Who Is Conrad Koch
Conrad is South Africa’s top international double Emmy nominated acclaimed comedy ventriloquist, and possibly the only one. Starting out at the College of Magic in Cape Town, Conrad combines hilarious comedy with world-class puppetry, and has won numerous awards, including Entertainer of the Year award, a Standard Bank Ovation Award from the National Arts Festival, The Times Comic’s Pen Award, has been nominated for the Comic’s Choice Comedian of the Year, Comedy G and Flying Solo awards. Conrad has studied psychology, and is a social anthropologist – he has a master’s degree in the subject from WITS University (Cum Laude), focusing on corporate and African culture. He has had extensive experience implementing culture change programmes for the likes of FNB, Goldfields, Sun International, SAA, etc.
Conrad’s hit one-man shows have received standing ovations around South Africa and globally. He has performed at the prestigious Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal and the Montreux Comedy Festival in Switzerland. Internationally he has had repeat 5 star rave reviews in both Canada and Australia, selling out almost his entire run in Canada. Working all over the world, he has been featured on local and international television, Comedy Central, Comedy Network, etc, and is a frequent guest at some of South Africa’s biggest comedy events.
Conrad has audiences in stitches by talking to himself through a variety of extremely eccentric characters. Self-ridicule has never been this fun. Meet Mr. Chester Missing, satirical political analyst, Hilton, an ostrich made from two feather dusters and a slipper, and DJ Hoodie, a puppet made from a hoodie who actually DJs, and a neurotic mosquito, called Mosquito. The show is highly interactive – audience members hilariously become the puppets, but Conrad is most famous for his puppet, Chester Missing, who has won numerous awards in his own right, including being the first recipient of the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation’s Anti-Racism Award.
Chester Missing has interviewed most of South Africa’s political elite and has held a number of regular radio and TV slots for years both on the hit show Late Night News with Loyiso Gola and on his own hugely popular weekly satirical news show, Almost News with Chester Missing, and he even wrote an award-winning book which was named one of New African Magazine’s Most Influential Africans, and with Conrad was the first recipient of the Ahmed Kathrada Foundation’s Anti-Racism Award. Conrad’s live shows have received wide political acclaim, and are a regular feature at arts and comedy festivals, including at the prestigious Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal. The truth is, with a master’s degree in social anthropology, talking to puppets was his only career option.
The use of a puppet to get political players to let down their guards was lauded as completely unique. In fact Chester Missing has been asked by the likes of City Press, Natal Witness, Reuters, the BBC, the Mail and Guardian, etc, to comment on political affairs. The first puppet in history to win a court case (after going to court with a famous South African racist).
Book
Chester Missing's guide to the elections '14
Confused and tired? Don't know whom you'll vote for in the 2014 South African elections? Have a sneaking feeling that politicians are sneaky? Then this is the book for you Political wonk, sharp social commentator, relentless interviewer of people who try to get away from him, Chester Missing explains all of history, some geography, and the last 100 years of South African politics.
He spells out in inimitable puppet fashion the must-knows, the who's who, and the what-what. This infamous puppet interviews heads of political parties, cabinet ministers, and the public protector on national television; writes for newspapers; and gets involved in debates with actual political professors on radio shows.
The most satisfying part of being a puppet is that no matter what you say, you never have to take responsibility for saying it. Really, being a puppet is just like being a politician. Chester Missing is one of South Africa's most prominent political commentators.
His hard hitting, no-holds-barred analysis of the nation's sociopolitical landscape leaves public figures from all sides of the fence running for cover.
Media Room
Accolades and Achievements
Top South African ventriloquist and award-winning performer.
Double International EMMY nominated South African ventriloquist.
Winner of the 2010 Entertainer of the Year award.
Winner of the 2012 Standard Bank Ovation Award from the National Arts Festival.
“My face hurt from laughing so hard, absolutely delightful and technically brilliant, Koch throws away more laugh lines than many shows have in the first place.”
- The CBC in Canada -
“Utter delight, a cutting satire of modern society and there was not a dry eye left in the house, young or old alike.”
- OUTinPerth -
“You were truly hilarious and I hugely enjoyed the show! A million thanks for keeping it all together with such skill and professionalism.”
- Bonang Mohale, Chairman of Shell SA -
“Thanks so much for being part of our event – we have had such fantastic feedback from the event and without you it would have just been death by PowerPoint. Your ears must have been burning all day, because StorTech cannot stop talking about you.”
- StorTech -
“I’ve had an incredible amount of positive feedback on our session. You were awesome; many thanks.”
- Dr. Brian Armstrong, Senior Managing Executive: Telkom Business -
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