Experts catching the eye of TV Producers - and of the Media

When I set up findaTVexpert.com in 2008 my aim was very simple: to help bridge the gap between the professionals and the programme makers. To give experts who want to be considered for TV&Media opportunities a chance to showcase their skills to the industry. And members of the media (primarily TV but also radio and press), a fast, free and easy way of finding experts to comment on a subject or be part of a show.

That's how I described the service and the business in my business plan, and that's exactly what findaTVexpert is doing today. Below are some of the latest experts who have been found on findaTVexpert and contacted by production companies for screentests, taster tapes and presenting opportunities; by journalists looking for quotes (being quoted is one of the steps to becoming a TV expert - read the other 9 here); by PR companies looking for media spokespeople (another great way of being heard and seen by TV producers on the hunt for experts and new ideas; and for other media opportunities.

I haven't included the names of the TV production companies, magazines, newspapers and PR companies that have been in touch with these experts because they probably wouldn't want their competitors to know what they're developing/writing/working on and who they're contacting. But trust me, it's all good stuff!

And one expert, who isn't mentioned below, has been signed up for a new BBC2 series. Needless to say, as soon as I can issue the press release, I'll be doing so!

1. Ben H, Award winning TV Designer & Renovation Expert

2. Rowan B, Hands on builder/developer and property finder

3. Sean B, Confidence Coach

4. Christopher T, Classteacher + Phonics/Literacy & Teaching Expert

5. Stuart F, Radio 1 Doctor Practising NHS Doctor & Media Medic

6. Lindsay A, Self Help Author & Coach: I Change Lives

7. Jennifer E, Chocolate Expert + Food Developer

8. Gary H, Human Ecologist: Science, Environment & Behaviour

9. Anita S, GP w/specialist interest in Dermatology

10. Alexandra J, Science, Technology and Environment

11. Lexi P, Dating Guru and Matchmaker

12. Sarah M, Fitness Trainer: Pilates to Pole Dancing

13. John G, The Spicy Cook

14. Joanna T, Leadership, China trade & culture

15. Agnes Chi, Science and Technology

16. Cate M, Love Coach

17. David M, Consumer & Corporate Technology Expert

18. Andrew W, Fatherhood and Mondern Parenting

19. Niki D, Psychotherapist & Counsellor: Adults & Teenagers

20. Debi B, Transform Your Life...Self Improvement Expert

21. Vanessa K, Passionate Trained Chef & Food Writer

22. Amana W, Coach: find your personal X factor and stand out!

23. Rachel R, Franchising Expert & Lay Minister.

24. Susie P, Get Happy, Change Your Life and Get on Track Fast.

TV Talent Hunters Head to Manchester

Could YOU be a TV Expert? Have you got the X-PERT factor? Do you want to know how to get on TV? Find out on the 10th of March 2011.

FindaTVexpert.com and Mentorn Media are on the hunt for new TV talent across the UK this year and their first stop is Manchester. They’ll be presenting the Could YOU be a TV Expert? seminar at The Cornerhouse on the 10th of March from 6-7.30pm and giving experts who want to be considered for TV opportunities the chance to find out how the TV industry works and what they should be doing to catch the eye of a TV producer. Advance booking is required.

Findatvexpert.com is the online database of new and existing TV experts which was set up by TV series producer Claire Richmond in 2008. And Mentorn Media is the UK’s longest established independent TV production company with programmes including Question Time, Motorway Cops, Cutting Edge and Panorama under its belt.

Experts who think they’ve got the x-pert factor and want to promote themselves to the TV industry, can attend the Could YOU be a TV expert? seminar and discover why experts are crucial to the success to TV programmes, what kind of experts the programme makers are looking for, how they find them, and what experts should be doing to make the industry sit up and take notice of them.

The seminar will be presented by findaTVexpert’s Claire Richmond, series producer of some of TV’s most popular shows including BBC’s Changing Rooms, Ready Steady Cook & Don’t Get Done Get Dom TV, and Mentorn Media’s Head of On-Screen Talent, Sonia Beldom.

“The aim of findaTVexpert is to bridge the gap between the professionals and the programme makers; to bring together experts who want to be considered for TV programmes with production companies looking for experts to comment on a subject or be part of a show,” says findaTVexpert founder Claire Richmond. “I’m sure Manchester’s got lots of experts who'd be great on TV and I’m looking forward to meeting them and helping them get a step closer to achieving their goal.”

“New experts are crucial to the success of factual programmes because they bring passion and credibility to a series. They also bring new ideas to the table and access to people, places and projects that have the potential to inspire viewers, attract new audiences and set new trends. We are committed to making ground breaking factual television and we’re also committed to finding and nurturing new experts who will help us achieve that. Manchester here we come!" says Sonia Beldom, Head of On-Screen Talent at Mentorn Media.

