British-Ghanaian TV personalities share their career tips
If you think you've exhausted all options when progressing your career, there is always
something else you can try. That's what I took away from the Star 100's 'In
Conversation' session with TV and KissFM radio presenter Melvin Odoom and Sky TV
newsreader Claudia-Liza Armah on 25 February.
Claudia-Liza exposed her nerdy side and had me enthralled at how years
of parent-enforced incarceration (the story of my life as the daughter of
immigrant Ghanaian parents) had resulted in her becoming somewhat of a TV expert.
At one stage during her talk I swear she didn't take a breath between listing all the programmes she watched as a teenager, and reeling off cast members names! I was this 👌🏿close to giving her a standing ovation.
Brighten your corner
Becoming an expert in your field was an overarching theme during the
talks. We learnt that Melvin practically works around the clock from his 4am
start for KissFM through to his DJing late into the night. Straight after his
talk, the former Strictly Come Dancing
contestant was off to another gig.
Claudia-Liza, who has Ga heritage, shared a career strategy she used to net her first job after becoming a mum at age 23. In the days before the internet was so widely accessible, Claudia-Liza would collect contacts of all the media stations in London and approach them. She used her 10% rule, which hinged on the assumption that at least 10% of the companies she has approached would respond to her.
Roots and culture
What both speakers shared was a deep appreciation of their Ghanaian heritage
(even though Claudia-Liza revealed she eats banku with ketchup 👀) and the values
of working hard that are ingrained in our culture.
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| MisBeee with Claudia-Liza and Melvin Odoom who have both forged careers on British TV screens |
You couldn't pick more wildly different personalities if you tried. Melvin, who has Ga and Fante roots,
had me gripped even before the session started. He mixed easily with the
audience, renewed my faith that some celebrities are down to earth, and
effortlessly had us 'catchin joke' throughout his talk.
At one stage during her talk I swear she didn't take a breath between listing all the programmes she watched as a teenager, and reeling off cast members names! I was this 👌🏿close to giving her a standing ovation.
This unconscious training stood her in good stead because when she
pursued potential employers she could give them chapter and verse on
programming, the history of certain shows and industry developments.
Brighten your corner
Claudia-Liza, who has Ga heritage, shared a career strategy she used to net her first job after becoming a mum at age 23. In the days before the internet was so widely accessible, Claudia-Liza would collect contacts of all the media stations in London and approach them. She used her 10% rule, which hinged on the assumption that at least 10% of the companies she has approached would respond to her.
This was how she secured her first job in radio. But that research can
start even earlier, she explained. Follow the path experts in your field trod,
if that means going to a specialised school, college or university, she advised.
Identify where recruiters tend to source new intakes from and when employed, look at employee promotion patterns and how that fits into your five-year plan, she said. Don’t be complacent. When you secure a new job, use each position as a stepping stone to gain new skills and move up the ladder. Just don't give up! ...Or in the words of Melvin: "Keep going, don't stop until no one is interested."
Identify where recruiters tend to source new intakes from and when employed, look at employee promotion patterns and how that fits into your five-year plan, she said. Don’t be complacent. When you secure a new job, use each position as a stepping stone to gain new skills and move up the ladder. Just don't give up! ...Or in the words of Melvin: "Keep going, don't stop until no one is interested."
One resounding 'no no' from both speakers was not to dwell on mistakes.
This - I thought - was apt coming from two professionals constantly in the
public eye. Don’t think that the people you see on the TV now emerged as perfect
presenters, said Claudia-Liza. They had to practise!
Roots and culture
In Melvin's case, being a presenter was not his mum's first choice for
him, but the security she gave him while he followed his passion and worked in
low paid TV jobs showed how supportive she was during his journey.
Similarly, the buy-in Claudia-Liza got from her mother-in-law was really heart-warming. When Claudia-Liza was contemplating a career on the screen with a small child in tow, it was her mum-in-law that said: 'Let's do it' – showing that they were in it together.
Similarly, the buy-in Claudia-Liza got from her mother-in-law was really heart-warming. When Claudia-Liza was contemplating a career on the screen with a small child in tow, it was her mum-in-law that said: 'Let's do it' – showing that they were in it together.
I have to applaud both speakers for being so frank about their journeys.
Both took bold steps to move from established industry names in broadcasting to
relatively unknown players to secure more experience and responsibility.
Those leaps of faith paid off because without them we would not be able to add their names to the burgeoning list of British-Ghanaian TV personalities in the UK. By Kirsty Osei-Bempong
Those leaps of faith paid off because without them we would not be able to add their names to the burgeoning list of British-Ghanaian TV personalities in the UK. By Kirsty Osei-Bempong
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