Media:IndustryInsight

Nige, Radio Breakfast Show Host.

How did you get to where you are now? It was a combination of things. I got half way through year 12 and didn’t know what to do, but I knew I didn’t want to go to university ‘cause I was tired of studying. A girl I knew at school had an uncle who was a journalist at 104.7 back in the day. I met him, he introduced me to the night time announcer who was on Kix 106.3 and we kind of became friends. He mentored me, taught me how to operate the panel, what a talk break was all about and how the whole industry worked - he essentially taught me through to the end of year 12. Then I won a radio contest and went in to the station to record a winners promo and I got it right first the first take. The guy who was working at the time said “Man, that never happens. Normally it takes 35 goes but you got it first time.” He then introduced me to his boss who was looking for someone to do some part time work and I just fell into it from there.

TLDR: I got trained by my girlfriend’s uncle, then won some money on the Radio and got a job out of it that way. Why did you become a radio presenter? You just kind of fell into it… Two things I really enjoy are talking to people and music. My grandfather once said to me (I know its so clichéd but it’s true) “Nige, if you can find something you enjoy doing and find someone who will pay you to do it, you’ve succeeded in life and everything else is gravy on top of that”. And he was right. I did, and I am and it’s all true. What do you love about your job? Besides talking and music. I love that it’s not a “Normal” job. Every day I go to work something different happens. It’s not always good, but it’s never boring. I get to talk to Rob Thomas, chat with Jared Leto, I got to interview Destiny’s Child. The people you meet and the things that you learn on an everyday basis are just so much fun. I would go mad working in an office, I would last 10 minutes. This is a crazy job and its good fun. Has there been a significant moment in your career? One of the biggest things that ever happened in my job was the Canberra Bushfires in 2003. We had dealt with bushfires in different states (and locally to a smaller degree) but nothing like that, nothing like the firestorms that happened. All the announcers arrived at the station, we got together and organised 6 hour on air shifts, we were live 24 hours a day while that bushfire was on which is unheard of, we normally had live announcers during the day but never overnight. That was hectic, it was eye opening, it was scary and I learned a lot of valuable lessons about contacts in the industry and making sure you have a good relationship with mobs like the Emergency Services Agency. We built a lot of strong relationships in those days and have kept them going since. To be at the front of a disaster like that and have people call up looking for guidance and help and information and advice was intense. Up until that point my job had been pretty fun, I’d play some songs and give away some prizes and that was all there was to it. Dealing with people and tragedy at the forefront was a real eye opener. It was a weird time. Would you still choose this career knowing what you know now? Yes I would, absolutely. If I could go back and teach myself a few things and say “don’t do this” or “do that” I would, but on the whole I wouldn’t change a thing. Looking back at where you were when you started, winning the competition, where did you think it was going to lead you? Did you think it was going to get you a position in radio? You know what, I never really thought about it that hard. I never imagined myself doing anything other than maybe working at a station like 2XL in Cooma, which was the first station I ever got a full time job at - but I certainly never saw myself doing the breakfast show. That’s always been, as far as radio shifts go, the top of the hierarchy. The breakfast show is right up there. I never really considered myself good enough to be at that level, nor did I want to get up that early. My boss did say to me that he wanted me to start doing breakfast radio and I shut him down probably 4 times saying there just isn’t enough money in the world to make me get up at three in the morning every day. But our old breakfast show team left, Scotty talked me into it and here we are eight years down the track.  I thought maybe I would do it for a year, then I realised that breakfast radio is just like normal radio, but twice as much fun. What do you wish you knew starting out? You said you wished you could go back to your younger self. The biggest piece of advice I can give to anyone who is thinking about getting into this business is that, however glamourous you might think it is, it’s not. You need to take whatever glamour levels you expect, halve them, then halve them again and then you get somewhere in the vicinity of how glamourous this is not. By the same token, if you think working in radio is really good fun, it’s not. You need to double how much fun you think it is and then double it again. That’s the upside to it. It’s more fun than you’d think it would be. If you’re thinking of getting into radio to make really big money, think again. People like Kyle Sandilands and Hamish and Andy, yes they are on big dollars, but at a local level you’d make more money being a low to mid-level public servant than you will in radio. It’s not a fancy rich industry, you really do have to be Kyle Sandilands or Hamish and Andy to make that sort of money, but it’s so much fun that it’s worth it. Do it.

