Comedy breakout star and our August Cover Star, Mark Kariahuua gives us the funniest interview we’ve ever had as he speaks about his journey and his plans for his career.
Happy Read!
So who is Mark? What does he actually do?
Mark Kariahuua is a creative director and writer. I work for a creative agency and I really love my job. I get to work with big brands conceptualizing ideas and I get to meet cool people. I love how ideas I write on a napkin end up being produced.
I also tell jokes because my mom told me I’m funny and now it looks like more people agree. I’m also an upcoming farmer.
Mark is a busy guy!
What were your aspirations for life growing up?
Well….I grew up as the youngest in a very big overachieving type of family. I always wanted to work in the creative industry. I wasn’t sure exactly what sector it was going to be but I was convinced it was going to happen. Initially my friends and I were in a rap group but that was trash. So we rebranded as a vocal group.
I had it all planned out, we were going to be the biggest boy band, think N’sync and me as Justin Timberlake of course, but that was an epic fail og! So since my life was a joke and I always have something to say, everyone told me try out stand up comedy.
I did and years later here I am on the cover of Monochrome Magazine.
What were you like in high school?
Exactly the same! I was making sci fi movies with my friends during weekends or creating projects that never saw the light of day. We were in the choir and drama group. We used to hang out at theater school a lot too, trying to network and get our “big break”. We also hung out at the library a lot. We thought THAT was cool.
Now that I think about it, I’m pretty much still the same. I just dress better now. I have a nxa beard now. And more people pay attention to the productions we put out now.
How did you get into the line of work you are in now?
My first time doing comedy was via Free Your Mind. Initially, I thought it was just going to be me getting up on stage and talking sh*t, but those guys really run a tight ship. Not just anyone gets to perform and it includes hours and days of rehearsals. They look for a certain X factor. There are lots of comedians who never got to perform on that platform.
Being a kid coming on that stage with industry veterans, the press and then later a TV show on NBC it really changed everything. I learned a lot.
My first time performing was in the summer of 2012 at The Last Comic Standing, which is basically a comedy battle. I was the runner up and even though I didn’t win I realized in that one night that I have something people gravitate towards and I need to take it serious.
What space are you in right now with your brand?
I’m in a great space and it’s true what they say; Men really do get better with age. Now at 27, I’m not excited by the same things I would go crazy over when I was starting out in the industry. I feel grown, and I like that. I like that I get to do more mature content and have an audience that respects that and show up in numbers to see my work. Personally I also feel a shift in my life. I’m at a point where I don’t need to respond to things that add no value to my life, I like that I can enjoy good food and good liquor and spend time with the people who mean the most to me. That is where I am at right now.
Who are your heroes?
Definitely my folks. My mom is so tough and she really overcame everything to be the boss lady that she is. I was so inspired when she went back to school to complete her studies and was still able to go to work, come home and be a mom and a wife, that really blew me away. My father because he overcame adversity without being bitter. He’s taught me the art of living a genuine unapologetic life and not to look for validation from outside sources.
What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
I’M PART OF THE MAFIA!!!!
What would you say is lacking in the creative industry?
Financial support is always something we lack here. Sponsors always give alternative facts as to why they can’t come on board. If I can pull in numbers and sell out every theatre in this country, what more do I need to do to ask for financial backing.
But it is what it is.
It’s definitely an industry run off of favoritism and cliques, but I’ve never been the type of man to feel sorry for myself. So I go ahead and fund my shows myself and give the people what they want with the resources I have.
What do you appreciate about it?
I appreciate when hard works pays off and the vision comes to life. I am very ambitious and sometimes I get carried away. I get bored easily so I try my best to not be predictable. Most times it works out and we do hilarious projects, but sometimes it falls completely flat LOL. But it’s fine. It’s only been 3 years of me doing solo projects so I love to learn.
I’m fine with failure, as long as we learn from it and I’m able to be honest and stern with myself and my team.
People coming to these shows are not going to say person X didn’t do the sound right. They will say “I was at Mark’s show and sonicaly it was horrible.”
So I’m very focused on my business. I know the frequency of every monitor, the seating plan, the room temperature, how many people came, how much stock we have at the bar, camera blocking, stage design and set up, invites, opening acts’ entire set, my set, press run, marketing and promo etc. Every single detail is well choreographed and I literally sit and count every penny after a show myself. It’s not as easy as people think it is and it involves a lot of sacrifice and commitment, which sometimes makes you feel like you are missing out on certain things. But in order for me to be independent and knowledgeable I need to work hard and not be spoon fed.
What do you want to be known for?
For my work. I really have no ambition to be some kind of celebrity, that’s not what I’m here for. And I think we are getting there. I’ve been blessed with a fan base that really just gets it. They get the hidden cultural message about society with a show called fresh prince of Okakarara. I get messages from people who appreciate the fact that a show like “Black and Adulting” dissects the need for mental health evaluation in the black community. These are the things I want people to know me for and take back home when they leave that venue and go home: The bigger picture.
What are you working on right now? Anything to look forward to?
I’m currently on my first comedy tour: “The comedy invasion Tour”. We just came back from Oranjemund and it was WILD!! Schedules are tough to navigate with me and all the comedians I’m traveling with so we are trying to take comedy shows to as much towns nationally as possible. Up next is the coast in a few weeks.
Baby steps.
FUN FACTS
Your favourite performance ever?
Every night
Your ultimate gig?
Performing in front of Oprah just cause she’s an OG and you don’t get bigger then that. If she doesn’t laugh I’ll just start crying and say I’m an African child and maybe she’ll adopt me, I dunno.
Jeans or chinos?
Jeans
Hat or baseball cap?
Hat when I feel special, baseball hat when my big ass forehead is acting up. KOPPE!
If you weren’t a creative, what career path would you have been on?
Kindergarden teacher, kids are cool and very shady. Or a zoo keeper.
I am a big outdoors guy and I like animals.
Words/quote you live by?
“Mara why do you care what they say hapo?” – My father.
Who is on the guest list for your ideal dinner party?
Well a few years ago before I became smarter I was working at this job that paid me peanuts and I was watching a lot of trash television. I took my broke ass to Edgars to try and live this life I saw on TV; I took items on credit. Years later I had a certain Ntombi calling me from Edgars Head office looking for their money. Now I settled that bill but I need to talk to her to find out why she was so mad all the time. I mean, damn! We all messed up at sometime in our youth.
Other then that probably only Eddie Murphy or Martin Lawarence.
Follow Mark on Instagram: @markthefinest
