Review: TV Presenter Training for Kids

Would your child like the chance to attend a TV presenter training course?

Like most kids of her age, Flea is fascinated by TV presenting, whether it’s making videos for her YouTube channel or watching Max and Nev do their thing on Catfish.

Learn How to be TV Presenter

So when we spotted a workshop where you can learn how to be a TV presenter, Flea was really excited. Even better, this course is just for kids!

The TV Training Academy is a specialist training company that works with aspiring TV presenters and business leaders. Their workshops help with on-camera presentation, confidence and body language.

The company recently launched workshops for young people who are looking to learn more about how to be a TV presenter.

These classes are a fab opportunity for young people to learn about presenting, of course. But they’re also just really good fun if you’re stuck for something to do in the school holidays. The courses are available in Manchester, Bristol and Birmingham. This Easter, Flea attended a 2-day workshop held at Pinewood Studios, just outside London.

She LOVED it.

It’s not that Flea is desperate to grow up and become a TV presenter. But she enjoys making videos, and she thought it would be cool to learn about things like green screens. Meanwhile, I think anything that helps children feel more confident about public speaking is a bonus.

TV Presenter Training for Kids

Each one day TV presenting workshop costs £150. If you book Session 1 and 2 together (they’ll run on consecutive days) then there’s a discount.

Each training session is led by an experienced TV presenter, writer or director. Both presenters we’ve worked with have been brilliant with the children. The training runs from 10am to 4pm. You can collect your child at lunchtime and take them to eat, or leave them with a packed lunch.

If your child is doing the course at Pinewood then it’s worth noting that you can’t leave the studio during the day. So you’ll need to entertain yourself on the studio. This was not a big hardship. I spent the day working in the canteen just next to the stage for the new James Bond movie. There was a whole lot of rubbernecking going on, let me tell you.

Flea’s TV presenting tutor at Pinewood was the friendly and encouraging Victoria Jane. Vicky has  a host of credits to her name but the most impressive is definitely that she was the sentient vacuum cleaner in Teletubbies. She also has awesome transparent DMs with sparkles inside. Just saying.

Ready, Camera, Action!

Day one included some ice-breaker activities, then the children practice reading an autocue, getting tips on how to maintain eye contact with the camera, tone of voice and pace. They then team up with another child from the group and learn about co-presenting, working on a short script for a kids’ TV show.

During the second day, the presenting gets a bit more complex, with the children taking turns presenting with a puppet – and being the puppet. There’s plenty of time to practice and the kids have the chance to run through each segment several times when they fluff their lines. When they’re not filming, they learn about filming, using the clapperboard, and capturing good sound.

Flea’s favourite part of the experience was working with Percy the Penguin. I think it played well to her natural sense of humour and once kids are relaxed, everything comes a bit easier, I think.

I told Flea on the way home that I was ridiculously impressed at her bravery. At 12, life is one long awkward, embarrassing moment, isn’t it? To go into a room of strangers and perform on camera takes some serious courage. Flea was a bit shy, but she had fun, and was so proud of herself afterwards.

Oh – and there’s a memento. A week or two  after the course, you’ll receive a couple of video files from the TV Training Academy showing your child’s best ‘takes’ from the course.

These can be used as a showreel if you have a child who is interested in professional acting or presenting. The clips are edited and backdrops added in, so they look super professional.

Here’s a little snippet of Flea’s work (along with her stellar co-star, who was only just eight, and who I think did brilliantly)

Want to know more?

The TV presenting courses for kids run in the school holidays, and if you’re interested in finding out more, then check out the TV Training Academy website for upcoming dates. At the moment the kids’ presenting workshops are all bookable as single days, or you can book both as a package at a bit of a discount.