What advice do you have for students wanting to get into the field? This is probably not the answer you’re looking for but my answer would be, don’t study. Study things like English and Mathematics and all the basics, learn to speak well, learn to write well, you should do that no matter what line of work you’re in. You can study as much as you want, you can have as many bits of paper that say you know how to be a radio announcer, but you don’t until you’ve done it and you’re in the job and you’re actually in amongst the people who do it. What we do for a living is not the sort of thing you can learn in a classroom. No disrespect to the courses mentioned ‘cause you can learn some things but the real skills you have to learn on the job. You have to really want to do it, too. It’s one of those jobs that will very quickly sort out those who want to do it from those who don’t. Early on in your career you’re going to work long hours and earn rubbish money, but I think a lot of people expect to walk in off the street straight into a capital city breakfast show job. That’s not gonna happen. You need to pay your dues somewhere out in the bush. I did 12 months in Cooma. You’ve got to cut your teeth and learn your skills somewhere else. If you’re in Canberra and you want to get into radio, come to 104.7 and volunteer as a Black Thunder driver. I did it way back in the day that’s how I started. You’re in amongst it all on a daily basis, meeting and talking to all the people who work in the business. If you can get your foot in the door, meet the right people doing something like driving Black Thunder, you’re in the right place, you’ll know the right people and a job will eventually come up if you’ve got the skills and the ability to do it.

Who do you look up to in your field? One of the people I admire the most would be Mick Molloy. He and a bloke called Tony Martin use to have an afternoon show, similar to what Hamish and Andy have now but 15 – 20 years ago. The things I respect about Mick Molloy are, one; He is an extremely good announcer and very natural on air, I could listen to him all day. Two; He doesn’t get bogged down in the circus that radio can often become. There are a lot of very well payed older guys in fancy suits who sport buzz phrases and try and tweak things to tap into specific markets, whereas Mick Molloy never fell into that, he always kept it real and said what he actually thought and will quite happily stand up at conferences these days and say “look, the bosses don’t always have it right, sometimes you need to break the rules to get things done and there is no formula for what should be.” There is no such thing as doing it wrong in my business, there’s only doing things differently, which is often conceived as wrong. That was the thing with Mick Molloy, he always stuck with what he believed and would stand up and be counted for that. I’ve seen him speak at conferences and do keynote speeches and tell the god’s honest truth about how the industry is and he is one of the few people who actually does. It can be really shallow at times but Mick is one of those real people who genuinely love what they do and will tell the truth all the time. What helps you get through your day? Coffee, and a genuine love and respect for the people I work with. I’ve known Scotty going on 20 years now, Joe our producer he is one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met and there is nothing I wouldn’t do for either of them. Knuckles is amazing, she’s great fun. The guys I work with on a day-to-day basis are awesome people and we just work well together. Seeing them everyday and getting to work with them every day is a privilege. That combined with coffee helps me get through my day. Is there anything else you would like to add? If you want to work in Radio, do it, its awesome. The money is rubbish, the hours are long, but it doesn’t matter because it beats the hell out of working for a living.

How did you get to where you are now? A lot of hard work, some luck, some good timing and plenty of sacrifices.

Why did you become a Journalist? I have always followed world events, news and sport closely. Being a journalist gave me the chance to do all three - sometimes at once.

What do you love about your job? I love finding out information and breaking stories. I enjoy getting out of the office and working with a crew to tell a story and still enjoy the rush from doing live TV.

