Rickie Haywood-Williams is an MTV news presenter and often gets to travel to far away destinations in order to interview the world’s top celebs. He talks to MKP about the highs and lows of working in front of the camera and offers advice to budding young presenting talent…
Name: Rickie Haywood-Williams
Age: 27
Reside: South London
Job: MTV Presenter
My Job involves… reading the news for MTV News which airs on MTV ONE, MTV HITS, MTV BASE and TMF. I get to interview all the top stars including Justin Timberlake, 50 Cent, Cameron Diaz and The Spice Girls.
I chose this profession because… I grew up watching music videos on MTV and admired all the brilliant presenters that used to be on the channel - especially Sara Cox, Richard Blackwood, Cat Deeley and Trevor Nelson.
I knew I was in the right job when… after 2 weeks of working at MTV my boss sent me on a road trip across Europe and Asia with Xzibit, Danny Dyer, Jamiroquai and loads of other celebs - just to keep a video diary!
On a day-to-day basis my job is… AMAZING! I get to be on TV, meet all the top celebs and work with really cool, like-minded people.
To train for this job I… left school and went to performing arts college where I was taught how to present in front of a camera and behind a radio mic. I then went to university and studied media which included presenting and acting modules among others.
The qualifications I have are… 10 GCSE’s at grade A-C, An A-level in Media and a BTEC National Diploma in Journalism.
The best thing about my job is… getting to fly around the world to countries I probably would never get to visit if I wasn’t working at MTV.
The worst thing about my job is… having to wear make-up when I’m on TV!
The advice I would give to someone starting out is… apply for as much work experience as possible in the area you want to move into. Also, practice makes perfect, so try and practice whenever you get the chance. For example, ask friends to film you at parties, gigs and other events where you can interact with people in front of a camera.
A common misconception about my job is… that it’s easy.
My ultimate career ambition is… to be the number one presenter on the planet!
MySpace are giving you the chance to become an MTV presenter like Ricki. Just upload your show reel to http://www.myspace.com/randomreport. Entries close on the 21st December.
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