Van Wyk is a nominee for the DStv Content Creator Awards and earlier this year he won the Savannah Comics' Choice Comedy Award.
One thing that helps creators maintain longevity in the entertainment industry is diversifying themselves by working across multiple disciplines.
Comedian Shanley Van Wyk has seen the benefits of this, even though she's been in the industry for less than a decade.
The manga artist The Citizen He was announced as one of the nominees in the social commentary category at the DStv Content Creator Awards nominations presentation held at the Radisson RED Rooftop in Rosebank on Thursday.
@shanrayvwyk Durban??? What's going on there? #SAMA28 #thisjustin #News #banter ##southafrica #fipshi #Fyi #jokes #macdonalds #mcdonalds ♬ original sound – Shanray 🍉
On his TikTok account, Van Wyk uses humor to teach people how to avoid scams.
“I started this TikTok basically because a friend of mine got scammed and I thought, 'If I make a piece of content explaining how someone got scammed, I'll pretend to be the person who scammed her and explain how they came up with the scam and how they scammed their victims,'” she said.
He is nominated alongside Darren Campher, Politikally Awe, Silas Must Fall and Zethu Gula. The DStv Content Creator Awards will be held in October.
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One of his most viewed videos was of a Durban psychic who deceived over four million families by claiming to be in contact with their loved ones.
“Families would go to her for help with processing their loved ones who had passed away, but she would take the advantage and say, 'Your mother has problems on the other side and needs guidance and spells,' and then they would ask for money,” Van Wyk alleges.
@shanrayvwyk Durban is a wild place 😂😂😂😂 #Durban #SAMA28 #politics #chat #fyp #fypshi #jokes #shanray #South Africa ♬ original sound – Shanray 🍉
Fraud is on the rise
These videos made his TikTok account very popular and prompted people to come forward with stories related to the scam.
“I have people telling me stories of actual fraud going on and I say, 'Guys, wait for justice to take hold'. Remember these are real people. I will video them if they've already been convicted, I will video them while the case is still ongoing but I always video them as suspects,” he said.
@shanrayvwyk #onthisday Creating content like this is so much fun… #SAMA28 #fyp #jokes #fypシ #Fyi ♬ original sound – Shanray 🍉
He once ran afoul of the law for not reporting something as fact: “I got into trouble when I made a video about a government agency, and it was immediately banned. I had the prosecutor in the case send me the file.”
He said the world of fraud now tends to involve couples, with men seducing vulnerable single women.
“They send a guy in and all he does is go to the gym. He looks super sexy, he makes women fall in love with him and convinces them to withdraw their pensions and invest their money in him.”
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People need comedy.
Van Wyk is part of People Need Comedy (PNC) alongside Mpho Pops, Tsitsi Chiumia and Thabiso Mhlongo, who produce skits that make social commentary on current events in the country in a humorous way.
One of the funniest videos was a parody in which prisoners at Goodwood Correctional Centre in the Western Cape boasted about their comfortable living conditions in the video.
South African prisons are great… until Sir Peter Groenewald finds out 🫣#MyDogIsASkit pic.twitter.com/YlmXftSEro
— Mpho Popps Modikoane (@MphoPopps) July 25, 2024
“We all literally get together, write a script, decide on a theme for the week and perfect it. We're all comedians so we make fun of each other and put it together in a couple of hours,” Van Wyk said.
“As you all know, our show is called 'People Need Comedy' and it's made for an audience, so it's great to see the audience's reaction.”
Hey everyone, the next Olympics is in Eugene🗣️👏🏽#pnc #pncskits #MyDogLovesKit #WeNeedComedy pic.twitter.com/txX4verrwQ
— PNC Skit (@Official_PnC) August 15, 2024
Their podcast was named by one of their listeners and is run based on what people want.
“There's a saying in comedy: 'Follow the funny.' If I'm onstage telling a joke about relationships and I can actually hear the audience laughing louder, then I'll take a joke about relationships out of the bag and just stick with that topic, because that's what the audience is enjoying.”
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Payment of membership fees
Van Wyk started out in the industry as a stand-up comedian and over the years has branched out into other areas of entertainment, from acting to being known as the Outsurance man. Binnelanders and Scaem Sam He then said he began taking acting lessons.
“I'm humble. I don't say no to anything. I was in Sir Trill's music video… I'll do anything I can.”
“I've been doing stand-up comedy for a long time, but I always found I needed to diversify and do more.
At this year's Savannah Comics' Choice Comedy Awards, Van Wyk won the Breakthrough Act of the Year award.
In 2016, Van Wyk left his job with the Boilermakers.
“I think this was the best decision of my life because I promised myself, 'I'm going to be the best me.' When you focus on being the best Shanley, it's a lot easier than trying to be the best comedian.”
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