Nathaniel Attoh: your emcee for the show

When he left communication school almost 10 years ago, it did not cross the mind of Nathaniel Attoh that in less than a decade he would be riding the crest of a “survival of the fittest” industry like the media. That he would be earning cheers all over for being a good Master of Ceremonies and a broadcaster.

It is no doubt that the craft of emceeing has become a recognised business in Ghana and gone are the days when show emcees used to be people whose duty it was to walk up the stage and introduce acts. Now, the trend has changed and it takes exceptional skill and quality to drive a crowd as a good emcee and that is what Nat Attoh has been doing to his audience anytime he mounted a stage.

With his flair and command over the English language, Nat, who is currently the acting Head of Sports at Joy FM has a way of “commanding” his patrons to get along with him with his domineering personality which reflects the confidence he exhibits. Guess, that is what has made him a toast among his other compatriots.

From humble beginnings when he hosted his company’s events, the face and host of the popular Guinness Football Challenge, has now grown to become one of the most versatile emcees in Ghana today.

So what could have accounted for Nat’s flight in emcee-ship in such a relatively short time after spending most of his years in the media as a sports journalist?

Nat told Showbiz last Monday that his passion, commitment and determination to succeed at whatever he does has driven him this far.

“I am not a background person and I knew from the beginning that whenever the opportunity presented itself, I would not blow it. I remember that when I was younger and watched some of the old folks moderate shows,’ I often told myself that I could do better than this person’. That is not to say that I underestimated their talent but I knew what I had within me.

“Most people think that the fact that one is a good broadcaster or appears on TV translates into being a good emcee but from my experience, I have realised that it takes more than just being a good orator or having a good voice. You need to have a personality, know the type of audience you are dealing with at the time and what will appeal to them. It is very challenging because it is not easy ‘commanding’ people to do what you want”, he said.

Nat had the first “taste” of an emcee back in his primary school days at Ridge Church School where he hosted the school’s Spelling Bee Competition and after almost a decade of that experience, he got his breakthrough as the host of the National Spelling Bee Competition which was his first experience with television.

Since then, he has moved on to host very prestigious industry awards including the Ghana Insurance Awards, Advertising Association of Ghana (AAG) Gong Gong Awards, SWAG Awards, Consumer Awards for Nestlé, Unilever, and Association of Oil marketing Companies of Ghana.

His versatility has also landed him jobs in showbiz where he has hosted events like Miss Universe 2013, Ghana Movie Awards 2011, launches for Ghana Meets Naija, the launch of the Nineteen Fifty Seven Clothing Line by KOD, the Fashion Show of the Joy Fm Beauty and Bridal Fair among others.

He has also done varied corporate events for institutions such as Ghana Commercial Bank, Guinness Ghana Breweries Limited, UT Bank, UBA, NDK Financial Services, Helios Towers, MTN, Airtel, Tigo, Ghana Re, National Lottery Authority, Minerals Commission, the Business and Financial Times, Indomie (Multi Pro Private Limited), Ghana Link, Ghana Statsitical Service.

But despite all these, Nat believes that his best is yet to come. “ I have always said that your last job is as good as yourself so you need to make good use of every opportunity that comes your way and nail it right there because you may not have another opportunity”.

He said his career as a sports journalist was by accident remarking “Even though I had the interest, sports journalism came as an accident because it was not what I dreamt of. It just happened that I had to be posted to Graphic Sports to do my internship and that is how it all started but I must admit that I have no regrets because it served as a platform to reach this height”.

What is about Nathaniel Attoh that is not known? “I am a very good poet, a boxing ring announcer, a voice artiste and a good actor.

“I nearly missed this one. I am a very good dancer and I won the best dancer for my year group back in St. Augustines College” he said amidst laughter. “Even now, I can still do some few moves”.

When asked his experience as a media person he said, “It humbles me to know that people who are older than me, richer and well to do greet you when they meet me. It has always been a humbling experience and that tells me there are many people who believe in me so I need not disappoint them.

The ladies? “They always have the craftiest strategy to get your attention and you dare not to be friendly otherwise you would be tagged as arrogant. You know, it all adds to the fame but in few weeks, I will forever be tied to one lady and guess you know what I mean?”

He was born on March 11, 1983 to the late Dr. Victor Attoh, a Gynaecologist and Madam Esther Barkey Adjei a business woman. He currently holds a degree from the Ghana Institute of Journalism.

Last words “The last job you do is as good as yourself because you don’t know who is watching you from afar. It may be the key to unlocking a golden opportunity. Always make yourself relevant wherever you find yourself”.

By Gifty Owusu-Amoah/Graphic Showbiz/Ghana