Bevan Cullinan
Bevan Cullinan
Izimvo has the great pleasure of introducing the comedic genius behind Gary the Tooth Fairy, Bevan Cullinan.
Bevan, considered as one of South Africa’s funniest comedians, was originally trained as a burlesque theatre clown at Rhodes University. He has since enjoyed enormous success as a TV commercial director and stand-up comedian.
Bevan’s accolades as a TV commercial director include a silver at the Lories, three Gold, three silver and a bronze at the New York Promaz|BDA Promotion and Marketing Awards as well as a Gold and three silver Shark awards at the Kinsale Awards in Ireland.
Be sure to follow Gary the Tooth Fairy’s antics on Facebook.
Location: Johannesburg
Bevan was kind enough to answer the following questions for us:
Personal
Q: The all important personal profile. How would a close friend introduce you at a social event? i.e. Name, age, company, interesting fact etc.
A: The guy with the hair that looks like a recently sodomised badger!
Q: Tell us something that not many others know about you. This could be anything from a phobia to your favorite movie.
A: I really battle with scary movies and stupid people and books. I am always drawn to underdogs.
Q: What do you enjoy doing when you want to get away from it all?
A: I dig disappearing to a small town in the Freestate called Fouriesburg, otherwise I enjoy living like a hermit at night by staying in and not seeing anyone.
Q: How would you describe your dream home and where in South African would you like it to be?
A: I’m currently in Joburg, but went to school in Cape Town. My friends and family are still down there. Would love to move back to Cape Town and settle in Constantia or Fish Hoek.
This question was proudly sponsored by Private Property
Comedy in South Africa
Q: How would you describe South African humor?
A: Ruthless and unforgiving. The great part about SA comedy is that we have so much more to talk about. I recently saw an American comic who was battling to translate her comedy to a SA crowd because the subject matter was so thin, mainly because comedy needs to come from a place of disruption, which is difficult for the first world, because everything works.
Q: Many South Africans were first introduced to you as Norm on E-tv’s “The Toasty Show”. What are some of your fondest memories of the show and what was it like working with the great Bill Flynn?
A: I have mixed feelings about that show, mostly because of the Channel and the producers (I’m not the right guy to put a muzzle on). Bill Flynn was a genius, his comedic timing was impeccable. He helped keep me calm a lot of the time – he had the kind of perspective that you only learn with experience, I was young, funny and angry at the same time. Not a good combo when reading a memo from TV Channel bosses telling you how they want you to handle comedy..
Q: You’ve enjoyed great success and have won numerous awards as a director. What are some of the projects that you are most proud of?
A: I am most proud of the creation of Gary, the Tooth Fairy. Hats off to MNET and Clearwater. They gave me absolute free reign, a rarity in my industry. I ended up writing, Directing and acting in the commercials, a first in SA. Another first is that Gary has the biggest South African shleb fan page with almost 78000 fans. I’m also very happy about all the awards that the DSTV campaign with the construction worker and fireman pole dancer have won. 19 awards in total. High fives all round!
- Gary the Tooth Fairy
Q: How did Mnet’s Gary the Tooth Fairy come about? Did you ever imagine he would become as popular as he has?
A: Clearwater (Mnet’s imaging company) approached me with a reference of a failed Cupid. They wanted me to translate the idea of a failed mythical character like the Tooth Fairy and apply it to a campaign for MNET. This is where the idea was born.
I started by giving him a name (Gary). Other name options were ‘Rodney’ and ‘Trevor’, but we decided ‘Gary’ was a funnier fit. This helped me create a mythical character who was essentially just a Jo Shmo. The real part of the characterisation came when I applied basic Clown principles to the character in my performance, like facial expressions and physically based gags (I was trained as a burlesque theatre clown at Rhodes and lectured there for a bit).
I had no idea how huge the character would become, but this was mostly because of MNET and Clearwater trusting the process and letting us do what we know best. It was perfect for SA, we love fools. That’s why comedians in SA have so much material because we have so many fools in Government.
Q: What are you currently working on?
A: I’m finishing a SA Stand up Comedy movie called ‘Outrageous’ for Videovision. I’m also in production for a chewing gum commercial for BBDO dusseldorf, shooting in Cape town in January.
Life in South Africa
Q: Have you or any of your immediate family been affected by crime? If yes, has it changed your perception of the country and the way you and your family live your lives?
A: Yes, we have. It hasn’t changed my perception on the country, but then again, I’ve always had a very aggressive world view and have made sure that I am equipped to defend myself again, although as I found out the last time, the paper work is a bitch.
Q: Have you ever considered emigration? If yes, where do you think you would emigrate to?
A: Yes. But I can honestly say, not because of SA or crime etc. 100 percent for career opportunities. My passion actually lies in shooting music videos. I was considering the Australasian market between Japan and Australia. I also toyed with Canada because of all the American music videos shot there.
Q: If you were given the opportunity of sitting down with the president, what advice would you offer him?
A: I would want him to address: Discipline and accountability. It frustrates me that 15 years on, we are slipping back into the dark ages where everyone has adopted a smash and grab mentality amongst our leaders in helping themselves to resources that were not allocated to them. Secondly, there is so much attention paid to the past and the present that we are missing out on forward planning. Ask Eskom for example, a plan was handed over to government in about 2000, but was rejected by the gifted in the government of the time. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to work out that if you build houses for 20 million people, that you may need a bigger power supply. Genius.
Q: To which three attractions would you first take an international visitor?
A: I have no immediate gut response to this question, but I suppose: Cape Town. Parkhurst. Kruger.
Life in Johannesburg
Q: What are some of your favorites venues when looking for a great night out?
A: I’m over the clubs because of 9 years as a Stand up. I prefer making an evening in parkhurst. It’s the closest I can get to a café society in joburg.
Q: What do you most enjoy about living in Johannesburg?
A: To be honest, work opportunities and a sense of vibrancy and success, all the successful people I know came here from other cities to stake their claim, it reminds me of why Joburg started in the first place: ‘Hey, there’s gold! Let’s live here!’
Q: Favorite restaurant for dinner with a group of friends?
A: Espresso in Parkhurst. I’ve been going there for years. They even keep me a parking spot when I’m on my way. Nic and Jo, the owners are the kind of people I’m drawn to.
Q: How would you describe Johannesburg to those who have never been?
A: The concrete place with the Jacarandas.
General
Q: Who was the last person to make you laugh out load?
Q: If you were able to pick anyone as your mentor, who would it be?
A: Ricky Gervais or Steve Carel or Jack Black or Will ferrell
Q: Where would you like to wake up tomorrow?
A: New York
Q: If your were going on a road trip, which 3 South Africans would be most keen to travel with?
A: Rob Van Vuuren (Twakkie), James Cairns (insanely talented actor and writer), Brendan Jack (Crazy Monkey/Footskating)
Q: Who would you most like to read about on Izimvo and what would you ask them?
A: Julius Malema, I would want to know how he feels about being born 20 years too late. His militant public persona is a bit dated and regressive. It would have been so much easier for him if it was 1985, he could’ve blown up a wimpy by now.
A massive thank you to Bevan for taking the time to answer our questions. We’ll be holding thumbs that he finally gets the tooth!
Reminder to download our Izimvo iPhone application in the Apple iTunes App Store. Have access to South Africa’s most inspirational right in your pocket. iTunes Link.