Seminar booking info: Tickets cost £30 per person and must be purchased in advance as spaces are limited. For more information and to book your place email claire@findatvexpert.com.

If you can't make the Manchester seminar, you can join findaTVexpert and Mentorn Media on their hunt for new TV talent in Bristol (07/04/10), Glasgow (12/05/11), Cardiff (09/06/11), Birmingham (7/07/11) and London (08/09/11).

Get on TV This Year

Last year I outlined the 10 Steps to Becoming a TV Expert. Well ... I'd like to add an 11th one: if you can't get in through the front door, try the back one. What I mean is this: if there's a TV series that ties in with your passions & interests (instead of your expertise), apply to be on it as a contributor. For example, if you like cooking, get in touch with the Come Dine With Me team. If you're house proud, try ITV's May the Best House Win, etc. Because all these shows give you a platform to say who you are and what you do. They also give your personality a chance to shine through. Plus an understanding of how TV programmes are made, contacts within TV production companies and the chance of being clocked by the channel's commissioning editor. Think of Ben Fogle. He was on BBC's Castaway as a contributor in 2000 and hasn't been off our TV screens since. And the same is true of Alison Hammond. She was on the third series of Big Brother in 2002 and is now a regular on This Morning. So if you want to get on TV this year, think of the programmes you'd be good on and google them. If they're looking for contributors there will usually be something on the website. Good luck! (And if you want to find out how to promote yourself as a TV expert, come along to one of the 'Could you be a TV expert? seminars I'm hosting with Mentorn Media's Head of On-Screen Talent. Details in post below.)

GOT THE X-PERT FACTOR? WANT TO BE ON TV?

TV TALENT HUNTERS, FINDATVEXPERT.COM AND MENTORN MEDIA, ANNOUNCE DATES FOR THE 2011 'HUNT FOR NEW TV TALENT’ REGIONAL TOUR

News Release

Could YOU be a TV expert? Do YOU want to 'get on TV?' Findatvexpert.com has teamed up with Mentorn Media, one of the UK's longest established independent television production companies, to host a series of ‘Could YOU be a TV Expert’ seminars across the UK in a ground breaking hunt for new TV talent in 2011.

The 6-location tour will commence in March 2011 with two of the UK's best talent hunters visiting Manchester (10/03/11), Bristol (07/04/11), Glasgow (12/05/11), Cardiff (09/06/11) and Birmingham (7/07/11), finishing in London in September (08/09/11).

Experts who think they’ve got the x-pert factor and who want to be considered for TV programmes,can attend one of the Could YOU be a TV expert? seminars and discover how the TV industry works, what kind of experts the programme makers are looking for, how they find them, and what experts should be doing to make the industry sit up and take notice of them.

Each seminar will be presented by findaTVexpert founder Claire Richmond, who has series produced of some of TV’s most popular shows including BBC’s Changing Rooms, Ready Steady Cook and Don’t Get Done Get Dom and Mentorn Media’s Head of On Screen Talent, Sonia Beldom.

Seminar booking info: Tickets cost £30 per person and must be purchased in advance as spaces are limited. For more information or to book your place email claire@findatvexpert.com.

Ends

Note to Editors
Findatvexpert.com is an online database of new and existing TV experts. It gives experts who want to be considered for TV opportunities the chance to promote themselves to broadcasters and TV production companies. And it gives broadcasters and TV production companies a fast and easy way of finding experts to comment on a subject or be part of a show.

Since its launch in 2008, numerous experts have been found on findaTVexpert and booked for TV & Media opportunities, including personal finance & property expert John Rennie (BB1’s ‘The Unsellables); tapping expert Janet Thomson (Channel 4's 'Who Knows Best: Fighting the Fat); food scientist Audrey Deane (BBC2’s E Numbers: an Edible Adventure); Dr of Clinical Psychology Abigael San (Sky Real Lives); and explosives & bomb expert Stephen Miller (BBC2’s Victorian Pharmacy). And in the past 2 months alone, over 30 experts have been screentested for programmes that are in development.

Christmas Competition Winner: Jack Brelstaff

Congratulations to Jack Brelstaff, who won a unique Christmas present: a year's membership on findaTVexpert (details of competition here). He's doing a PhD in frontotemporal-dementia and is an expert in most areas of neuroscience. He's deeply passionate about his work and the implications of his research in the future. We're delighted to welcome him to the team of experts on findaTVexpert and help promote his knowledge to the TV industry.