Has there been a significant moment in your career? I thought my first big story was going to be police finding the remains of a missing person in the outback. Officers had alerted the media to the discovery and it was a high profile person so we rushed to the area. It was an eleven hour drive and we put together a story on the search and the possibility of the case being cracked. I had been in TV for two months and was about to do my first live cross when we discovered the remains weren't of a missing man but a kangaroo. Long drive for nothing!

Would you still choose this career knowing what you know now? Yes I love it.

Looking back at where you were when you started, where did you think it was going to lead you? I'm lucky enough to be doing exactly what I wanted. Maybe not NSW politics but covering big stories was my hope

What do you wish you knew starting out? I wish I knew the changes the Internet would play in our job and was more adept at using computers!

What advice do you have for students wanting to get into the field? Work hard and be prepared to work strange hours. Most importantly, want to tell stories. Find what interests you and look for ways to develop stories and break news in those fields.

Who do you look up to in your field? My bosses.

What helps you get through your day? Caffeine. And patience. And failing them - a good sense of humour.

Anything else you would like to add? Enjoy yourself. Being a journalist can provide the most amazing experiences. Travel, bizarre situations, fascinating people and above all - fun.

How did you get to where you are now? After studying I was lucky enough to get my first job at Prime7 in Canberra. It was a great head start because it was the sort of place where I could learn a bit of everything and gain experience across multiple roles. I produced TVC’s, community sponsorship announcements and the legendary Possum’s Club.

After my time at Prime I made the move to Sydney to work at the Movie Network Channels. There I produced star bio interstitials and whenever possible helped out on movie news show Movie Juice. After the closure of the channels I moved over to Foxtel and began working for their internal advertising agency Foxtel Creative, which is where I currently work as a Creative. This generic job title basically means I do things like ideation, copy writing, editing and directing.  

Why did you become a Producer? Becoming a Producer wasn’t something I always wanted to do. I only realised I wanted to be a producer once I started working in the industry. The thing that drew me to producing was being able to guide a project from beginning to broadcast. Having a sense of ownership and pride in your work is really important in this line of work, especially when it feels like a job will never end.

What do you love about your job? Since I’ve been working as an advertising creative my favourite part of the job is the ideation process. I enjoy having the chance to turn marketing briefs into something entertaining and relevant. It’s a gruelling process sometimes, but worth it when you see an ad on air that was born out of a random idea you had in the shower.

Has there been a significant moment in your career? The most significant work I have done was creating a series of online content for The Foxtel All-Stars Tim Cahill Academy. This was a customer-focused initiative that really gave back to Foxtel customers and grassroots football.      

Would you still choose this career knowing what you know now? Yes I would choose this career all over again, mainly because of the variety of work you can do. Once you’ve got the core skills you can apply them to almost any brand, product or genre of entertainment.  

Looking back at where you were when you started, where did you think it was going to lead you? In the beginning I thought my career would be in long form television production. I remember one of the reasons I studied Media Production was because I loved making Jackass style videos with my mates.  

What advice do you have for students wanting to get into the field? My advice is to be multi-skilled, it opens doors and make you non dispensable. Also be affable whenever possible because it’s a small industry.

Who do you look up to in your field? Without doing a roll call, I look up to lots of people in my industry. People I have worked with past and present. But to give you a specific answer I like how Christiaan Van Vuuren and Nicholas Boshier (The Bondi Hipsters) went about it. From webisodes to their own commissioned comedy series, it’s a huge achievement.

What helps you get through your day? Just get it done and don’t sweat the small stuff.

Michael, how did you get to where you are now being a Producer and Presenter in television? Well, it’s a bit of an interesting path. Part of what has attributed to me getting to where I am so far is the amount of work I put in each and every day that I turn up to work. Not being University qualified, I’ve found that I have always had to work twice as hard as everybody else to make sure that I make up for any short comings. 

