Some of the funniest people in radio aren’t even on air.
 
And after more than 25 years broadcasting I reckon I have seen enough to claim that.
 
Think about it…I bet at least once in your on-air career you would have said to someone “you should be on-air”.
 
One such person is SCA’s Christian Hull.
  
He makes me laugh and hard! I wanted to catch up with him and find out why this man hasn’t ended up with on-air role.
 
“I have whored myself around to pretty much every department, except for sales, no one likes sales. I’M KIDDING! Everyone loves sales. *Wide eyed emoji* I started as a panel operator at NXFM, became an Announcer/Assistant Music Director, moved to SAFM, produced a breakfast show which lead to me getting a job in the digital team here at SCA in Melbourne. Basically I spread myself very thin and was just happy to have a job with an amazing team and coasted along for a while. I didn’t have a focus apart from getting on air which lead me to many stations. 
 
So, I’m currently the digital producer for our national nights show YouTube Hits. A brand new concept to radio created by Blake Phillips. It’s such an amazing concept for a show. It’s everything YouTube, music videos, trending videos, literally everything.  We film at least two pieces of content a show. I edit and manage all our video content”. 
 
You have recently launched an FB page as “Christian Hull – Entertainer” – what prompted this?
 
“Having spent the last year working on the YouTube Hits, YouTube channel and meeting YouTubers from all over the world I have been inspired to create my own content. I have always been into making videos. When I was young, my brothers and I would do pretend CSI. We were dead serious about it, watching it all back now we just piss ourselves at the stuff we did. We thought we were hot shit. 
 
I have also realised how easy it is to just film yourself on your phone and edit up something ridiculous”.  
 
I think your videos are very funny and the ones about radio so on the money, what’s feedback been like?
 
“The feedback has been really positive. People who sit on a different floor and I don’t usually see will stop me to say that they saw the video. I totally avoid sales though, because we all know that’s exactly what they are like. I am pretty sure they have taken a hit out on me. It’s also very reassuring to get support from people you have never met before. I’m the most narcissistic person in the world and need reassurance on literally everything I do, so to read comments from people on videos is so motivating”. 
 
Do you feel your comedic talents are underutilised in radio? So much of what makes me laugh is often your facial expressions, the lift of an eyebrow, the wink of an eye…you can’t convey that on-air can you – do you have television aspirations?
 
“No I don’t think they are underutilised. I have had plenty of fun on the air over the years. It’s also the environment you create for yourself, I haven’t pushed to be on air in a really long time, so naturally I haven’t been on air (not that they would put me on the air). I’ll just be a loud annoying pain in the arse around the office. My passion was to always get on air, I have always wanted to make people laugh and entertain.  
 
Recently Mitchell Coombs made a video about his home town ‘Bogan Gate’ I thought to myself here is a guy who is naturally funny just making videos and I thought I am actually going to get off my arse and just do it! Stop procrastinating and just do it. It can be quite daunting to share stuff with your close friends, I didn’t want then to pity laugh at my attempts to be funny so I avoided doing anything for so long. 
 
I am super visual, I love comedy that is visual, massive facial expressions always crack me up and that is so hard, if not impossible, to do on radio. You can’t put on a wig and prance around as a girl on radio. 
 
TV wise, no big TV aspirations. Having my eyes opened to the world of YouTube has been amazing, you can do what ever you want, when ever you want and have a massive audience, who truly appreciate your humour and style. We are no longer limited to just radio and TV to express ourselves to the masses. Obviously I would never say no to TV but I truly can be myself on YouTube without big execs telling me to tweak anything”.
 
Now I may be peeing in your pocket here BUT you remind me of Britain’s Alan Carr. So cheeky, camp (that’s not a negative – calm down everyone) and super funny. I could see you with your own chat show…where do you see yourself?
 
“HAHA! Chatty man!  I don’t know if I would be good as a host of a chat show. It isn’t something that interests me a great deal. I love the idea of being someone else, dressing up and being a character is far easier than being myself (I am so boring). I do like the direction chat shows are heading however, less sit down and talk and more short quick pieces of content. Car pool karaoke is really shareable and everyone has seen at least one of James Cordons videos, this is something I wouldn’t mind doing or getting involved with.
 
I’m just really satisfied with being able to create stuff people like. I could carry on quite happily working in the digital space here at SCA and working on my own stuff. It’s like a business almost, it won’t generate any income but it’s something I am super passionate about and love doing”.

You can check out Christian’s channel here.
 
 

               Kim Napier