-All set to revamp NTN productions

DANCE exponent, television host and cultural promoter, Joel Ghansham has attained international status in the world of show business and can rightly be termed a cultural ambassador for Guyana.

Having received much of his schooling in the United States of America, Joel obtained a Degree in Business Administration, and reached a plateau in his professional life, where he was initially employed as Director of Sales at corporate giant, T-Mobile, before switching to Sprint in a similar position.

With an inherent passion for music, dance, and things cultural, Joel began pe
rforming at public arenas from a very young age. He was trained in dance by famous Guyanese Kathak exponent, Gora Singh, and also developed great expertise in Indian filmi dance. Joel says Indian music and dance are integral to his identity, having had early exposure to the Indian culture during his childhood in his home village of Beehive, in Clonbrook.

In the USA, popular Radio/television personality, Ishri Singh took him under his wing and Joel eventually began co-hosting television programmes, including ‘Caribbean Spotlight’, in New York with Singh, from whom he said he learnt a great deal. He described Singh as a tough teacher who insisted on excellence, but said he has no regrets, as much of what he knows of diction, presentation, movies and Indian music he learnt from him. This gave him the confidence to eventually branch away from his mentor and begin hosting his own television shows on Comcast TV. He also learnt acting at what he terms one of the best acting schools, the H.B. studio for actors.

Apart from Ishri Singh sharing his expertise with him, Joel says that the late Ramesh Bhola of the famous ‘Soca Paradise’ gave him tremendous latitude to perform in the club, which skyrocketed his popularity to great heights, as the ‘Soca Paradise’ was the most popular West Indian club, which hosted a number of popular events. Among the artistes with whom Joel performed at the club was popular Trinidadian Soca singer, Sundar Popo.

Quote: ‘One of the highpoints of his career, he says, was a memorable interview he had with former president, the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan while the latter was on a visit to Florida. He found him to be extremely endearing and down-to-earth’

Apart from his performances, which include appearing on TV Asia and ITV, the West Indian Awards, as well as at venues in Europe, Asia, North and South America, and the Caribbean, Joel became very much in demand as a host for shows such as Miss India/USA teen pageants, among other events.

His passion for things cultural superseded his commitment to his profession; also audiences and advertisers were clamouring for more of him, so he negotiated a payoff package from Sprint and embarked of a new journey of discovery and challenges in the world of show business.

Teaming up with singing artiste and television personality, Bindu Kohli, Joel began promoting cultural shows, in which some outstanding Bollywood actors, such as Tanushree Dutta, Rakhi Sawant, Preity Jhangiani, Shilpa Shetty and Priyanka Chopra performed.

In 2009, he was credited for organizing what was described as the best and most successful Diwali event in Georgia, where the candidate who won the Miss Diwali pageant was crowned by popular yesteryear film star, Padmini Kola-pure. According to Joel, the authorities were always co-operative and supportive of all the events he promoted, especially Governor Sonny Purdue.

He also named Zara giant, George Sobraj, and airline magnate, Nohar Singh, both Guyanese resident in the USA, as great supporters of his programmes.

Married for five years before an amicable divorce, Joel describes those years as some of the happiest in his life, but says that life is a transitory journey, and that he has no regrets, because he still remains very good friends with his ex-wife, and even her new husband.

He accepts bad experiences with equanimity, and says that an accident when he was aged 21, which almost killed him and badly damaged his face, has made him stronger. He does not wallow in self-pity because he said that his stepfather was an exceptional role model who always provided strong and caring leadership in the home, as well as a stable and comfortable environment that was nurturing and supportive.

A caring and protective person, Joel has an absolute passion for animals, always rescuing strays and providing them with shelter. He has several pets, which he says are his friends.

As well as being a cultural icon, Joel is also a fashionista, and claims that he has been acclaimed a trendsetter in the world of fashion, even haute couture fashion.

Quote: ‘He recalled with amusement Dr. Jagan’s response to his query as to whether he was able to eat all the foreign food during his trips abroad. He said Dr. Jagan pulled out a small bottle of pepper sauce from his pocket and said that he could eat anything in the world, because he enhances the taste with Guyanese pepper’

He wants to relocate to Guyana, because he is immensely impressed by the transformat
ional changes the government has been making over the years in the country. Having widely travelled and resided in the most developed country of the world, Joel says Guyana is the only country in the world where he has seen so much attention given by a government to empowering people.

He is captivated by the easy access Guyanese have to their ministers and even their President, which he says is not possible anywhere else in the world. He also says that he is amazed by the cheap cost and easy accessibility to such a great range of foodstuff, especially fresh fruits and vegetables, that are openly displayed all over the country. He says that in Guyana, people spend less and get more. He says that nothing is lacking in this country, because Guyanese even have access to cable TV and It facilities.

What bothers him, however, is the quality of customer service in the country, which he says can impede tourism and other business, and he has a dream of establishing a company that will teach customer service, and design programmes for businesses that will teach their operatives to interact with the public, which will boost sales and provide a better quality of life for everyone.

Joel has been contracted by the National Television Network (NTN) to upgrade their production range and production systems, and says that the television station will be launching several special projects in the near future. He promises that NTN will raise the bar for television in Guyana.

One of the highpoints of his career, he says, was a memorable interview he had with former president, the late Dr. Cheddi Jagan while the latter was on a visit to Florida. He found him to be extremely endearing and down-to-earth. He recalled with amusement Dr. Jagan’s response to his query as to whether he was able to eat all the foreign food during his trips abroad. He said Dr. Jagan pulled out a small bottle of pepper sauce from his pocket and said that he could eat anything in the world, because he enhances the taste with Guyanese pepper.

According to Joel, relocating to Guyana would not be a problem in terms of professional satisfaction, because, apart from his contract with NTN, after having seen some of his presentations and an ‘ad’ he produced to promote Green Coffee 800, he is being approached by various private sector entities to handle their promotional campaigns.

So, after he has wrapped up his current assignments in the USA, Guyana will be seeing more of Joel Ghansham