11.09.07

How to become a Science Host, or Why I heart David Attenborough

I'm often asked how one becomes a Science Host or Presenter, and as I got a lovely email from a viewer named Gabe requesting advice, I figured maybe I could offer a few thoughts through ye olde blog here.

First off, as just about everyone at Wired Science knows, I'm obsessed with David Attenborough. Okay, obsessed is probably the wrong word since it's a tad creepy, but I do worship the man.  I've read his biography, I got the box set of Trials of Life for christmas, and I have similar outfits that I don whenever there happens to be a savannah nearby. David Axelrod, our Executive Producer actually happens to know him, and at every script meeting has to hear how my dream is to interview the god of all Natural History Programs. (Er, yes David, that's another hint.)

Anyhow, you probably didn't need to hear all that. My point though, is that I would just sit there in awe at the amazing world that he would present on each show, and wonder how on earth could I have a job like that too? When I finally decided that I didn't want to just watch David Attenborough, rather, I wanted to be David Attenborough (figuratively speaking of course), I turned to Google for help.  But, I didn't find a lot of "how-to's" at the time on the web. So here's my 101 on how to become a Science show Host, brought to you only by my wee bit of personal experience...but if it helps anyone out there, then my Friday afternoon chained to the computer instead of out drinking chi-chi's will have been well spent.

1) Write a list of 10 things you love to do. It can be travel, it can breaking things apart, it can be collecting photos of the Aye-Aye. Whatever. But make sure it's only things that you purely enjoy. Those ten things can shape the kind of TV host you want to be, so you need to be specific. The main thing about being a host is that you need to generate an area of expertise, or specialization, and the things on that list will make you unique. So keep those handy and spend as much time as you can getting better or gaining more experience in those areas.

2) Intern. If someone had told me to intern a long time ago that may have saved me a good 5 years. There are tons of production companies out there, and boy they do love cheap labor. Oops, can I say that? Hehe. Well, you do get something out of it too: school credit. Logging tape for hours on end may not sound glamorous or fun, and it isn't, but what it will do is give you great access to contacts and also give you the basic framework of how a TV show runs. And, of course if you're a great intern, you can become a Researcher. From Researcher you can go to Associate Producer or test out as a Host and so-on. You don't just want your foot in the proverbial door. You want to plant your whole physical body in there too. Ps. Our interns rule, and Chubie, I already miss our weekly choreographed car-dance to Michael Jackson's PYT.

3) If you're too old to intern, go sideways. That's what I did. That is, if you're already past university, then take whatever your current job is and move laterally. If you work in computers or do web programming - find a job that programs for wildlife, or the environment, or whatever your interest happens to be, so that at least your work is transitioning into an area that you're interested in. A degree in the field definitely helps, but you don't always have to start from scratch.  The only thing that I had on hand when I started was email. So I just made some tapes on topics I was interested in and emailed thousands of letters to every programming exec I could think of. I don't necessarily recommend that now, since a) there are spam filters, and b) because I've beat you to it and spammed them all to death already ;>. But where there's a will there's a way. Trust that.

4) Don't listen to naysayers. There are always people out there who love to tell you what you should and shouldn't do with your life. I had many people tell me along the way to try to do something "more practical". I don't know exactly what "practical" means. I can only assume it means don't try to be a TV host.

5) Follow your dream. I didn't say that. Jane Goodall did. She wrote it on a postcard for me that she signed when I was 21 and went to see one of her lectures. So, follow your dreams and also go to lots of lectures. But following your dream means you must have an absolute passion for what you do and be willing to expend a lot of time and energy to realize it. And when I say a lot of time and energy, I don't mean two weeks. I mean years.

6) Don't do this job if you just want to be famous. As you'll notice, there aren't any paparazzi staking out the trash-filled beaches of Matagorda island. Be prepared to work 14-18 hour days if necessary, and make sure to smile while you're being attacked by that small swarm of insects while your caked-on makeup is melting in the hot HD sun. If you can handle that, then all I can say is there's no job like it, and your life will be filled with fun, adventure and some of the most interesting conversations you could imagine.

So there you go folks, my 2cents on becoming a Science show Host. May I be lucky enough to get a chance to sit down for an interview with you one day!

Ziya

Tags: 101, David Attenborough, host, how to, presenter, science, television, tv show

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