Gee Money will be the Island Vibes Comedy Jam’s master of ceremonies on July 15th. Another event to add on top of this iconic show host’s beautiful track records, who juggles between the stage, filming, and radio studios to do what he likes doing more than anything else: entertaining people.
Not a month goes by without his name being visible on a poster. Athletic physique, elegant suits, he is part of these public figures who move around the glittery world of the most beautiful events. This host and actor owes his fulfilling professional life to hard work, but also to great opportunities he was able to seize.
Born in Staten Island, New York, Gee Money, real name Gary Euton, grew up between the United States and the Caribbean. His father being from Aruba and his mother from St-Martin, he spent most of his summer vacations on both islands where he has got his roots. He studied business management and applied sciences without finding a thrilling job. Theatre, comedy and television were part of his hobbies at the time, he would practice occasionally in parallel to his permanent jobs.
In 1998, Gee Money decided to settle in St-Martin. “My mum has always wanted my siblings and I to come back here one day”, he points out. Looking for a managing position in hotels, the young man did several small jobs back-to-back before hearing from one of his friends about the opening of a position at Laser 101 radio station. Gee Money tried his luck, with no experience but “great fan of rap and hip-hop” and branded by a childhood made of recording hits on tapes at a time where evening radio shows were the only ones to broadcast these kinds of music. “24 years later, I’m still there”, the radio host laughs, pointing out that life does things well since he had applied to another radio station that had not offered him the position.
ALONGSIDE CELEBRITIES
On January 4th 1999, it was the AM-PM Workload Show premiere, a show completely created by Gee Money for the working class listening to him at work or while driving. This four-hour program included: horoscopes, lottery, jokes and a nostalgic musical selection to revive listener’s memories. But also a lot of interviews of celebrities passing by the island, some of them, such as Bill Bellamy, were very good friends of his. Since 1999, Gee Money has had stopping by his studio, lots of artists such as The Black Eyed Peas, Johnnie Cochran, Jimmy Cliff, Shaggy, Sean Paul, Damian Marley, Akon, Fat Joe or even Fabolous. Unfortunately, “some of them don’t want to do that on their vacation time and I understand that”, the host points out with empathy, which is why, one day, he missed an interview with Will Smith, who was “finally too tired to stop by the studio after his dinner with his wife”. But the celebrities’ interest for St-Martin and St-Barths have provided him with nice anecdotes, such as the day when Mariah Carey, who had just landed with producer Brett Ratner, heard one of her songs on Laser 101 radio and called the station right away. “I thought it was a joke”, Gee Money tells us. “With DJ Outkast we made her a mix for her birthday that she had come to celebrate in St-Barths”.
INTERACTION WITH PEOPLE
In parallel to his work as a radio host, Gee Money is also very active on stage and in front of the camera. Comedian and actor, he has played in several theatre plays and movies, especially in the famous St-Martin play Peacock Dance in 2001 and in the independent movie The Panman: Rhythm of the Palms in 2007. His video projects are also numerous, with currently a vlog on the reconstruction of the Princess Juliana airport and a production for the World Bank.
Stage and comedy lover, Gee Money really loves “interacting with the crowd, making people laugh, entertaining them. I love this energy”. A pleasure he keeps nurturing whenever he puts on his suit of master of ceremonies. Since his performance in 1998 for a Carnival contest, Gee Money has hosted countless events at the Carnival Village in Philipsburg and all over the island. His reputation has taken him all across the Caribbean, where he has been using his comedian skills in every situation. “Once, I co-hosted the Miss Martinique pageant with a French host. I don’t speak a word of French but I succeeded in getting some of the words she was saying, so much so that I was answering her and people really believed that I spoke French. It's all about acting”. Acting that still requires upstream work. For Gee Money, “preparation is the key to success”. Comedy, in particular, is a register which requires a lot of preparation. “When I host a comedy show, I set up a routine to write down a few jokes and lines every day and to be ready”, he explains. The entertainer will need this rigor once again for the Island Vibes Comedy Show which will take place on July 15th at the Aleeze Convention Center. He will co-host, with Q Coleman, an evening of laughter surrounded by a set of local and international comedians composed of Tommy Davidson, Cocoa Brown, White Yardie, Alfred Kainga and Sugar Bowl.
PASSING THE TORCH
Awarded several times best radio host and best master of ceremony by the audience in the Daily Herald’s ranking “Best of”, Gee Money is proud of these popular prizes which are a recognition of his hard labor. “Not many people understand the amount of work behind all of this. People want to be on air because it seems easy, but they don’t realize the preparation it takes.“ After 24 years over the airwaves and on stage, Gee Money loves his job so much that he can sign without hesitation for 24 more years. But he would also like to pass the torch one day: “I would like to see more people get into this world, but a lot of people do it for the wrong reasons. They do it for the light, the glamor, the popularity when they should only do it for the love of the radio.”
Facebook & Instagram : @mrgeemoney
Island Comedy Vibes
Saturday July 15th - 8pm
Aleeze Convention Center, Madame's Estate
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