If becoming a TV presenter is your burning desire – where do you start and what do you do? There are loads of different TV presenters, from newsreaders to expert chefs - adventurers to children’s presenters, chat show hosts, sports presenters to travel show hosts…there are more TV stations than you can count, with more broadcasters opening up everyday…so the opportunities are there… but remember for every presenter you see on screen, they’ll be hundreds of people waiting in the wings, ready to fill their shoes.

Watch TV with a critical eye and you’ll see that not all presenters are actually that good! I could name a dozen well known presenters whom I’ve met and are today earning huge sums of money, who when they first started out, looked like cardboard cutouts of themselves and could hardly string a sentence together! You don’t need to be the most talented presenter in the world to get a job on TV, you just need to be liked by the person screen-testing you and the most important thing is to be in the right place at the right time…which is actually the most difficult thing to do, because if we could work out where the right place at the right time was, we’d all be bathing in money, glory, fame and love...and life would be too easy!

How do you become a TV Presenter?

There is no sure fire way to become a TV presenter. For the lucky few, it just happens out of the blue, by them being introduced to a TV producer who see's something in them they like and they get offered a presenting job…there are lots of great stories in the industry along these lines – like the well known presenter, who while working in a shop selling electrical goods, was invited to a dinner party and got sat next to a stranger who happened to be a TV producer. This TV producer was looking for some fresh talent for a new show and after a few glasses of wine the two found they got along very well…one thing led to another, they became friends and the shop assistant is now a household name living the celebrity lifestyle! …my favorite example though is the famous TV Gardner who while pruning some branches at the garden centre he worked at, slipped, fell out of the tree and quite literally landed on top of a TV executive! …who as luck would have it, was not injured or angry at this man for landing on his head! The two got talking and laughed the situation off and parted on friendly terms…two day later the TV exec called the gardener and offered him a presenting role on a well known BBC gardening show! I think it goes without saying that we’d all choose this way to find stardom and fame, but the reality is that for 99% of presenters it’s a case of hard work, effort and determination.

What does it take to become a TV presenter?

You obviously need some talent, confidence and personality…confidence being the most important commodity – even if you deep down don’t believe it yourself all of the time (some of the best presenters are incredibly self critical), you need to have the ability to pretend to be confident! This doesn’t mean you walk into a meeting with TV execs with a cocky swagger and a big headed attitude…do that and they’ll soon show you the door. You need to come across as passionate, vibrant, sparkly and slightly larger than life. We all have unique personalities, but when you’re presenting on TV or meeting a TV producer to discuss a role for you; you need to turn your unique personality up by 10 or 20%

Ambition is another required element to success. I believe that in life you generally get what you really want! Sounds a bit of a statement, but if you push hard and never give in, the thing you’re searching for will invariably come to you. If you give in too soon, I think you’ll find that deep down, you didn’t really want it! Along with ambition go perseverance, cheek and a lot of nerve!

Many people say that you should watch lots of TV and study what other TV presenters are doing…well, this is okay to get some tips, but don’t go around copying other presenters…this is like a pub singer doing an Elvis impersonation! you need to concentrate on what makes your personality unique and be yourself over and above anything else. Be yourself and don’t develop a different personality for the camera – you’ve taken years to develop the personality you’ve got and that’s the one a producer is going to buy into – if the first producer doesn’t like it, the next one will.

Practice make perfect.

If you ever get the chance to see a presenter while actually filming, you’ll notice that before they do a piece to camera, they’ll practice it through several times before they actually go for a recording. I long ago learnt to ignore funny looks and snigger's from people as I walked up and down the street talking to myself, arms flaying around, practicing what I was about to say to the camera…so forget embarrassment, you can’t beat practice, so get yourself in front of a mirror, or a camera and start talking to it…even better do this in front of family and friends – you’ll no doubt feel quite stupid, they’ll have a good laugh, but it will be invaluable experience for when the moment comes.

Tips: record some pieces to camera from the TV, write them down, learn them and practice them. You’ll soon to start to develop your own noticeable mannerisms in your delivery. Any opportunity to recite these scripts out aloud will not be wasted…make it sound conversational, like its all of the cuff stuff – just like your chatting to your best friend. Also try deviating from the script to make it fit with the way you would naturally speak. A TV presenter even if he is scripted will change it slightly to suit his own style…and the most important thing to remember is to be yourself, don’t be too serious and straight laced – if you’re going to record yourself presenting, have some fun with it and don’t be shy to show it to family and friends – let them be as critical as they like and take on board what they say.

