Who is Adeoye Falade?
This is my most dreaded first-date question and I honestly thought that was behind me but here we are. Well, Deoye works as the Content Executive in the Avon MCC team. He sees himself as a regular guy who enjoys writing and creating things more than anything else.
He also credits the possession of any sort of personality he has to alcohol, which is one of the joys of alcohol.
He’s also heavily dependent on memes and music as coping mechanisms for Lagos stress among other things.
Your colleagues believe that you are a stand-up guy. How do you feel about that?
It’s unexpected and I feel a bit self-conscious if I’m being honest. However, I’ll admit I also have a warm fuzzy feeling about it. After the initial shock at the nomination, I let myself smile and say, “Okay, this feels nice to know.” Thanks to them, good people.
Describe yourself in three words.
Witty. Somehow.
As the longest-serving member of the Avon HMO MCC, what role do you play with your team members?
I’d say my role is putting everything my colleagues want to say or do into words but that’s probably an oversimplification. I’ll also say I’m a welcome party of sorts because at this point, I pretty much know my way around people and things better and I help provide some guidance in this regard. Stuff like, “Oh, this isn’t Avon” or “Avon doesn’t sound like this.”
We all have unique skills and while some of us have the range to don different hats, everyone owns their core areas adequately. My role, just like my colleagues, involves supporting one another towards achieving our common goals. It doesn’t matter if you’re more of a writer or digital marketing person if your colleague in PR is working on launching a radio show for instance (which we are), you play your part.
What drives you, the work you do and the man you’ve become?
Creating, learning, and doing.
I see myself as an eternal student and the more I learn, the more I want to do, mostly by creating. Above all, despite my somewhat distant nature (particularly in person), I genuinely like being useful and helping people.
Of course, this drive largely manifests in the way of words. Words mean things and they help me help people laugh, think, improve, find meaning etc.
So long as I’m useful and helping people, I’m happy.
How long have you been an HH Person and what would you say have been the highlights of your time at HH Group?
5 years. It feels like an age but time flies when you’re having fun, I guess.
The nature of our group ensures that there are lots of highlights. My memorable moments include every HH party ever (even though I disappear midway to sleep or be by myself), Avon’s 5th anniversary, every award Avon has won since I joined, every TEF Selection Announcement or Forum since 2017, every edition of Lion King and HH People I’ve contributed to, working in the Chairman’s digital team and more.
What can I say, it’s plenty.
What’s one thing you’d want people to know about you?
Ah, I’m tempted to say everybody should find out for themselves because I can’t think of one thing o. Maybe that giving me cake, wine or whiskey is a sure way of getting me to like anyone.
1. What moment would you say is/was your defining moment as a stand-up guy?
Hmm, me sharing this feels a bit self-congratulatory but one random Sunday years ago, a friend I’d never met in person asked me to put the word out for a blood donor because her sister was in the hospital. When I found out I was the required blood type, I simply went to Randle General Hospital in Surulere to donate.
We still haven’t met.
What do you do in your free time?
I sleep. Or I read. Or I write. Or I play video games. Or I watch football or combat sports. Or I watch a movie or TV show. Or I sleep. In that order.
What’s your philosophy on life?
Hmm, I’ll sum this up with a quote from my favourite author of all time, Dean Koontz:
“Do as little harm to others as you can; make any sacrifice for your true friends; be responsible for yourself and ask nothing of others, and grab all the fun you can. Don’t give much thought to yesterday, don’t worry about tomorrow, live in the moment, and trust that your existence has meaning even when the world seems to be all blind chance and chaos. When life lands a hammer blow in your face, do your best to respond to the hammer as if it had been a cream pie. Sometimes black humour is the only kind we can summon, but even dark laughter can sustain.”
What would you like other men to know?
That it’s okay to feel all your feelings.
That the ‘bro code’ should never be a cop-out for holding our guys accountable for harmful behaviours.
That it’s okay to retain child-like glee and wonder about certain things because nobody gets a prize for being the most manly or mature.
And drink small beer from time to time, it helps.
