The Other Side

I’ve had the privilege of working with someone very amazing and inspiring people over the years, who have all given me a wealth of advice and guidance.  As I’ve mentioned in my previous blog posts, I’m doing my internship with National Disability Services.  So I decided that it would be a great idea to interview one of my fellow colleagues and former ABC reporter, Geraldine Mellet.

Geraldine, who has had a very successful and accomplished career thus far, is always full of great ideas and a book of knowledge.  She is currently works on the campaign Every Australian Counts as the State Coordinator for WA.  Having being on both sides of the fence, I wanted to ask her a few questions about her amazing career and if she had any advice for aspiring public relations professionals.

1. Tell me a little bit about your professional background.

I’ve got a bit of a mixed background.  I have a double degree in French and Japanese from the University of WA, then went on to live in Japan for one year.  I came back to Perth and studied Film and Television at Curtin University.  And almost at the end of my final year I got a job with ABC Radio.  

Before that I was working with 6NR (now known as Curtin FM100.1) presenting and producing a breakfast and arts show.  It was a fantastic experience because it allowed me to go out and take control because I essentially had no assistance.  I did have a mentor who was fantastic, but at that age being able to go out and take control was an amazing gift.  I learnt an amazing amount there.

But essential, those community radio stations run on very little money but huge energy from many volunteers.  In those days it was multi-cultural programs and for certain brackets of the day, so every half hour, you would have different ethic programs.  So it was interesting and diverse environment, I got to see lots of different shows, I got to try out lots of different ideas and I got to do it on air.  Which was both terrifying and an absolute privilege because you get the opportunity to learn what goes right and what can go wrong.  

After one year I went on to work at ABC with a pool announcers.  I was constantly putting my hand up for extra work because I was really interested in getting into talk radio.  Eventually I got pick to do the morning show after doing three months of relief work.  This was my biggest and steepest learning curve as I had formal training in radio.  And on average, I would be interview 13 to 15 people in a two and a half to three hours segment.

From there, to fit in with family commitments and so forth, I worked part time on a freelancing basis for ABC and Channel 10.  While freelancing I also conducted media training with people on both sides of the fence over the years.  I train people to mostly front radio and television, with some media strategy involved.  I also sometimes train students.

I also hosted the 7.30 report when it was a state based program which was a great personal highlight.

2. How did you get the job at the ABC?  Did you just apply?

Yes and no.  There was a lot of knocking on doors.  

Before I did that short stint on ABC, I had been knocking on their door for quite some time asking for an audition.  They said ‘no, go away’ to me many many times.  I did eventually get an audition.  I said, ‘look, all I want to do is an audition and be on record.  I don’t expect that you’ve got a job’.  The fellow that auditioned me was very weary of people getting in and he said straight after my audition ‘you know there are no jobs, I have told you that right?’ and I said ‘yes I know’.  

About two weeks later, I got a call.  The person said ‘look I’ve got this situation down in Albany and we need someone to do the afternoon program, do you wanna do it?’.  It was a combination of music and talk radio, I think it was something like two hours.  They had this situation where someone’s relative was ill and someone else was going on holiday, so there was no one else.  So I went down there and I loved it.  I sweated blood the first time I did it but I just took to it like a duck in water.  I was incredible lucky, but I worked and worked to make that work.  Got a taste for it, came back [to Perth] and thought how can I do this full time.  

There were no jobs in Perth but I had been volunteering out at Curtin so I went to them and asked what jobs were available.  And then that breakfast position came up so I applied for it.  It was not what I was at all looking for because (1) I have never gotten up before 7am in the morning before and this was a breakfast show, which was 4.45am start every morning and (2) it was a country arts music program and I knew nothing about country music, I thought I hated it and I thought this was a very weird place for me to start.  

But it turned out to be a real gift because I knew that I knew nothing about it and in order to do that program I was going to have to find something in it that I really liked.  So I found some people in the country music community who took me under their wing and introduced me to not only music but personalities, stories and from there I kept running with it.


