Radio, MC, television personality and businessman Danilo Acquisto is a man of many talents as he celebrates a decade in radio this year.
Danilo, 33, is the voice behind Good Hope FM’s award-winning Hit 30, which won Best Music Show at the South African Radio Awards.
He first hopped onto our TV screens as a presenter on the youth programme, Hectic Nine-9, while working at UCT Radio where he was completing his Law and Sociology Degree.
Danilo says: “I was a very confused matriculant and had no idea what I wanted to do after school, but my parents required that I further my studies.
“Hectic Nine-9 came to do auditions at UCT Radio – they were looking for someone who could speak well and could be trained to do television. They invited me to audition and the rest is history.”
He then landed a job on Afternoon Express on SABC3 in 2015, working alongside big names such as Bonang Matheba and Jeannie D.
In 2017, he built his first digital agency called Special Effects Media which aims to help brands and creators grow online.
Danilo says: “I spend my time running my company while working on radio. I joined Good Hope FM while working on Hectic Nine-9, it’s been 10 years on radio and probably the longest I have been at any company.
“It is a fast-paced environment, but a very creative and beautiful space to build relationships with people in Cape Town by using the power of music to do that.”
He says transitioning to social media and the need to remain relevant has been challenging.
His advice to aspiring media personalities is that every bit of experience helps, saying: “Experience is everything. Getting time behind that microphone and camera, and being able to hone that craft.
“Find opportunities where you can practice, get a foot in the door even if it is [doing it] for free, it will open so many opportunities because it is a competitive space.”
