Entertainment Africa
My cousin is a specialist at activating chuckling yet even he has those minutes when he says something and we resemble, “No. That is not it. This time you ought to have recently stayed silent man.”
Eric Omondi has those minutes as well yet they are rare. He is an uncommon sort of jokester who is sufficiently honored to be easily diverting – no driving.
When one of his posts appears on your feed, you start laughing even before checking it out. His appearance alone elicits mirth. He could talk about sand and still have me on the floor in stitches.
Funny aside, he is one of the hardest working celebrities in Kenya.
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Ever since he broke into the scene about 10 years ago, he has remained dedicated to giving his fans the best end product possible. He has been characterised by a work ethic that cannot be equalled by anyone.
Since his days at “Churchill Show” (it was “Churchill Live” back then), he has never slowed down. He has kept on moving at top speed like a Bugatti Chiron being driven by famous British petrol-head Jeremy Clarkson on a test track.
In every industry, new talents emerge all the time, making it increasingly difficult for those at the top to remain there. This has never applied to Eric.
Lots of new comedians have popped up over the years but none of them has managed to pull the crown from his head. That’s because he hasn’t allowed them to. He has made it clear that everyone else can fight for number two – number one is his to keep.
Fame can be fleeting so building your craft should be the most important thing. People with insane work ethic tend to stay at the top longer because most of the competition doesn’t work as hard.
Eric Omondi is such a person. He is an entertainer who you can’t ask the question “What do you have for us today?” That’s because he always has something for us today.
BOUNCING BACK
It takes a special breed to stay winning. Eric has never stopped adding fuel to the engine that fuels his development as an entertainer. He always tries to top what he did before.
He also knows how to rescue himself from looming disaster. During periods when he was crucified by critics and it looked like his reputation was in jeopardy (see the kids scandal), he still managed to make people laugh as a powerhouse again (see his current tour all over the country).
This has been somewhat of a constant drift throughout his storied career – a slight tumble is usually followed by a big jump, thus making it very easy for us to forget his failures.
A major variable of Eric Omondi’s success formula is his penchant for variety.
He does different kinds of things and doesn’t just rely on one method to make people laugh. At one moment, he’ll drop a humorous remix of an artiste’s song, before you know it, he’ll be making parodies of Nigerian movies and then the next moment, he’ll be diving into rivers.
Eric also understands the business side of things more than other comedians. Perhaps, the only person that can rival him in that department is Njugush. He knows how to make a lot of money and money is good.
The majority of entertainers conveniently seem to forget that show-business (showbiz) has two words. They just focus on the “show” and forget about the “business”.
As I mentioned earlier, most people at the top don’t work hard. As a result, it is very difficult to find inspiration from them. You just can’t trace a path to how they got where they are.
However, if you are looking to follow people who will inspire you to work harder than you’ve ever done before, Eric Omondi is legitimately one of those people.
Will Smith, when asked why he is successful, said and I quote: “To be honest, I’ve never really pictured myself as an overly-talented person. Where I excel is in a ridiculous, sickening work ethic. While the other guy is sleeping, I’m working. While the other guy is eating, I’m working.”
I have a feeling that if you threw the reason-for-success query at Eric, he’ll give you a very similar answer.
He’s our version of Kevin Hart. No, he doesn’t have the private jet or a hundred movies with The Rock, but in terms of raw skill and business acumen, he’s the Realest Husband of Hollywood himself, with more height and a better hairstyle.
Just think about it. It’s been years at the top for Eric…10 years, yet his joke crafting prowess is still as impeccable as it was when he started.
That’s a long time. Numbers do not lie. Women lie, men lie, your favourite politician lies, my exes lied that they loved me, but numbers do not lie.
