So many lovely success stories this week!  Big congrats to Ande Gray who has just started presenting a new music show back in Ireland.  Big congrats to him as he's a great talent and a lovely person too!  

Our very own Gareth worked on the first 2 series of Strictly Come Dancing, and his first job on the show was the find and cast the panel of judges.  At the time The X Factor had their panel of judges - all well-known names on ITV big money deals.  So it was a tall order to find personalities for the BBC who were going to make an impact...

Ballroom dancing is not a maintream subject - until Strictly Come Dancing came along (and the movie Strictly Ballroom) and it was seen as elitist and old-fashioned.  So what Gareth wanted to do was to find new and fresh voices in the world of dance to judge the show.  Who are the good characters out there, who all share a common love - dance?  

Gareth had heard of Arlene but have never met her, and as soon as he called her in for a meeting they got on so well. She is one of the kindest and genuine people you'd meet.  She's a woman who is well-respected and feared in the dance world (as she doesn't suffer fools in the rehearsal room!) and this is what Gareth wanted to capture on TV - a woman who was passionate about her subject and anything less than your best is just not good enough. 

A panel needs light and shade to work, so we wanted to find someone with a fun personality, but someone who was also credible.  Bruno and Arlene knew each other of old, and they had an instant chemistry which is always helpful.  And so they worked well with each other.

Then next we needed to find someone who was a bit more straight talking.  Someone who will at times create a bit of a drama off the dance floor.  Craig fitted the bill, and instantly hit it off with the rest of the team.

Len is the real expert - he's the man who lives and breathes the ballroom world, and his expertise was crutial to the authenticity of the series.

Once we found our 4 judges Gareth then worked with them on finding their own voices, how to work as a team and as individuals and how to create a show within a show when Bruce went over to talk to them.  It worked and the panel are a big success.  

So who will be Len's replacement as the new Strictly Come Dancing judge?  Well we'd love to see Arlene go back, but if that doesn't happen we have an eye on a client of ours who is already the talk of the press in the UK.  Here's the showreel we did for him in our private 1 to 1 presenter training.  See what you think!  And comment below...

https://youtu.be/eGPp04QkB1o

We recently had the joy of working with Anthony on our award-winning fast track tv presenter training course, who is a real gadget geek.  Take a look at the tv presenter showreel we did for him.  He's different and great at what he does.  WE hope you agree!  Here's Anthony in action: 

https://youtu.be/w7Kxy31hDD8

We want to do a quick shout out to some new presenter showreels we've just made.  We think you will like them, and if you do please share and comment.  There's some great talent out there, and we are always so proud of the people we work with and the successes that come their way.  

Lee:  https://youtu.be/z1RfzdXI_h4

Paul:  https://youtu.be/mqZ6MoOAHWY

Diane: https://youtu.be/Hd8Vdmcg2Rk

A speech should always be heart-felt, personal and to the point, and Hillary's final speech ticked all of the boxes.  For the first time she was speaking as herself.  Her warmth, genuine passion and love for what she does shone through and it's these qualitities that gives a speech the desired impact.  If you are not connected with what you are talking about how can your audience be?  

Every good speach has a structure, and Hillary's definately had this too.  There was a strong intro and outro - with the outro being the chat about young girls - the bit the press took hold of.  

Too many people - both politicians and also professionals write a script that lacks any personal language or message - but as Hillary has proven the best ones are the most personal ones.  Your speech should be as unique as you are, and Hillary's final speech felt like only she could have said it.  A great end to a long campaign and one that will stand the test of time.  

Having a good presenter showreel can be the difference between getting seen for a job or not.  

Throughout our long careers as TV Producers we have found, and continue to do so, new talent from seeing people online.  It's important to remember that everyone is now quite easy to find and also that TV Producers look for every reason NOT to give you a job.  It's a very risk averse industry as no one wants a flop on their hands, BUT at the same time our industry thrives on new talent - the opportunites are there but you need to play the game, and know the game you are playing. 

What producers want to see and know is 3 key key things - who are you, what makes you different and how are you going to bring their show to life - and this is all down to your personality and this is what needs to be showcased in your showreel.  And your personality needs to work with the type of show you are wanting to present and also the channel - are you BBC talent?  ITV talent?  Channel 4 talent?  These are all things you should know - it's not enough to be generic - unless that is your USP.  

When you work on mainstream TV you are expected to hit the ground running, and you only really get one chance.  If you are not good enough, the truth is it's unlikely you will be used again.  

The presenter is often the most important part of a show, but you often don't get a lot of help or producing on the day.  

So your showreel needs to put producers at ease.  As producers we all need to fight for the person we want to present a show - and if your showreels shows some weak points, or is not personality led it's VERY easy for you to go straight into the NO pile! 

At the end of our fast track presenter training course we play our clients examples of showreels from other tv presenter training courses that are out there, and we ask them 'if this person emailed you their showreel would you meet them?'.  The majority of people often say 'yes'.  But once we explain what the purpose of a showreel is, and what it needs to do they soon realise that the answer is 'no'.  

Less is always more in TV.  If you can get a good showreel done do, if not don't as a strong photo can sometimes get you seen (we once put someone on a primetime Saturday night show who is now a HUGE BBC name from a photo alone!)...

Good luck! 

It's often the big focus of many presenters - getting themselves a TV presenter agent.  So do you need a presenter agent?  What makes a good agent?  And does a presenter agent get you work?  

Well the truth is you don't need a presenter agent to get work.  It's not like when you are an actor when you need a rubber stamp of approval from an agent in order to go for castings.  Lots of presenters on TV don't have agents, and they actually represent themselves.  

TV producers like ourselves, and TV commissioners love new talent.  And often new talent don't have agents as it's hard to get an agent unless you have got work already.  Agents tend to only take people on who they know they can make money out of, and often see new talent as 'hard work' as you are not an instant cash cow.  So our advise is to always try adn get your own work and be your own boss - it's good to be proactive and our tv presenter training courses tell you how to do this. 

If you do want to get a tv presenter agent make sure you get on with them.  It's got to be a good marriage where you trust each other and want to work together.  But above all be proactive yourself and never reply on an agent to get you work. 

If you believe The Mirror newspaper story yesterday we have found the new judge for Strictly Come Dancing. Yesteday The Mirror reported that Gary Edwards is to replace Len Goodman as the judge on Strictly.  Well our advise is never believe anything in the papers before it is formally announced!  But what's good here is that Gary came to us wanting to do just one thing - to be a judge on Strictly Come Dancing.  It's was a tough demand and one that we told him would not happen overnight!  But since working with us he's built up his brand, appeared as a guest on the show in America and has been making a noise in front of all the right people.  So whilst The Mirror might be jumping the gun it's nice to see that all of Gary's work and our advise is getting him nearer to where he wants to be!  If Len is leaving we wish him all the best, and if he is we wish Gary all the best too!  And to see Gary in action watch the amazing talent taster tape we did for him right here!  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGPp04QkB1o&t=19s

We get lots of presenter agents contacting us asking us to suggest new talent for them to sign and this week we had a call from a top presenter agent who is working on a new online film series where they want presenters to interview some of the biggest names in film.  So if you are on our talent database please drop us an email asap to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with FILM in the title and a link to your taster tape and if you are right for the project we'll send your tape on.