By: Michelle Alles
We met up with someone we all know and love – it’s none other than Danu Innasithamby! A former student of St. Peter’s College, Danu is no stranger to the public eye and it is his infectious personality that has helped him build a name for himself on radio, TV and print media.
If you ever happen to meet Danu for the first time, he would come off to you as shy and reclusive, but when he warms up to you with time, you will see that he is a lovely person and a complete source of entertainment to speak to. We had a very interesting conversation with about quite a lot of things and especially a cause that’s very close to his heart…
An Interesting Start to an Illustrious Career
“So when I was waiting for my O/L results (sort of a long time ago!) I was doing a play called ‘Animal Farm’ by Feroze Kamardeen and trying to think what else to do with my life,” he reminisces. “I knew I wasn’t going to do my A/L’s so I decided to try another way. I was a little lost back then; I wanted to do something in the creative industry but wasn’t sure what exactly it was. I was studying graphic designing as well, so I made some phone calls to the radio and TV stations to figure out what I could do there. I spoke to someone at Sun FM and said “I want to go on air because I want to be like you!” he laughs. “They asked me to come for an interview and I didn’t even have a CV or much to put on it to start with except my school records, choir, drama, etc. anyway they gave me the job in 10 minutes so that turned out well! After some time, I moved to E! FM and worked there for 4 years and then joined MTV not for TV, but to actually to work in Marketing and Programming. I was also in charge of conceptualizing TV shows. And then on the first day of work, someone told me that I need to get on TV and that’s how it all began! I started off with Planet Pulse and that became very popular and the number one show for the channel. I left MTV in 2012 and the following year joined LITE FM as the Head of Programming which is under TNL RN and I have been there ever since. In addition to my shows on air, I also host Hi! TV’s ‘Buzz with Danu’ (which received a fully digital makeover last year while still retaining its print presence) and also WTF by Danu, which doesn’t mean anything bad! It stands for What, Where, Who and When To Find and it’s a guide to making interesting discoveries all over Sri Lanka and experiencing locations, people and so on. I wanted to give it a very shocking name and WTF seemed appropriate.” he said with that big infectious smile of his.
Danu Innasithamby Foundation: Giving Back
Danu has officially launched his charity known as Danu Innasithamby Foundation. “I wanted my family name on it because we’re pretty well known in Jaffna and I want to develop more areas there. The mission of the foundation is to use entertainment and showbiz for a good cause. We currently run 2 full-time projects and one of them which I initiated is called ‘Love Changes Everything’ which is focused on helping children with cancer. We work with the paediatric section of the Cancer Hospital and we have people working with us on a volunteer basis. The reason for the name is that it was my mother’s favourite song,” he said. “The other project is called ‘Sri Lanka Smiles’. There’s so much talent in this country but they don’t have the mileage or resources to do something more with it. So we match the reason or cause with the resource that can assist them. The first case we supported was a girl from the Science Faculty of UOC who didn’t have a computer but had passed her first year which is quite admirable and spoke to me of an indomitable spirit. We spoke to Dell Sri Lanka and they were willing to donate a laptop so that ended happily. That’s how ‘Sri Lanka Smiles’ works; causes that need attention are posted on our Facebook page and we search for donors. There is always a story to find a donor for and it feels good to know that we are making a difference for people.” he said.
A Dynamic and Down To Earth Personality
Being a person who relates very well to people is what makes Danu the success he is. He attributes this to his upbringing and background. “I was 7 and my sister 13 when we came to Colombo with basically nothing in our hands. My father had passed away so it was just the three of us – my mom, my sister and I. We didn’t have anything or anyone and we literally lived off each other. So I have faced different challenges in life and that is why I think I can understand people better,” he said. “Looking back, I see that I came into this industry at the right time, while it was growing and now the entertainment in Sri Lanka is at a good standard in terms of TV and radio. It’s very competitive and when compared with some channels and stations in the region, I think it is world class because we speak well and our music is good. Even in terms of TV, we have some quality shows; even our commercials are quite spectacular and can give anyone a run for their money!”
We asked Danu about his likes and dislikes and he told us that he dislikes Math! (Well most of us feel that way!) “I’ve never really understood why the world needed Math! I also dislike making plans – it totally stresses me out. Even when I go abroad, I just have the travel agent do everything for me because I don’t like having to plan anything! I love fashion and dressing up – I just love clothes and I also love drama and theatre.” he enthuses.
The Highs and Lows of Media
When asked about the rewarding and demanding aspects of the media field, he said, “There are many people in the field right now but not everybody makes an impact. The reason being that people take these jobs for granted; actually it’s very important to correctly position yourself in the field right from the start of your career. What we need to keep in mind is that we of the media never have an off day. Like everyone else, I also have days when I feel like jumping into a hole, but I can’t afford to let it show because if I snap at someone today and they hear me on air tomorrow, they’ll wonder if this is the same person they met yesterday! You have to be real and remember that every time you come to a show, you are here to entertain someone who might be having much more problems than you! So if you are going to add to their issues, then you might as well not be in this field,” he said. “The rewards of being in this field are that you get to meet so many different people from various walks of life who are differently talented and you get to observe so much of interesting and exciting things – it’s fun and there’s never a dull day! It’s also a very good feeling when listeners or viewers tell us that we made their day or took their mind off their problems just by making them laugh or feel good about themselves and there’s no better reward for that!” he noted.
Wisdom Words
When asked what advice he would give a person new to media, Danu stated, “Remember to be real and be you. There’s no point having an accent on air and having it slip when you’re done with your show. First find your unique feature – happy, witty, funny, anything! Make a trademark for yourself with this characteristic – and stick with it until you die!” he laughs. “I’m the only person in this entire trade to have promoted people who can be considered my competitors on my columns and I have no problem with that! See, if you like me, you’ll listen to or watch me no matter what! If you don’t, it’s pointless me saying bad about another person because you’ll follow their show regardless. You might tune in to my show and another show if you like both of us so I think there’s space for everyone in this field and I also think a healthy environment and a peaceful setting is nicer because you’re known for a very short time and you would want to be remembered as a good person.” he remarked.
Future Plans
“One of the reasons that I started my foundation is because I want to use the platform I possess and the people I have met for a good reason; many people want to help but they don’t know where to donate to. Donations are not always about finances; I have met wonderful people and I can enlist their help in supporting people who don’t have that exposure. I have been helped when I needed it the most and to me, these people are God on Earth, so I want everyone to have a chance to be able fulfil their desires and achieve their goals; it’s sad to hear someone say that they were never given an opportunity. By God’s Grace, I was put in the right place at the right time, for me to be able to do the right thing so I want to focus more on this cause.” he concluded.