I had a background in theatre production and someone offered me a position as a Television Producer. I started in commercial production, I did that for a few years before I saw a job advertised with a network and I decided to expand my skills by swapping over. Since working with a network I’ve developed into a presenting role as well which was just kind of offered to me.

So why Producing? Once I started, it opened my eyes to where I could go, what I could do. Working in an agency I could recognise that I had two things I could do, I could focus on commercial production and throw all my energy behind that, or I could affiliate myself with a network and open up other possibilities. Why I decided to go on this path of producing I think is purely due to what I’ve been exposed to so far within the media industry.

What do you love most about your job? I love that it is really an outlet of creativity. This is going to sound corny, but before I got into television, I had this feeling like something was inside me that just needed to burst! So when I came into producing, all of a sudden it opened my eyes and it just clicked. This is what I need.  And I think that’s what I love about my job, is that it really feeds that part of my life that wasn’t getting fed.

Has there been a significant moment in your career? I’m really fortunate about every opportunity and every little moment in my career, I guess it’s because I’ve got a really rare opportunity that not a lot of people get. Everything becomes significant whenever I get a bit of praise or I accomplish something because I can’t believe I’ve been given this opportunity. In my presenting role, I did have a moment on White Ribbon Day, the day for stopping domestic abuse, I was not thinking about it being White Ribbon Day and Albury had received some really severe weather the night before. I was ready to give the weather and I opened up with “Good evening Michael Hansen with you this evening, well didn’t some of us cop a beating last night.” That’s awful. Yeah, that’s a really significant moment. It wasn’t until the bulletin went to air that it suddenly clicked that it was White Ribbon Day and I really could have lead with a million other things rather than that. That’s a pretty significant moment and one that I have learned from. Knowing what you know now, would you still choose this career? Absolutely! If I’d have known what I know now years and years ago I would have acted on it sooner. 

Looking back on where you were when you started- not knowing that you wanted to be a producer not even studying in the field, where did you think it was going to lead you when you did get head hunted? When I first got into it, it was really sudden and it raised a lot of questions like; Where do you want to go? What do you want to do? And I got this image in my head of where I wanted to be. I’m still on that path and it’s still developing and I’m still learning where I could go and what’s possible. So it keeps changing over time? Yeah, I think it’s important to let it change over time. It’s a good thing to have a goal, but you also run the risk of not being flexible in an industry that is forever changing. And I think that’s an important thing to remember, that one day the industry or your organisation could be doing this and tomorrow they turn around and they’re doing something completely different. If you could talk to yourself when you were first starting out, what would you say? Part of me wishes that I had gone to university and studied something in the field of media, not even directly in production but just anything in the media field because I have had to work twice as hard to get my head around it and to learn things that perhaps other people have already spent time learning. That is advice that I would give to my former self. What other advice would you give to students wanting to pursue a career in Producing and Presenting? There is no price you can put on practical experience. Quite often people think; ‘Okay I have my degree so now it’s time for my job’. We work in an industry where jobs are becoming fewer and fewer every day so the reality is, there is not enough jobs in the media industry for the amount of people that are studying media. What will separate you from the pack is practical experience. If you can afford the time to volunteer, then do it. Or work for bad money. Don’t look too big, too quickly. Be willing to do the crappy job first but keep in mind that you take the crappy job to get ahead. What are some must have skills that make your job easier? Definitely time management. Without it, the job becomes extremely difficult. Great planning skills as well. The better you can plan, the easier everything is. I even try to allow for the fact that I might not have the technical knowledge around a project that I’m not able to fix and I have to get somebody else to fix it which may take time, so those planning skills are absolutely paramount. You can never be too prepared in a job. Prioritising and problem solving skills, I think that they can even contribute to what success I’ve had so far, that I can create a solution to the problem and do it quickly. So being able to think on your feet? Absolutely and being willing to make decisions.

