Session 2: Passion, Excellence & Compromise: A map to success in broadcasting

As part of our series of blogs from the mentees on 2024's Learning the Ropes programme, we're sharing a piece by Cressy Bryant on watching the in conversation talk between Dermot O'Leary and Andi and Miquita Oliver during session two.

With the buzz of excitement from an eager group of mentees still afresh, the gang reunited for the second evening at Fremantle. On top of the chance to see our mentors once more, this week also offered an exciting guest speaking slot; Andi and Miquita Oliver! 

The mother-daughter duo - who have taken on various forms of broadcasting since their inception with the industry in late 90s - came down to talk about how it all began, their subsequent careers and impart some stellar advice to the mentee group. As an avid listener of Miquita’s podcast with Lily Allen called ‘Miss Me?’, I was particularly excited for this latter portion of the evening.

The evening began in the Fremantle atrium, as mentors mingled and mentees caught up with one another over a generous spread of pizza, beers and wine. After a brief introduction from our lovely organisers Dermot, Fran and Moona, we paired off for some 1:1 mentee-mentor time, spending the next half hour hashing out a synchronised ‘how to take the TV industry by storm’ plan.

Finally, the time came for the main event. We all took our seats as Dermot welcomed Andi and Miquita to the stage. The duo have gone from radio, to working on numerous unscripted TV projects over the past twenty years, and now have their own podcasts. But how did it actually all start? The conversation kicked off by taking us back to the 90s, where Andi and Miquita were “thrown in the deep end” with their first respective radio shows, having both been introduced to the industry by acquaintances. Andi went from volunteering in an HIV hospice, to hosting her own radio show on Greater London Radio, which, as Miquita puts it, “is so 90s…so quick to get mainstream”. Miquita similarly got straight into radio after someone had remembered her from a party and invited her to audition, where she then discovered her natural ability to host.

Whilst their entries to the industry seem somewhat easy in comparison to what we are currently experiencing, both speakers made it clear that it took hard graft to propel the opportunities given to them even further. With live TV being unpredictable and “sometimes quite scary”, both Andi and Miquita had no choice but to learn new skills in real time. Whether that was Andi driving the radio for the first time live on air, or Miquita navigating an earpiece with talkback live on air, they explained the importance of “knowing and learning your shit”. Getting stuck into learning was the fun bit for Miquita, who treated those first jobs like school, because “there was so much to learn, I just had to get on and do it’”. Andi vocalised similar experiences, explaining how she enjoyed being thrown in the deep end, because “what I learnt in the first year I have never forgotten and is now the foundation to my work.” These anecdotes painted a very clear picture of entry level work; you’re not expected to bring extensive knowledge or skills on set. Rather, enjoy the opportunity for learning in those first few jobs, because it is ultimately what will pave the way for you.

So, what is it you can bring to an entry level role? The topic of conversation next landed on the importance of passion and valuing what you do. When taking an entry level position, it is sometimes easy to feel small in the world of production, but as Dermot pointed out, every role on set has its purpose, so “never underestimate how important the small cog is in the big wheel!”. The best thing you can do actually, is go the extra mile, show people honest attention, build real relationships, and as Miquita puts it, “be excellent, and people will realise”. Ultimately, you need to find your creative drive, because once you figure out why you want to be there, your commitment will come naturally. For Miquita, a natural talent at presenting, genuine love for TV and an innate curiosity into the lives of others, is what drove her; “I loved the idea of inserting myself into strangers' lives. Touching upon her later success with T4, her excellence was indeed noticed as she explains how “people would tell me that I got them through hangovers at uni, so I feel as though I have served everyone well!”.

At this stage of the evening, it was clear that a true passion and commitment are the key building blocks to fruitful careers. So as Dermot segued the conversation into the recent projects Andi and Miquita have spearheaded, it was interesting to hear how exactly these traits have become embedded in everything the duo do. Talking about The Caribbean with Andi and Miquita, Andi explained how incredible it is to finally reach the point where you can tell your own stories; “I call it the good clean air at the top of the mountain! You feel like you can take a deep breath and really express yourself”. Both Andi and Miquita were also producers on that show, so were able to extend their influence into the edit too, which Miquita felt to be very powerful stuff, especially when hearing feedback from fans that their storytelling had “helped heal generational pain”. Speaking on this topic, their passion was palpable, but they both expressed that it was specifically at the lowest moments of filming, stuck in airports with huge amounts of kit and no sleep, that it was their genuine love of TV keeping them committed.

Like with anything creative, however, there will always be times to compromise. Even on their own projects, Andi and Miquita have had to firmly resist the unwanted influence from producers to protect their vision. Andi’s near miss with a particularly suggestive podcast title proposed to her (along the lines of ‘Andy Oliver’s Big Gash Bash) and Miquita’s similar frustrations with BBC producers over the episode titles for her podcast ‘Miss Me?’ both illustrated the realities of working within the shackles of larger production companies. But as Miquita pointed out, being “solution based is so important” because it enables you to compromise and move forward rather than letting your frustrations hinder progression. This also extends to the projects you take on; there may be times where your only solution to getting a paycheck is to take on a project that perhaps never appealed to you before. But as both our speakers made abundantly clear, it's these experiences that will give you a more rounded understanding of the whole industry, because, as Andi puts it “everything is something”.

As the conversation rounded off and we moved to questions, I began to get nervous. Remember earlier when I mentioned I was an avid ‘Miss Me?’ fan? Well, I knew I wanted to pipe up with a question at this point, however I have to admit that it took me a good few minutes to muster up the confidence. After practising a few times in my head first, I shot my hand up with a question for Miquita: “as a producer of your own podcast, how do you protect it as your passion project and stop it being steered in another direction by producers?”. Miquita’s answer? While compromise is important, you sometimes need to set your boundaries by saying a lot of “no’s”.

Learning, passion, excellence, boundaries, compromise…I think the advice offered up by Dermot, Andi and Miquita over the course of the evening perfectly maps out the approach one should take as an entry level candidate right through to the producer end of things. Start by finding your creative drive, be intentional in learning new things, and say a lot of ‘yes’s’. Once you reach the higher echelons of production and you’re breathing that “good clean air”, you can then transition to a more assertive version of yourself, protecting your vision by setting boundaries or finding compromises.