My Inspiration
Growing up, I was fascinated by the media. I would always watch and listen to programmes and wonder, 'how was that made?'. I've always been an observer, a critic and a perfectionist. If something went wrong, major or minor, I would know about it and I would preoccupy myself wondering why it had happened. Whether it was an on-screen graphic on TV or a spelling mistake in a paper, I would be frustrated and irritated by this lack of attention to detail.
Having produced content for nearly 10 years, I can now appreciate why things go wrong and I can't say that I have never made mistakes myself, there's been plenty. You'll never deliver a perfect piece to camera, you'll never produce a perfect programme, you'll never be perfectly objective... but you can try. And that's all you can do. In this article, I will look back at some of the programmes and people that have influenced my content, my values and my style.
Programmes
Entertainment
Saturday Night Takeaway (ITV) has always been my favourite entertainment programme. I would watch it religiously every weekend and often pondered who were the lucky few in the gallery. The programme was often packed with behind the scenes shots which only fuelled my dream to work in television. A truly magical programme that continues to this day.
Sport
Super Sunday (Sky Sports) has been a programme I've seen develop a lot over the years due to my interest in football. Sky Sports have always had an incredible attention to detail in regards to programme coverage, convergence and branding. Their graphics have inspired creativity in my own work and their clear, simple approach to sport has intensified my dream to produce coverage of it.
Factual
The Tube (BBC) was a great factual series I remember from my childhood. Again, a really simple, yet creative, series that got to the real heart of the story. It was relatable because of its characters and I subsequently learnt that without strong contributors, you have no programme. Julian Barratt's narration was also admirable, portraying a tone of great discovery and mystery.
Presenters
Sport
David Jones (Sky Sports) has been a presenter that I have looked up to for a number of years. His relaxed, yet rousing intonation has influenced many of my pieces to camera and radio shows. I met him back in 2014 at Sky Studios whilst watching a broadcast of their Premier League coverage. A real professional on screen, never fazed, never troubled by the pressure of the job.
Entertainment
Ant and Dec (ITV) are undoubtedly my entertainment heroes. Watching their programmes growing up, I have been inspired by their affectionate, warm and self-effacing delivery, which comes across as incredibly effortless and trouble free on screen. Their authenticity, modesty and commitment to the job has encouraged me throughout my childhood to be involved in TV.
Factual
Stephen Fry (BBC) has been a model presenter of mine for a while. His documentary series Out There was very powerful and has inspired me to just be myself when creating content. His sincere and honest temperament has lead to very natural and intimate programmes on a variety of different topics. If I could be even half as successful as Stephen Fry, I would be very happy indeed.
