My Story

Maynard was born in the part of Newcastle hospital that fell down in the earthquake. The son of Howard Cunningham and Gladys Kravitz of Hamilton South, he rapidly rose to the dizzy academic heights of year 11 at the same high school that silverchair went to. A career in the railway beckoned and during his 11 months working for the state of NSW was almost only hit by a train twice.

Creativity was what he was looking for when he became a photographer at BHP's Central Research labs at Shortland. While there he took many highly praised photographs of steam and managed to avoid BHP's layoffs by leaving in the 80's, that showed 'em.

Running away to join cabaret legends The Castanet Club he saw London Edinburgh and Twin Towns.
Radio ready, the manic mic man started at 2NUR in Newcastle then took his "Radio Stupid" show to 2SER in Sydney.

JJJ foolishly liked what they heard and soon he was on weekend breakfast leading to weekday breakfast for 3 1/2 years during which he slept a total of 5 hours.

He started the "MADD Club" at the Piccadilly Hotel in Kings Cross in 1987 and it ran inexplicably on a Monday night till 1994 peaking with a support tour with Bjorn Again in London. Best described as "a food fight with a DJ", public liability won't allow you to see that kind of thing anymore.

And there's probably a good reason for that.

Moved to "Sunday Afternoon Fever" he introduced Australia to Japanese Ska and Mrs Fred Sinatra of Las Vegas. Sacked from JJJ because the boss "didn't like the way he put his personality across on air", he found work on NEW-FM in Newcastle doing breakfast where he enjoyed ringing Torana owners at ten past six in the morning to explain themselves.

The Labour Council of NSW bought the station and went for that safest possible format known to music, Ace Of Base were considered "far too edgy" and Maynard moved back to Sydney to begin a career on Cable TV after making a pilot TV show "Fist Me TV" on stage at Kinsela's in Sydney. Try getting that through "Project Greenlight".

He started on day 1 of Foxtel's FX channel doing "Planet Fx" a sci-fi variety show that ran for 2 years before being moved to Red the music channel where he frightened the viewing public with Red Retro six days a week.

Maynard moved to Channel V where he was for 4 years until they decided they didn't need him anymore. Irony demanded that he be sacked by the same boss he had at JJJ. See his quote above.

He is currently needed at the ABC, regularly releases CDs and can be found at various nightclubs around Australia, where he keeps making a real mess.

You may be familiar with my “work”-

Currently Multimedia Presenter/Producer ABC Online 2001-

Presenter at Foxtel, Channel V 96-2001
Presenter of Sci-Fi on Foxtel Channel Fx (Planet Fx) 95-96
Co-Host Mardi Gras Parade Ch 10, 96 & 97
Mind Twist Game Show Ch10, 95-96

Various TV Commercials including Banana Miniwheats and Equal

Various Voice Overs in TV commercials including “Yogo Yogurt”, “Domino’s Pizza” & “Buttercup Crumpets”.

5 Compilation CD releases on Sony and Shock records:
18 Explosive Hits & 1 Real Loser
Rewind Volume 1
Rewind Volume 2
Maynard’s Classics 1990 - 1995
Maynard’s Classics 1995 - 2000

Radio includes-
Breakfast Presenter JJJ 89-93
Sunday Afternoon Fever JJJ 93-95
Commercial Radio NEW-FM 95-96
FREE-FM Breakfast host for all test broadcasts in Sydney 98-2000

ABC Radio & Online Presenter/Producer 2001-2005