Julie  

Sky Sports Presenter 

 

Biography

I started at King Alfred’s College (now the University of Winchester) in September 1999 studying Media and Film Studies with Business Management.

The course at Winchester provided me with good practical experience of working within television; one of my modules within Media and Film Studies covered practical production where we used the same edit facilities that I now use at Sky.

While studying for my degree I also did work experience placements at Channel 4 News and the BBC, working on EastEnders Revealed, which cemented my ambition to work in television. It is all about who you know in media so you have to network and make as many contacts as possible.

After graduating I found out the name of a lady who worked at Sky Sports and wrote to her asking for a job. I was lucky to get an interview and had to do a quiz on my knowledge of sport, but then I basically pestered her until she gave me a runner’s shift! I spent three years as a runner which was tough but it is the best way to learn a lot quickly.

A position became available as an Assistant Producer on Sky’s greyhound racing coverage which was one of the programmes I has been working as a runner for. I asked the Producer if he'd consider letting me try and do the job and he said yes!  I was put on a two month trial so had to learn a lot very quickly as it was a big jump in position but I managed to survive the two months and carried on from there.  A few months later another Assistant Producer called in sick to Soccer Saturday and they asked for my help.  Luckily for me that also then turned into a permanent freelance position so I worked for them for about 6 years until the greyhound show got too busy for me to be able to do both.
 
I've been lucky enough to meet some really famous people who I've either worked with directly or people I've met at functions and dinners you occassionally get invited to.  These people include Jamie Redknapp, Wayne Rooney, Arsene Wenger and also the late George Best which was a highlight for me. 

While I was working as Assistant Producer for the greyhound racing coverage, my Producer agreed to let me conduct some of the interviews on some of the shoots. From there, I now also do some of the live reporting on the programme which is great, but is a lot harder than I thought it would be. Listening to five people in the production truck, at the same time as you are concentrating on which camera to look at, what you are asking, what the interviewee is saying and when you have to shut up isn’t easy!

I now go to one or two shoots a week interviewing the dog trainers, owners and celebrities who own dogs as well as 35 live outside broadcasts a year. What I love most about my job is that no two days are ever the same and I’m rarely stuck at my desk for a whole day, let alone a week. I just don’t think I could ever do that now, my life is too exciting – I get to travel all over the country and meet new people.

If you’re passionate about a career in television it is all about contacts and making friends in the right places. Once you’re in you pretty much have to be prepared to do anything and work all hours. It’s all worth it in the end.