• Home
  • » Recent News
  • » 02/16/2009

David Gogichaishvili was a graduate student at Ohio University when he got his inspiration to become the next Johnny Carson. Gogichaishvili received his masters for Media Management from the School of Media Arts and Studies (then Telecommunications) from 2001 to 2003 before becoming the second most recognizable face in the country of Georgia.

Gogichaishvili began his education at Ohio University in 2001 after receiving the Edmund Muskie Scholarship. “During my first days [in Athens] I had a culture shock,” said Gogichaishvili. “When living in Georgia, the image of the United States is not a rural town.” While at Ohio University, Gogichaishvili worked as an intern at WOUB and then became the communications director for the International Student Union on campus.

During his time in Athens, Gogichaishvili observed Jay Leno and Conan O’Brien on television and began to expand his knowledge on the late night talk show format. While doing further research Gogichaishvili learned of legendary Johnny Carson. “Johnny Carson was the inspiration that drove me to making the decision to make the Georgian format,” said Gogichaishvili.

The creation of the show began as a school project. A visiting Ohio University professor, Jennifer Lawson, assigned a project in which the students were to create a mock television show and discuss how it could be managed and its potential success. After receiving positive feedback, Gogichaishvili began fully developing the idea of the show and contacted television executives in Georgia for insight. Gogichaishvili also received the chance to be an intern at “Late Night with Conan O’Brien” and attended several filmings of Jay Leno’s “The Tonight Show”.

Once Gogichaishvili received his masters degree, he returned to Georgia where he successfully pitched “The Night Show with David Gogichaishvili” to Georgia’s “Rustavi 2” station. The show premiered on December 12th, 2003. Gogichaishvili is acknowledged as being the first television icon in Georgia to poke fun at political figures. “I think I was so much into the show and my enthusiasm was so high that I didn’t pay attention about their [the public’s] possible reaction,” says Gogichaishvili.

Due to the success of his show, public opinion polls determine that Gogichaishvili is the second most recognizable face in Georgia, second only to the President of Georgia. Gogichaishvili success has also allowed him to manage and produce such projects as “Geostar 2006” and “Kandidati” (Georgian version of “American Idol”, and “The Apprentice”). In 2006, Gogichaishvili retired as the host of the late night talk show, but by managing shows such as “Shua Qalaqshi” (Georgian version of “Friends”) Gogichaishvili continues to make his mark on the television industry.

For more information about the School of Media Arts and Studies, please visit http://www.mediaschool.ohio.edu.