Team player, deadpan comedian, next Gold Logie winner?

The post-Logies headlines targeted on the excellent newcomer award for ABC Information Breakfast’s Tony Armstrong and the speech by The Venture’s Lisa Wilkinson when she accepted the award for excellent information protection. However, in his customary fashion, making a quieter but equally noteworthy contribution to the occasion was Sam Pang.

An everyday attraction on Ten’s Have You Been Paying Consideration? and Seven’s The Entrance Bar, and a co-host of Nova’s breakfast radio present, he had two comparatively brief appearances on stage. The primary – alongside Have You Been Paying Consideration? host Tom Gleisner and quiz-show playmate Ed Kavalee – was to simply accept the present’s award for hottest comedy program. He subsequently took to the stage solo to obtain the preferred actress award on behalf of Fisk’s absent star, Kitty Flanagan.

Pang used the primary look to ship a superbly noticed comment in regards to the politics of the room, noting that the staff from Journey Guides, which received the gong for finest life-style program, was positioned so removed from the stage that they may’ve accomplished an episode of their present in regards to the journey from the backblocks to the rostrum. Subbing for Flanagan, he remarked that his speech was already longer than his look within the first season of Fisk, pausing to notice that he hadn’t been requested again for the second.

Along with his mastery of the pause – which is a specialty – this was traditional Pang: deadpan, humorous and self-deprecating. And such was the affect of these cameos that the following day a betting company was touting him as a possible Gold Logie candidate and a future host of the ceremony. With out wanting to speculate an excessive amount of significance in such predictions, one may surmise that, amid the epically lengthy telecast, his transient appearances have been appreciated.

Whereas the persona of some comedians is indignant or argumentative, Pang is deceptively mild-mannered, extra inclined to sly mischief. Although extremely seen, he manages to convey the impression of a quiet man and, within the exhibits on which he seems repeatedly, he’s a stealthy and productive disrupter, steadily cracking up his co-stars together with his quips. And he clearly performs nicely with others, as each HYBPA? and The Entrance Bar are staff sports activities, counting on the chemistry between the contributors to create the specified spark.

But in an business the place consideration is avidly courted, he’s performed the sport his personal method whereas working in a gentle stream of gigs. As he’s constructed a profession from origins as a volunteer at Melbourne’s group radio station 3CR, earlier than transferring on to Triple R’s Breakfasters, he’s been a media persona who’s most well-liked his privateness. In an setting inclined to oversharing, and an business that actively encourages it, he’s resisted the impulse and any strain from behind the scenes.

If you happen to’ve watched Entrance Bar, you would possibly’ve gleaned that he as soon as labored in a bottle store, performed AFL for Collingwood beneath 19s and within the VFA staff, Prahran, incomes the nickname “The Orchid” as a result of, he’s wryly defined, he solely flourished in good circumstances.

In marked distinction to the strategy of many media gamers, he has a scant social media presence. You gained’t discover him posting photos of his breakfast, his child or his cute new pet on Instagram, not to mention completely satisfied snaps together with his associate. Interviews are granted hardly ever and reluctantly.