With applications now open for the Channel [V] Presenter Search 2012, current [V] presenter, Jane Gazzo, encourages anyone who has ever drooled for the position to give it a shot.
“I get people who contact me on Facebook saying ‘I love your job, I’d do anything for your job’, so put your money where your mouth is. If you want to do it, do it,” Jane says.
Channel [V] will be presenting the search as an elimination type series. “We just feel it’s a great way to find new talent in this country; you’ve got ‘X Factor’, ‘The Voice’, all these singing related competitions, why not a presenter related competition?”
Regardless of what you think a TV presenter’s life is like, though, Jane assures us it’s a hard working gig that will take over your life. “It’s a really full-time job. Even though we’re only in the office four days a week it’s an intense four days, then of course we work Saturdays with The Riff. It’s quite difficult to juggle a social life and even to see bands becomes a little bit of taking and giving, we have to sacrifice a lot, especially our weekends.”
But if you’re still keen for the job don’t think a pretty face is all you need; when Channel [V] Presenter Search found Billy Russell three years ago, it was his “quirky qualities” that made him stand out. “Anyone can audition for this who thinks ‘I look a bit alright’; ultimately we’re not looking for a good face for television, we want a package, someone who knows their music, has an opinion about music,” Jane says.
You’re going to need excellent written communication skills too, as an important part of the role includes writing. “I don’t think a lot of people realise that being a Channel [V] presenter involves an incredible amount of writing; you have to write your own script, you’ve got to research about stuff, write opinion pieces for magazines and articles and the Channel [V] website.”
But if you have the skills and the talent to make it, you’ll become part of, and learn from, a great team. “There’ll be a lot of help, people like myself and Danny Clayton, we’ll definitely help us much as we can.”
And what a wealth of experience there is at [V]. Jane has been a music writer, presenter and reporter for countless media outlets both here and in the UK, while Billy Russell has the experience of going through the presenter search process.
“I think we all bring something different to the presenting team; Carissa (Walford), well she’s gorgeous and she loves her hip hop and she unashamedly loves pop music so she brings that element. Danny’s just been there forever; he’s got a producing background and has a wealth of experience and he’s not a bad looking bloke for the girls,” Jane laughs.
Even with this support network, the new presenter will still need to hold their own with musicians and other celebrity identities. Jane, with all her years of experience, can still get caught off guard, as she found at Soundwave this year.
“I knew exactly who I was going to interview; I’d researched all my questions, no problem. At the last minute someone cancelled and I got handed an interview with Clown from Slipknot. Clown is probably one of the most difficult people in rock and roll; he’s from Iowa, he’s a bit of a redneck and he’s probably not the most pleasant of rock stars to interview,” Jane says.
“Our new presenter is going to be faced with a lot of these challenges so we want someone who can be paddling, holding the interview together.”
But with all that’s going to be required of the new presenter, the best piece of advice Jane can offer is: be yourself. “We’re not looking for a clone of any of us, we want someone completely different who brings a completely different slant to the team.”
So give it a shot. If you’ve got what it takes you may just end up with the job everyone else dreams of. “I absolutely adore my job and the team I work with. When you think about it, it is a fucking great gig because it’s not a 9 to 5 job, you’re at a festival one week, you’re hanging out watching the Foo Fighters the next week on Goat Island. That’s what keeps me there ultimately; it’s the best job in the world, why would I want to give it up?”
CHANNEL [V] PRESENTER SEARCH 2012 AUDITIONS ARE NOW OPEN. vmusic.com.au