TV Companies on the Hunt for Talent

I spent a lot of time last month discussing a wide range of experts with Channel 4, Steadfast TV, Fremantle Media, Princess Productions, Liberty Bell and a freelance development producer who's on the hunt for experts based in Scotland. And in the past few weeks more Heads of Development, Creative Directors, Casting Producers, Series Producers, Assistant Producers and Researchers from RDF, Lime Pictures, Daisybeck, Isis Media, Fever Media, Dragonfly TV, Two Four, Studio Lambert, the BBC and ITV have registered to search the site. Plus freelance journalists and a reporter from The Scotsman.

The industry's definitely on the hunt for talent. And the good news is that they're finding it on findaTVexpert. Here are some of the latest experts who've been booked for TV appearances, screentests and media interviews.

1. Lady Lesley C, Aristocratic Tamer: Horses, Cattle & Kids

2. Sian A, Lady Builder, Interior Designer & Landlord

3. Vena R, Kama Sutra, Tantric Sex and Romance Expert

4. Stephanie M, Nutritionist + Food Therapist

5. Anna G, Happy Working Parents = Productive Employees

6. Lexi P, Dating Guru and Matchmaker

7. Dr. Victoria G, Doctor of Counselling Psychology & Life-Coach

8. Madam Becky, Ex Madam, Author & Speaker on UK Prostitution

9. Susie P, Get happy, change your life & get on track fast

10. Simon W, Teacher + Youth, Familial & Social Issues

I don't want to blow my own trumpet but it's Christmas, so I will: findaTVexpert is a great service. And from a personal point of view, knowing that something I set up is helping experts achieve their goals is a great feeling.

Unique Christmas Present: A Year's Membership on findaTVexpert

Forget sweaters, socks, perfume or aftershave. What you REALLY want for Christmas is a present that can change your life: a year's membership on findaTVexpert.com, the online database of talent that more and more members of the TV industry turn to when they're looking for experts to comment on a subject or be part of a show.

So if you think you could be the next Hairy Biker, Kim or Aggie, Handy Andy, Jamie Oliver, David Attenborough, Jo Frost, Tanya Bryon, Lawrence Llewellyn Bowen, etc, here’s what you have to do for your chance to win a year’s free membership on findaTVexpert.com for Christmas.

Email the following to info at findatvexpert dot com by 6.00pm on Wednesday, 22 December 2010:
1. A paragraph of no more than 100 words explaining who you are, what you do and why you’d be a great TV Expert.
2. A current photo and contact number (daytime & evening).
3. A copy of your CV (or similar) outlining your employment history and the training/qualifications that prove you’re an expert in your field of business.

Everyone with the skills, training and qualifications to prove they’re an expert in their field of business can enter the competition, from architects to zoologists and all the experts in between - handymen & historians; wildlife, survival & adventure experts; sportsmen, business men & tradesmen; dentists & designers; scientists, sociologists, etc – because you never know what the industry will be looking for next.

The competition opens on Wednesday, 1 December 2010 and closes at 6.00pm on Wednesday, 22 December 2010. Completed entries will go into a draw and one winner will be picked at random and announced here and on twitter on Christmas Day, Saturday, 25 December 2010.

Good Luck!

Terms and conditions apply:
1. The competition opens on Wednesday, 1 December 2010 and closes at 6.00pm on Wednesday, 22 December 2010. Entries received after that time will not be considered.
2. To be eligible you must be an expert in your field of business with the skills, training and qualifications to prove it; over 18 and a UK resident. And you must not have any previous criminal convictions.
3. Proof of age and eligibility may be required.
4. By entering this competition you agree to comply with these terms and conditions and you agree that your entry may published in all media, adapted, in whole or in part at the Promoter’s sole discretion.
5. All eligible entries must be received via email and contain a paragraph of no more than 100 words explaining who you are, what you do and why you’d be a great TV Expert; a current photo & contact number and a CV (or similar) outlining your employment history and the training/qualifications that prove you’re an expert in your field of business.
6. All eligible entries will be entered into a draw on the 22nd of December 2010 after the closing time. One winner will be picked at random and announced here - and on twitter - on the 25th of December 2010.
7. findaTVexpert bears no responsibility for entries which don’t make it into the draw because they’ve been blocked or identified as junk email, spam, etc.
8. findaTVexpert will not acknowledge receipt of any entry that is sent in.
9. Entries that fail to meet the eligibility criteria or otherwise fail to meet these terms and conditions will not be entered into the draw.
10. The prize is a year’s free membership on findaTVexpert.com, which gives experts the chance to create a searchable Profile & CV and be promoted to the TV industry.
11. The winner will have until the 31st of January 2011 to register their details on www.findaTVexpert.com. Failure to do so will result in forfeiture of the prize and findaTVexpert reserves the right to award the prize to the next eligible entry picked at random.
12. There is no alternative prize or cash equivalent and the prize is non-changeable and non-transferable.
13. The winner may be required to participate in publicity relating to the competition.