Whose work do you admire and why? I actually look up to Simon Cowell. I think it’s really admirable that he took a leap into television without any knowledge or skills of television. I find parallels with myself, it’s an odd thing to say as obviously he’s far more successful than me but he is willing to take a chance and willing to work hard. If you can ever read his biography you should. The amount of hours that man puts in every day is just insane. He reaps the rewards of it but he is an incredibly hard worker and that’s why I look up to him. Do you have a mantra? Work hard Be kind Be gracious. Those are three things that I absolutely live by, especially professionally. Be kind to people because products are only ever the result of the people that create them. Products don’t just magically appear and they’re not just magically great. Be gracious for people’s time and effort for absolutely everything, because it creates better results. And… if you want to be successful in your career you have to be thankful for the role that everyone plays in your success because television is not a solo game. You really do need that support around you. Is there anything else you would like to add? Anything you want them not to do? Well, it’s interesting, people have this view that media is a cut throat industry and you’ve got to trample over everyone to get to the top. Whereas I have found the easiest path to success comes from not being like that. It comes from being the exact opposite to that. Be kind to everyone, work hard and support other people, help develop other people’s careers as well as your own. If someone needs a step up in their career, be willing to help them get there. Because whether you want to call it karma or something logical, it does assist you. The important thing to remember is that television isn’t a cut throat industry; it’s an industry that rewards people who work hard.  

So what do you love about your job? I love the fact that I can be technical and I can be creative. I get given a promo I have to do and I can do whatever I want with it. I can create.

How did you get to where you are now? I started out in Radio in 1997, going to local radio stations on my school holidays. I had my own show on a Community channel in Wagga and did some live on-air stuff for 2WG Star FM. Then I did a three year television course in Wagga and while I was studying I worked at the Olympics for Ch9, doing some odd jobs that I got through my connections in Radio. After uni I worked at ClassOne productions in Sydney for a year, then started work at Prime Television in Canberra where I was for a few years. Then I went back to Sydney to Fox Sports News. Then I went back to Prime7 and finally went back to Radio at Canberra FM in 2014.

Why did you want to get into audio and Radio? Because I love talking. I wasn’t at ease behind a microphone so I decided to pursue the other side and focus on the sound. I’ve been in a few bands and can play several instruments so I had an audio background and as soon as I went to uni I got pigeon holed into sound so I stayed.

Has there been a significant moment in your career? Working at Fox Sports, I met many Sporting celebrities and I did talk to 50 cent on the phone once. He answered the phone for a boxer that we were getting a live interview for and he wanted to have a chat so I put him through to Chris Warren on the desk and said “we have 50 cent on the phone, he wants to talk about Billy Dib”. He said “Awesome, what do I call him?” “Mr cent?”. Another one was in my first year of Uni and I was working for Channel 9 at the Sydney Olympics and I got to hold Grant Hacketts 1500m gold medal. That was cool.

Would you still choose this career knowing what you know now? Knowing that you could one day speak to 50 cent? Yes, but I would do some things differently. I would take opportunities where they present themselves and not stay in places as long as I did but everything I’ve done has got me into radio and I love it.

Looking back at where you were when you started, where did you think it was going to lead you? I honestly didn’t know where it was going to lead me, I just sort of fell into it. I was supposed to become a teacher, but my parents are both teachers and I wanted to do something that was different.

What do you wish you knew starting out? The pay. It takes you a long time to get to a point where you’re happy with it. You have to work horrible hours, work horrible jobs, but you love every second of it and hate every second of it. It’s a battle, but at the end of every job, at the end of every gig you just feel “Wow, I’ve accomplished something.”

What advice do you have for students wanting to get into the field? Experience, get as much as you can. Volunteer, do unpaid gigs, if you want to get into radio go to your community station or local station and be one of their prize people, do that stuff for free do some hours, get some contacts, talk to people. It really is all about who you know. If you can find the right contacts you can learn stuff on the job that is worth a lot.

