedy shows, the legendary Pure Monate Show, the annual Christmas charity bashes in Kroonstad…
