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What's the most effective
way of landing a job as a TV presenter?
No two ways about
it, you’ve got to make a showreel. It doesn’t need to
be professionally made - you can do it on your family
camcorder. Just go out on the street and interview people
about an issue of the day or even something trivial.
If you've always been interested in, say parachuting,
go and talk to people about it - get a mate to hold
the camera and interview people after they've just done
it. The subject matter’s not all that important but
preferably it should be something that you’re interested
in or have a passion for. If you’re genuinely interested
in something that’s half the battle.
What sort of length should
the showreel be?
It needs to be three minutes
so make like an advertising agency, after all you're
selling yourself. Try to cover different skills like
interviewing, walking and talking and a piece to camera.
When we're happy with our
showreel, what next?
Take the junk mail
approach and mail it to anyone and everyone in the industry.
See who makes the shows you're really keen on, or the
area you want to get into and send it to them. Always
make sure you address your tape to the relevant person
- the producer is usually a good bet. If you’re not
ambitious enough to find out their name, you’re not
cut out for this kind of work.
What then?
Well if your showreel’s good,
you’ve got it to the right person and you’ve got a lot
of potential then people will be interested - the industry
thrives on new blood. But don’t be afraid to be pushy
and chase it up to get a reaction from people. Don’t
always expect companies to chase you.
What qualities do you need
to make it as a presenter?
You need to have stamina and
lots of personality. The 'just being yourself' approach
may work on something like the BBC's Holiday Show but
if you want to present something as demanding as the
Big Breakfast you obviously need bags of energy and
personality and be able to think fast on your feet.
What's your one tip for to get to the top?
You've really got to decide what
kind of television programme you want to work on. There's
no point in approaching ITV news if you have absolutely
no interest in news or current affairs. So pick your
area then mail your showreel to the executive producer
of that show or others like it. Your showreel is the
key. It could be you interviewing your mates about what
a great time you all had last night - it doesn’t matter
- but you've got to remember that producers get something
like 200 of them a week and they'll only watch the first
minute of yours before they switch off. So that first
minute is crucial. Grab them by the balls and you won’t
go far wrong.
— Graham Wray 30.05.00
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