This week we’re getting some career inspo by asking lots of ladies to tell us the good, the bad and the ugly bits about their jobs.
We’re calling it ‘Making Ends Meet’ and it’s distracting us nicely from the auld LC and JC …
That’s this JC …
… not this one …
For those of you who fancy a career in the telly industry, you might want to print this page out, stick it on your wardrobe door, decorate it with flowers, give it offerings every morning and absorb every word.
Meet Eimear O’Mahony …
My official title is …
Television Producer / Director, RTÉ
That means that I …
… literally could be working on anything from one week of the year to the next. In the last year I have been Series Producer on Winning Streak and am also currently finalising the new series of The Doireann Project for RTÉ Player. I was a producer on Electric Picnic last August and also produced a few documentaries for Irish Language Programmes. I’ll be one of the producers on The Toy Show later this year.
The three best things about my job that make me jump out of bed in the morning are …
- Variety … No two jobs are the same. From interviewing former GAA players about retirement to chasing people around Stradbally in a golf buggy, it never gets boring!!!
- People … One of the best things about working on Winning Streak was meeting the contestants every week. Can you imagine coming to a show with the possibility of walking away with half a million euro? Everybody has their plans about what to do with the cash if they win and you want them to be able to realise those dreams. When I was on the road filming for Up for the Match a few years ago, again it was great fun going to different GAA clubs and having the craic with the fans. I worked on the Mass on Sunday too and we would have to go to the parish that was hosting the mass for a rehearsal. We always had great fun over a cup of tea afterwards!
- Travel … Working in television has brought me all around the country. Some gigs are Donnybrook-bound but when you are making documentaries you can go anywhere!
The three not-so-great things about my job that make me roll over and bury my head in my pillow are …
Really there is very little I dislike about my job. I’m very lucky to have it. The only thing that can be a pain is working weekends as I have two sons and I missed a lot of GAA matches this season from working Saturdays.
I bagged this job by …
I’ve no doubt I got where I am now from the work experience I got in my college radio station Wired FM in Mary Immaculate College in Limerick. I did a BA degree in Media & Philosophy there. I convinced the station manager of Wired to let me volunteer there before I even got accepted into Mary I. When I did get in I presented their Irish language and traditional music shows.
I was Studio Head and Irish language Officer there for my co-op year. From connections I made there I got small jobs in RTÉ lyric fm when it started. A job then came up in lyric whilst I was in my final year. I got it. I finished in Mary I on a Friday in 2001 and started in lyric fm the following Monday … I’m still here 17 years later.
I also turned down a Masters to accept the job but don’t tell my parents that!!!!
The best advice I could give someone who likes the sound of my job is …
… volunteer with your college radio station. Write for your college newspaper or newsletter. Make connections. Annoy local radio stations … although I got turned down for a job reading the obituaries in Live 95FM … probably for the best!!! It’s not about the degree it’s about showing you are interested and can do the job.
Eimear racked her brain to think of another perk of the job …
Thanks Eimear xxx
PS: Eimear does stand up comedy too!
