Alhan Elvan Gençay is a satirist, journalist and documentary producer based in London. He is best known for his work on VICE and Boiler Room's show Gasworks.
Career
At 16, Gençay began his career at Vice as a writer whilst still at school. He was hired as an intern and contributed to titles such as Noisey. Concerns were raised from senior management because of his young age. He was subsequently asked to leave. Gençay continued with education and went on to attend City of Westminster College. He dropped out after three months. In 2017, once he had turned 18, he was re-hired by Vice to work on the newly launched VICELAND, and fronted a satirical investigative series for VICE.com, entitled, ‘Why Should I Give A Shit?’. Gençay was hired by Boiler Room in 2018 as part of the company's strategy to expand further into original video content.
Notable work
Why Should I Give A Shit?
2017 saw the launch of a three-part series in which Gençay, who at the time had newly turned 18, was tasked with making adult decisions. Episodes included him infiltrating London Fashion Week and visiting the home of the Royal Family's biggest fan. The show was distributed online and across Vice's social media channels.
Grimenet
Gençay produced and directed Grimenet for VICELAND UK. A five-part series in which Grime MCs and DJs were asked to answer questions from popular forum Mumsnet. It was the first mini-series made for the TV channel since launch. Episodes were played during advertisement breaks. Grimenet was later adapted by the French Vice office. They launched a version of the show called Rapnet. In 2018, Grimenet went on to win a silver award at the Creative Circle Awards.
Gasworks
Gençay is host and executive producer of UK-focused talkshow ‘Gasworks’. Together with co-host Poet, the pair poke fun at UK culture and discuss rap news. The show is still running. It was first commissioned in 2018 by Boiler Room and was recommissioned later in the year for a second season. Guest appearances include Wiley, Frisco, Ms Banks, Dappy and Jammer.
Podcast
Gençay started a brand new podcast for BBC Sounds called Alhan's World. The podcast is about life after the coronavirus lockdown, and it started on 09 July 2020.
Documentaries
A list featuring some of Alhan Gençay's documentaries.
Balaclavas and Bibles
Gençay gains access to SPAC Nation, a controversial church in London, to get to the bottom of ‘Gospel Drill’.