3. What is your current role and what you would do in an average day?


So I work for an alliance of disability organisations that come together to make the Every Australian Counts happen and to lobby for the NDIS.  And I am one of a very small team around Australia.  So I’m effectively coordinating for WA.  

The job really doesn't have a actually title or description, but I guess the thing that we have been trying to do is lobby publicly and politically to have the NDIS put on the political agenda, accepted and introduced by the government.  And what that has meant doing is firstly going to people connected with disability and saying ‘we need you in this campaign and we need you to be the voices and faces of this campaign’.  So getting to know the sector and bringing them into the campaign and mobilizing them.  And then it has been a matter of coordinating those people and taking action. 

So my day can span any or all over those things.  And it’s changed over time because the campaign has grown so much.  For instances, we are currently preparing for a national day of action on October 26 called DisabiliTEA.  It’s along the lines of the Cancer Council’s Biggest Morning Tea, where we ask people to host some kind of event, whether it be morning tea, afternoon, gin and tonic tea, any type of tea.  But what we are trying to do is get conversations happening about what we are trying to achieve out there and to put some public pressure on.  So in the next few days I will be trying to get people involved, getting their stories, writing them up and I’ll be using them as promotional material.  I will also be talking to local councils about where they can hold a DisabiltTEA and get them involved.  Then on the other side of things, we will also be approaching politicians.

The other thing that I’ve been trying to do is get a line of communication happening between politicians and people with a disability, their families and individuals in the sector.  We were instrumental in organizing a group called WA Parliamentary Friends with Disability Reform and I’m currently talking to them about doing another meeting.  So again, that is all about finding a topic, a place and talking to everyone and trying to find an audience for that.

On a very basic level, it is very lean in terms of personnel and money. So following up with organisations that pledged money is also important.  I also do presentations and coordinator other people to do presentations.  At anytime I might be writing or adapting material.  I’m also constantly looking for opportunities to be promoting. 


4. Can you tell me a little bit about how you got this job and what inspired you to move from journalism to a role that encompasses PR? 


At the time I was freelancing and doing a number of different things when I was approached by somebody I know.  The campaign was being formed and they were looking for people with different skills and my name was mentioned because of my media background.  

The longer story is that in 1988 I co-wrote a book on stroke and disability called “Whose Hand is This” with a nurse who had a stroke.  It was project that I took on, we found funding for it and I went to their house to work because that was the easiest thing.  And I got this up close and personal view of disability.  At the same time my brother go Motor Neuron Disease.  So suddenly I had this big education in disability. 

So I guess from a personal view I had seen it.  It was something that I had always been interested in and had always done stories on.  And I think working on the book was the best thing I had done and I really felt that journalism has a purpose.  And I really liked that.  

When I was approached to do this job, I saw it as pretty much the same.  And that was really the reason why, because I was offered this job.  I couldn’t do it unless I totally believed in what I was doing.  I also want to do things that I feel passionate about.  If I don’t really passionate about it I can’t last.


5. What has been your career highlight for you thus far?


At the ABC, it would be hosting the 7.30 report and being a political interviewer.  Making a documentary in Japan for Channel 10 was also a highlight, as well as making a book.

6.  Is there any professional advice that you can give students that are about to get into the workforce?

Put your hand up and looking out for opportunities.  I was always saying ‘yes, I will’ and taking on extra things.  I did relief work and have done stuff for nothing just to see what it’s like.  It’s good to let people know you are keen to explore different areas and have a go.

Do lots of work experience.

Get a mentor.  I did have a few but at the time I don’t think I was smart enough to realise how important this is.  In my experience, it’s actually really flattering and most people react well.  It’s best if you can contain it and set it up so it’s not a time consuming and specific.  Identify what you want to know and ask them out for a quick coffee.

And lastly, build relationships with journalist.  Remember, most journalist are on deadline so do your research.  Research is the most important part.  You need to know who you want to get to know, so read their articles and see which ones you want to get in contact with.  Write them an email or phone them, suggest stories and make your approach stand out.

Enjoy.

Jess Fuimaono (14557626)

(Sorry this is so long!)