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Although Emily Ng studied Chemistry at the University of British Columbia, pill she was in fact destined for a career in broadcasting.
An outgoing child, pharmacy Emily became involved in the performing arts at a young age, participating in many talent competitions. She was even cast in minor roles in both TV and film productions in Hong Kong.
While finishing post-secondary studies at UBC, Emily pursued her passion for event hosting and public speaking. In 2007, Emily joined Fairchild TV as a program host.
Recently, we chatted with Emily about her gig as a Fairchild TV program host and her tips on on-camera interviews. .
As a host with Fairchild TV, what are your favourite types of interviews to do?
My favorite interviews are those where I get to talk with passionate guests. No matter how mundane their jobs, hobbies or subject matter seems, there is a reason these individuals are so passionate about it. One is almost guaranteed to learn something from these guests. I live for those “Oh, I didn’t know that” moments in an interview and they make it easy for me to come up with a string of questions.
I don’t know if it is related to my background in Chemistry, but I love to learn how things work and the reasons behind them.
We notice that you speak several languages including English, Cantonese and Mandarin. Do you find it hard switching between languages when interviewing guests?
Funny you should ask. At first, it was difficult. There are major differences between how sentences are put together in English and Chinese. Switching between languages is not as easy as translating word-for-word. It requires a different thought process.
First, you have to translate the sentence, and then you have to put it back together in a completely different way for it to make sense. However, unlike a translator, an interviewer’s most important job is to keep the conversation going in an interesting manner. Sometimes switching back and forth between languages can kill the flow of thoughts.
But ultimately, the human mind is very pliable. All I can say is that you get used to it.
Some people are very nervous when being interviewed for TV. Do you find this with guests and do you have any tips for staying calm while on camera?
Unless they work in showbiz, most of my guests are nervous before the interview. I have many guests who tell me they had not slept a wink the night before. Some even tell me they had trouble sleeping for an entire week prior to the interview! And that is only during make up. Then you sit them down at the studio in this “fake” half a room setting facing cameras and spotlights, with tech guys strapping all kinds of equipments on them. If that is not a conversation killer, I don’t know what is!
The best way to get through a TV interview is to just focus on the person interviewing you. Forget about the cameramen, soundmen and crew. Talk to your interviewer. Do not worry about which camera to look at, how your makeup or hair looks or if the interview is interesting to the audience. We have professionals taking care of all that. Get to know the interviewer and have a heart to heart conversation — the rest will follow.
We see that you are also busy with event planning and hosting. Tell us a bit about this work!
I started out just hosting. Event planning was never part of my resumé, but clients started to ask questions regarding their events such as “how do I set up the stage”, “what should I do with the sound system”, “when should I send out the invitations”, etc. I tried to help them the best I can. Then there were clients who did not properly plan for their events, and guess who was left stranded on stage to deal with damage control? One day, I woke up and thought to myself “hey, why not plan the whole thing”?
In additional to looking the part, hosting and event planning is all about damage control. Most events run like military operations with a high level of coordination between many parties, yet somehow, something always goes wrong. Going to an event for us is like going to battle expecting the worst, except that we have to have a big smile on our face.
Do you see yourself working in broadcast media for the long run? Any dreams for the future?
I think everybody in this business knows that there is an expiry date stamp on our foreheads. With few exceptions, most of us have to eventually leave the industry. But as long as my forehead and my body would hold up, I will continue to work in broadcast media.
My dreams are pretty simple. I want to enjoy life, see different things and experience all aspects of life. Being in the broadcast media has allowed me to do so. It have enjoyed a breadth of experiences that would have been difficult to gain through another industry. Ultimately, I have always dreamt to be content and own a farm full of animals somewhere. But I think that would be far, far away in the future.
For now, I have been itching to try out a movie role! I would really love to experience that. So for directors and casting agents out there looking for a quirky Asian female, please feel free to give me a call!
Thanks to Emily for sharing her tips and insights. For more information about Emily, please visit the Fairchild TV website.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]