Think about how you look

Just like our personalities, we’re all different in the way we look and thankfully we don’t need to be model like to become TV presenters. Take a look at yourself and think how you can make yourself stand out from the rest. Stick to what feels comfortable for you, so don’t dress up like a clown just to attract attention. It’s the small things that work – it could be the way you do your hair, a trade mark jacket, a pair of funky boots. Go for something that when people see it, they’ll think of you. Warning: you are unlikely to look on camera the way you think you look in your head! this is always a bit of a shock – I still think of myself as about 25 years old, with thick curly hair…so the first time I saw myself on TV, I was utterly horrified and it’s still a bit of a shock today! But, remember that we are more critical of ourselves than others are – we see all our faults and imperfections that others don’t even notice. You look the way you look, so get used to it and remember… you’re a one off!

However, do take advice and don’t take it personally! When I got my first TV presenting job on Channel 4, the producer quite bluntly asked me to make some changes to my appearance…he told me to shave my beard off, get a sun tan, wear some glasses, cut my hair, trim my eyebrows, smarten myself up by wearing a jacket and lose some weight!…when he saw me without the beard, he called to tell me to grow it back!! If I’d been upset by his comments and refused to make the changes, I wouldn’t have got the job. This producer knew exactly what he was doing and knew what look he wanted for this particular job – so you need to be thick skinned, listen to experienced TV people and take advice.

How to get the break

Research which TV production companies regularly use presenters and send them your CV – most of these will be filed in the bin, but you never know…, if you want to present a music show and your CV lands at the time the company is looking for music show presenters, then you might be in luck…this though, is a long shot.

You could do the same with the main broadcasters – again it’s a long shot, but you need to think of yourself as a business – all businesses need marketing and advertising to attract customers to them - your customers are TV producers, so you must invest time and money into yourself to make you known and available for the work you want.

If you have an expertise, then writing for magazines is a brilliant profile builder. You don’t need to be a trained journalist to do this and don’t worry about grammar and spelling - there are a number of on-line companies who for around £20 will proof read a 1000 word article, ready for it to be published. Don’t be shy and do get in touch with any relevant magazines and offer your services. Initially, you probably won’t get paid for this, but if they accept your work and you appear in a magazine, then suddenly, you’re a known and recognized expert in your field...which reads fabulously on your CV and will open doors for you. Keep on building your profile and you’ll soon get to the stage, where they’ll start to pay you for your articles.

I’m a big fan of local BBC radio as it has launched many successful careers. BBC radio is always looking for contributors, especially to offer advice to the listeners or to take live phone-in questions. So, whether you’re a gardener or a lawyer, you’ll have advice to give that the radio station might be interested in. Get in touch with the producer of the show you think would be likely to have a phone –in or live chat and offer your services. Again, this will be unpaid, but will give you huge credibility and if it works for you, you can get in touch with other stations around the country offering the same service. You don’t need to travel; your local BBC station will allow you to use one of their studios if you’re working with another BBC station.

Offering to work for free is another great way to get noticed. Not all TV production companies will take you up on your offer, but some will.

In my early days of banging on TV producers doors, I heard that the BBC had commissioned a new antique show called Cash In The Attic…I called Leopard Films who were the production company and offered to do some behind camera valuing. They took me up on my offer and although the 2 day job was not paid, I got the chance to be filmed while I was talking about the antiques…2 years later, that free work paid off, when the producer remembered me, called me up and offered me a presenting job on another show…’it’s not what you know, but who you know’ comes to mind!!

Showreel and professional photographs:

There is no doubt both of these will help, but they are not always necessary. A good showreel that isn’t going to make a producer vomit when they see it will cost anywhere from £500 to over£2000 and a set of professional shots from £100. A very small investment considering what the benefits can be, but again, not always necessary – the most important thing is to get yourself seen somehow by a TV exec that is looking for someone with your talents.

Get an agent?

If you can get an agent, then of course it makes sense to do this - you'll be able to get put forward for jobs that you would never hear of and meet people that on your own, you'd find impossible to make contact with. You'll benefit from their experience and advice and crucially their contacts. Getting an agent though is not the end of it - don't just sit back and wait for the phone to ring...you've got to remain active in promoting yourself...network as much as you can and work for free if you have to, just to get yourself noticed....The harder you work, the luckier you’ll become!

So, as well as marketing and promoting yourself in any way you can, you should also register with at least one agency that is used by TV and film execs, when they're searching for new TV talent – this will cost you something of course, but it's money well spent and far cheaper than doing it all yourself...I know – I spent years doing it the hard way! if you can afford to register with them all and get yourself all over the place then go for it, but if this isn’t possible, choose an agency or agencies that you feel suit you – Go with your gut feeling, but don’t wait around thinking about it - do something…it’s a cheap way to get your profile, CV and pictures seen by the people you’re trying to attract the attention of…and the fact is, if you’re not seen, you’re not employed!...

Wishing you the very best of luck

David Harper

©2008, David Harper