Telegraph cartoonist Matt Pritchett Thrills Oxford Media Society

Matt drawing cartoons for participants after the lecture

By Matthew Adeiza

Matt Pritchett may have become a cartoonist by accident but it took hard work to become a world-class cartoonist, and his humour-soaked lecture at Queen’s College, University of Oxford, yesterday, November 6, 2011 was definitely not by accident. The Telegraph cartoonist was in Oxford to share his experiences with members of the Oxford Media Society about how he manages to balance humour with decorum in a way that has won him the love and admiration of many Telegraph readers.

Matt, as he is fondly called by his fans, explained that he became a cartoonist by accident (really?). He had tried his hands on graphic design and illustration without success before settling for cartoon. 

Matt started sending cartoons to newspapers because he needed money to survive (of course, man must eat). After many rejections, one of his entries was finally accepted. But that did not mean an automatic job. He still had to freelance for some time. And that meant little pay. But he wanted a permanent job. And hear this: an editor called one of his cartoons “the worst fucking thing I have ever seen!” If you were in his shoes would you quit? He didn’t!

Matt told us that he has learned that what makes the difference in his job is the extra effort. “Just a little extra”, he stressed. He makes it a point of duty to read and understand news in order to give context and currency to his cartoons while he would normally show drafts to colleagues for comments before submitting them to the editor.

But doesn’t he get harsh feedbacks from readers who feel offended by his cartoons? He said it hardly happens. Maybe because he does his homework very well. He advised his us to put in that little “extra” if we want to succeed. 

Matt and Tim with participants

And then this happened: he drew free cartoons for any participant who had a plain sheet of paper and wanted a sample! Before I forget, he had dinner with us before the lecture… and other things which cannot be reported because of space and time.

You missed out? Don’t worry, next time you know what to do.

Oxford Media Society to host Daily Telegraph cartoonist Matt Pritchett on Sunday

By Matthew Stokes

How do you create a joke from a serious news story? How do you know where the boundary between humour and distastefulness lies? How do you make a broadsheet reader chortle every morning, despite economic and political crises, while maintaining some level of political correctness?

Nobody is better placed to answer these questions than Matt Pritchett, pocket cartoonist of The Daily Telegraph for 23 years. Come and see him share his experiences at the Oxford Media Society’s next event.

Matt spent four years at St. Martin’s School of Art before taking up work in a pizza restaurant when the search for work as film cameraman proved fruitless. His first cartoons were published in the New Statesman, Punch and The Spectator.

After months spent submitting work to The Daily Telegraph (good to know that getting into journalism has never been an easy ride!) he became pocket cartoonist in 1988 after Mark Boxer’s death.

His front-page cartoons have brought him an unparalleled reputation in his sector. Six times a week, readers of the Telegraph are greeted with a humorous but rarely offensive cartoon. Matt prides himself on never having received a complaint from a politician and is respected for never having caused a scandal or overstepped the limits of humour.

In 2001, he was named an MBE in the Queen’s New Year Honours List. In 2003, The Guardian named him one of the 50 funniest people in Britain. He has won several awards for his work, including ‘Cartoonist of the Year’ at the British Press Awards five times, the Cartoon Art Trust Awards three times, the UK Press Gazette Awards twice and the What the Papers Say Awards.
The Daily Telegraph also produces annual books and calendars of his work, as well as prints and a ‘Best of Matt’ volume.

Matt is coming to speak to the Oxford Media Society on the 6 November 2011 at the Shulman Auditorium, The Queen’s College, at 8pm. It promises to be a unique event from one of the most respected names in the cartoon media sector.
If you would like to have supper with Matt beforehand, please email oxfordmediasoc@gmail.com.

The talk starts at 8pm and is free to members and £2 for non-members. It costs £10 for a year's membership and this can be bought on the door or via PayPal (there is a link on the right hand side of the page).

You don't want to miss out on this fun-filled evening, do you? Hope to see you there!
Click attending on Facebook!