Who do you look up to in the sound design field? It’s not anyone in particular it’s just anyone who does good work on sound. It could be someone who flukes it in a rural radio station, anyone.

What helps you get through your day? Protools. It is the audio producers best tool. It’s made sound so much easier to do but also so much more complicated. It lets you do anything.And coffee, copious amounts. Especially when you do a 14 hour shift.

Is there anything else you would like to add? Work hard. You will not get anywhere in the industry if you do not work hard. Follow your leads and keep hammering at it.

Do you have a mantra? Smile. When you’re doing a voice over, just smile. And Tight and bright. When you’re mixing your work, take out the awkward gaps  and make the EQ nice and bright. Tight and Bright.

How did you get to where you are now? A lot of hard work. I know it sounds cliché, but I’ve been working my butt off since I got in the industry. When I left uni there weren’t really any jobs going for entry journalists. I applied for dozens of jobs but was always told I didn’t have enough experience, even though I had done countless internships and finished top of my class. 

I eventually got a job in Canberra as a news assistant. It ended up being a fantastic start in the industry getting to work alongside two excellent News Editors; Doug Hogan and Hugh Whitfeld and being able to be a sponge for the first year learning everything I could from them. Eventually I got a job as an on camera reporter in Lismore. The pay was bad. I did HOURS of overtime which you don’t get paid for, but the experience was invaluable. After 18 months in Lismore I got a job in Bundaberg with the 7 Network. Again in Bundaberg it was much the same, the pay was a little better but the hours were just as long. I’m talking 12 hour days that are exhausting, emotional and stressful, but it was all worth it, scouring every piece of local news, making sure you were the number one. Another 18 months on I’d changed from Reporter to Chief of Staff. Then I took up a role with Today Tonight in Adelaide which I’ve been working at since September and absolutely love it.

Why did you become a Journalist? I’ve always been a nosy person. Always wanted to know what’s going on…and I’m very much a people person, I love talking to people and listening to their stories. In this job I get to do all of that every day and call it work, it’s great!

What do you love about your job? Just about everything, I know most people will say that’s ridiculous. But I feel like all those long hours and stressful times in regional news have paid off. Yes there are days where I wish I’d just stayed in bed in the warm embrace of my blankets…but those days are few and far between. I love the people I work with, the stories I get to tell and the people you get to help.

Has there been a significant moment in your career?

Yep, this was me… It was during the big flood disaster in Bundaberg in 2013, we were exhausted, hadn’t slept in a week, and were running around talking to people whose homes had been destroyed. Dear old “Jack” thought it was the perfect time to play a game with the poor journalist interviewing him. I can laugh about this now, but at the time I thought my journalism career was over. There have also been a lot of moments in my career which have been challenging and testing. In this job you’re usually one of the first on scene to any major accident or disaster. You see a lot of death and destruction. I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen dead bodies, and people die while paramedics are trying to save them. Then there’s the stories that just break your heart, the flood victims that have been hit twice in two years, who have just rebuilt their homes only for it to be washed away again. Its stuff like that which makes you grateful for what you do have.

Would you still choose this career knowing what you know now? Absolutely! People say it’s a dying medium and you shouldn’t go into it. But I absolutely love what I do. I remember for the three years I was at uni every person I told what I was doing would answer with, “ohhh really, that’s tough, very hard to get into that industry.” But, hey, look at me now! And I’m no one special; I just worked really, really hard. People will always need news to be delivered in some medium; it’s just about adapting to the times and being flexible to move with it.

Looking back at where you were when you started, where did you think it was going to lead you? Honestly I had no idea. They say in journalism you need to be flexible to get the jobs, be willing to move etc….but if you’d asked me 5 years ago if I’d now be living and working in Adelaide I’d say hell no! I always thought I’d end up in Sydney but hey, you never know what’s around the corner.

