The Corporate Hoaxer

What is a hoax?

A hoax is when Simon attends a conference or event as a guest speaker posing as an expert. What makes Simon different is his natural talent to impersonate people convincingly. He uses that talent to good effect as a humourous hoaxer. When Simon blends his unique legal, corporate and presenting background with his amazing creativity, the result is inevitably highly credible characters who keep audiences guessing and laughing at the same time!

Simon's characters don't rely on accent and mimicry skills alone for their realism, He breathes credibility and life into them by drawing on a wealth of corporate experience. Known for his vocal impersonations of celebrities and famous people including Prince Charles, Dame Edna, Billy Connelly and Sean Connery, Simon also has the incredible ability to create a character just perfect for the hoax or hypothetical you might be considering. He uses a great range of accents to fool any audience including French, American, German, Australian, Indian, Dutch, Spanish, and various English regions!

How does a hoax work?

Simon arrives at a function posing as an expert on a given topic. After networking with guests, he is then introduced as the guest speaker - a highly respected professional that no one admits to never having heard of!. He then begins a convincing speech which gradually becomes more satirical and unbelievable as time goes by. Of course, the speech is a leg-pull and it's simply a matter of time before audience members catch on that they have been had!

Why a hoax?

While business is a serious business, many businesses tend to take themselves too seriously. While a hoax makes fun of business through parody, it also is highly effective tool to convey a serious message to an audience, for example, not to get too complacent about business.

See videos of Simon in action

Some examples

Dr Peter MacDonald (Scottish epidemiologist)

Simon appeared at a nutritional conference and was introduced to delegates in the conference programme as Dr Peter MacDonald, a leading Scottish epidemiologist and author of a controversial new book, 'Fast Food For Fitness'.

'Dr McDonald' mixed and mingled with guests over coffee before his speech, engaging them in amusing and provocative conversation before delivering what initially appeared to be the sort of speech you'd expect from a doctor at such a conference. Then, the revelation began!

"Given the limited time frame to prepare for your presentation, the depth of knowledge regarding our industry and products was all the more remarkable. Your impersonation as Scottish doctor Peter MacDonald was unforgettable and dare I say that the lasting memory that many of our delegates have is the fact that they have never laughed so much."

Gordon Richards, AIM Australia Pty Ltd, Melbourne, VIC

 

Dr Pieter Muller (Swiss Economist)

Simon was introduced to clients of a financial planning group as an eminent Swiss economist to brief them on World economic performance and outlook.

"As the good doctor, Simon not only covered the real economic data like a pro but also entertained and progressively revealed that the good doctor was either slightly eccentric or, as he finally and skilfully exposed, not for real. The clients loved the evening.  Simon is a talented, intelligent and witty performer who has a perfect sense of timing and also is a master mimic. We would recommend him to anyone wanting something different that is sure to please the audience."

Mark O'Toole/Gordon Thoms, Godfrey Pembroke Limited, Melbourne

 

Etienne Brenleur (French financial planner)

Simon played a representative from the French parent company of a financial planning company at its annual conference. Some delegates were asked by 'Etienne' to role-play a typical client interview to demonstrate 'best Australian practice', only to realise after a short while that their legs were pulled in a big way!

"Your impersonation of French Financial Adviser 'Etienne Brenleur' is still being laughed about in our office - a truly remarkable performance. The art of a hoax is the gradual unveiling and you certainly handled that to perfection."

Rob Evers, Charter Financial Planning, part of AXA

 

Dr Helmut Merger (German management consultant)

'Dr Merger' who was introduced to a company's sales team conference as a consultant who had been working with the company's managing director behind the scenes and who was recommending an unpopular merger with their competitors in order to gain economies of scale and increase profitability! Almost caused uproar!

"Your portrayal as Dr Helmut Merger got the conference off to a wonderful start and injected the humour that is essential at an event such as ours."

Anita Wolfe, Sunspirit Aromatherapy, Byron Bay, NSW