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16
I know that at Big Leap and Storyville we mostly talk about how to write for TV but we have had some success of getting people on TV. Our very own celebrity client Nicky Hambleton Jones made the big leap from management consultant to stylist to fronting 10 years Younger on Channel 4.
Also our lovely big leaping comedian Jenni Davies has just starred in Dom Joli’s The Complainers on Channel 5.
But getting your first break on TV can be as tricky as writing for TV.
Until now.
Just interviewed Claire Richmond, the founder of www.Findatvexpert.com She’s impressive, passionate and has just created a way for the TV companies to discover us. She has created a website where you can register yourself as TV expert extraordinaire (for a nominal £100 fee). I met Claire to see if she’s as good as she sounds and she was - she’s already drumming up interest for two of my big leaping clients.
Here’s the interview I did with her last week so you can make up your own mind:
http://www.bigleaplife.com/audios/clairetvexpert.mp3
This is what The Times is saying about her:
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/entrepreneur/article4254893.ece
And she also sent me this. Never mind Jamie Oliver - could you be the next Esther Ranson? Do contact claire if you think this could be you! The BBC are interviewing now.
Claire says: “I’ve been approached by a TV production company who’s looking to cast 5 new faces to become investigative, consumer champions for a new primetime, BBC One show - and I wonder if you could help me spread the word.
Or maybe you have clients who fit the bill!
The show basically centres around a make-believe family of five people - each of whom will have a special talent or relevant real world experience. They’ll be an ensemble cast working together to expose consumer fraud and professional malpractice as well as reporting on soft current affairs stories like negative equity or road congestion.
They will regularly be asked to pose as a real family in their reports, sometimes filming undercover in an effort to catch ‘the bad guys’ on tape. But they’ll also be working together as themselves as reporters - but reporters who will get to the heart of every story and experience it for themselves. As they’ll be asked to go ‘undercover’ on some stories, they must be unrecognisable to the general public,
so this is a perfect opportunity to break some new talent.
The production company is looking for people with a great screen presence, who’ll be passionate and concerned about the topics they’ll be covering, but who are crucially entertaining characters who have a sense of humour and mischief. Our cast won’t just cover stories. They’ll live them and make them into great, entertaining television. Just being an ‘expert’ isn’t enough.
They want characters of both sexes who span the generations.
· They are looking for two adult ‘children’ between the ages of 18 and 27
(ideally male and female), one grandparent (60 and above) and two parents (40 - 50)
· Each will have credible ‘real world’ experience that they can bring to the show.
· They must be new faces who won’t be recognised when they film undercover.
Some examples of the types of people they’re looking for:
· Lawyers, doctors, accountants, bank managers, estate agents
(any professionals with big personalities, sense of social justice and a sense of humour.)
· Comedians with a social conscience (e.g. a next generation Mark Thomas)
· Traders (e.g. car salesmen, market traders, the real Arthur Daley)
· Former military or police, tough but clever too, perhaps with surveillance skills?
· Journalists - someone with great research skills who can ferret out stories
and information. They may have a high-tech or consumer journalism background
· Financial experts - a retired city financier, business person or financial advisor.
So if you know any lawyers, personal finance experts, etc - please ask them to register on findaTVexpert.com so I can put them forward!”
So get to it!
Suzy xxx