What do you wish you knew starting out? It gets better. As much as we all dream about leaving uni and starting out in that perfect job it rarely happens. You have to start small and work your way up. Persistence does pay off.

What advice do you have for students wanting to get into the field? Do it! And throw your whole self into it. If this is what you want you will have to make sacrifices, move to places you’ve never heard of or been too. But I guarantee if you stick it out, it will be worth it. Try and find a mentor too, I think it helps if you know someone who’s done what you’re trying to do to show you that it can be done and there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Who do you look up to in your field? So many people! I work with some very smart people at Today Tonight including Graham Archer, Rodney Lohse, Frank Pangallo, Rosanna Mangiarelli, basically the whole team! There are also the journalists who I’ve looked up to most of my life. People like Chris Reason from 7 in Sydney. He is a wordsmith to say the least, just look at his coverage of the Lindt Café Siege. There are also countless other Journalists I could name in Brisbane and others in Sydney but the list would go on forever.

What helps you get through your day? My mantra at the moment is, “Be a good human.” There’s a lot of bitching in this industry, back stabbers and people that will do anything to drag you down to make themselves look better. You just need to remember to run your own race. Also COFFEE! I would be a puddle at my desk if I didn’t have coffee. We’re very lucky to have a machine at work but also I have a Nespresso machine at home which is my go to as soon as I wake up in the morning.

Anything else you would like to add?

BE A GOOD HUMAN!

So how did you start out? Did you always know you wanted to be a journalist? I didn’t always start out to be a journalist. I studied two years of an accounting degree (Bachelor of Business). But, after a life changing trip to the Middle East, I decided I wanted to be a journalist. So I started a Double Major in English and Media. Half way through the degree I did work experience at the local television station, and basically just didn’t go away, until they finally gave me my first job once I graduated.

Why did you become a Journalist? I think like most journalists – telling a good story is the ultimate goal. Also, holding important people to account (ie. politicians), and being the voice for people who can’t speak for themselves. And because my Mum told me not to. (I’m a bit stubborn and don’t like being told I can’t do something)

What do you love about your job? I still, after all these years, get an adrenalin rush out of breaking news. There’s nothing like it! Plus I love talking to people. That’s what news is all about – people, the good, the bad and the ugly.

Has there been a significant moment in your career? I covered a very tragic story in my early days. It was a double drowning in which two young children had been swept to their deaths in a car trapped in floodwaters. I had to go ask a Dad, who’d just lost his child, for an interview. It was such a sad story and I was quite visibly upset intruding at such a tragic time. But surprisingly, he put his arm around me and asked if I was ok! So incredible! I guess you just never know how people are going to react. I think it definitely changed me as a reporter – I learnt about compassion that day.

Has your job ever affected your personal life? I think every story and every experience changes you. We see some amazing things and some incredibly horrible things in our jobs. I’d like to think I’m a bit more compassionate towards people.

Would you still choose this career knowing what you know now? I love news plain and simple. But it’s also a tough job and very dog eat dog. The money is incredibly bad, and journalists are very competitive with each other. Having said that, I love news anyway.

Looking back at where you were when you started, where did you think it was going to lead you? I always wanted to work in Television. I had hoped to make it metro, and who knows maybe that goal may still be achieved? But I’d rather die trying than wondering.

What do you wish you knew starting out? I definitely wish I had been more prepared for the cut-throat decisions. There is also a certain element of inequality and unfairness in who gets what jobs in this industry.

What advice do you have for students wanting to get into the field? You’ve got to love news, otherwise its hard work for crappy pay. But that goes for any job – work/career is such a big part of your life – Do something you’re passionate about.

Who do you look up to in the Journalism world? There’s been some great trail blazers in our field. The likes of Katie Couric, Diane Sawyer, Barbara Walters. Here at home Jana Wendt, Chris Bath, Melissa Doyle, just to name a few.

Do you have a saying you’d like to leave us with?

Keep your heels and your standards high – Coco Chanel