Na Nake bares all

One of Thai television’s most familiar faces caused an earthquake in the entertainment industry earlier this year when he announced that he was quitting showbiz, renouncing his career as host of countless shows, putting an end to his “Naked Show” comedy successes and even revoking his 400,000 Twitter followers.
 Asked what’s wrong and why he’s giving it all up, Ketsepsawat Palakawong Na Ayudhaya, aka Na Nake, smiles and says simply, “Sorry, I didn’t make it clear.”
He’s not playing to an audience. Quite the contrary. Just the two of us are sitting in this room on the 31st floor of GMM Grammy Building.
Na Nake – the “na” means uncle and “nake” comes from snake – worked as an entertainment reporter before going to GMM Grammy, who hired him for their public relations department then later promoted him to producer. In just 10 years with the company, he turned himself into Thai television’s most-seen master of ceremonies and has made more TV appearances than he can count over the last decade.
“These days, half of me is working behind the scenes and the other half is working in front of a TV audience. For me, being an emcee doesn’t just involve reading the script but also taking part in pre-production and post-production – things like the camera angle, setting, scriptwriting, editing and ideas. I’ve worked harder because I want to keep the good quality and high standard of the programme. Most of viewers judge how good or how bad the programme is because of the emcee,” says Na Nake, who at one time was hosting 13 programmes per week.
“This year, I feel that I have used up all my energy, my experience and my intelligence. It’s like my thoughts are running in a loop. People regard entertainment as a bonanza. I, on the other hand, live and breathe it. If you present something new and different all the time, you can survive. But if you have used up all your energy and have no more time to create something new, you will fade. So I think that I should take a rest for a while, leave it behind, just disappear from view. I will have more time to prepare for something else before going back again,” he says.
Now 43, the popular entertainer says he’s been behaving like a rock star. He’s created his trademark look – dyed hair, moustache, trim beard, black shades – and always a white shirt with a dark suit.
“So now, I’m also following the leading singer format and disappearing from view before coming back with a new album. I need to refresh myself with something new,” says Na Nake.
That’s not to say he is actually stopping working or even leaving the entertainment industry, as everybody seems to have understood. He is however reducing his TV shows including “E-Mouth”, “Priew Pak”, “Roo Jing Pa”, “Sabad Chor”, and “Game Phao Khon”.
“My intention was to wash my hands of TV entirely, but in reality it’s impossible,” says Na Nake, who has a contract that ties him to “Take Me Out” to the end of this year as well as to “Thailand’s Got Talent”. Some TV programmes are shutting down completely because of his departure.
“Right now, I’m a guy selling content from several outputs. My most recognisable output is as an emcee but there are also my outputs in music, stand-up comedy and as a pocketbook writer. I have my companies such as Za-Yang-Ngan, which takes care of licences, Advice Media Corp, which is a production house, and
 Gammalairtrumpia, which is an agency and organiser.
With less work on his plate, Na Nake has more free time to enjoy. He’s riding his fixed-gear bicycle and says he’s read a lot of books, among them Win Leowarin’s “Sen Sommut”, Wongthanong Chainarongsing’s “No More No Less”, New Klom’s “Tuad Pai Nai”, and novels by authors Dokmaisod and Sriburapha. He’s also planning to get more involved in online and satellite TV.
“I will come back with my new business model of social networking and with new content,” he reveals. “These days, the media doesn’t only mean TV and radio but also encompasses social networking and the Internet, both of which offer different ways of watching TV and reading books.
“Online TV is my new project and I’m now in the process of creating a strategy and business model. It’s an interesting new media. Satellite TV is very competitive. We have been producing programmes for several channels on satellite TV since the end of last year but now we are looking at investing.
Asked what he means by “most people look at entertainment as a bonanza”, he shrugs. “Entertainment isn’t absolutely necessary but most of us need it these days,” he replies.