Showreels can get you work or get you frustrated!

March 19, 2021

TV Presenter Show Reels

Your TV Presenter show reel is the most important marketing tool you have so make sure it looks professional. Ideally containing at least 6 clips and around 2-3 minutes long. Your show reel should show that you’re not only a confident and a natural presenter but more importantly your personality, expertise and your brand, what is your talent!

Ideally it should look like a collage of presenting work/projects you have done over a year. Be careful of using copyright music, photos and any logos – get permission!! Don’t pretend that it’s from the BBC when its not! If your show reel is branded by the company that made it, it’s a marketing tool for them and not a promotional video for you! Our show reels from our 5 day masterclass and 1 to 1 production days are not branded. They are individual and unique to get you work!

Try to think what your brand is or area of expertise, your passion or just something you’re knowledgeable or passionate in. If you can’t think of anything, imagine what show you would want to present, if you could present any show in the world. Is it sports, politics, light entertainment or children’s then try to base your show reel around that. One thing to try and avoid is is having bits and pieces from every genre, news-broadcasting, shopping tv, children’s, sports. An agent or casting directer will not know where to market you and will not know what your brand is.

Casting directors & producers are busy people and may look at hundreds of show reels for a casting, it can be a tedious job so you really need to stand out in the first 10 seconds, most people will have switched off after 30 seconds so make sure your best bits are first! Think of it as a trailer to a movie and keep them wanting more so they will call you in.

Show reels are a work in progress and should ideally be updated at a minimum of every 6 months to a year, if it’s not, a casting director / producer may not think your current and might wonder if you are a bit ‘rusty’ or ‘out of practice’. It’s really easy to update your show reel with editing programs such as iMovie and as a new Presenter it’s always best to how to edit so you can update as and when you get new material.

Top 5 Do’s and Do Not’s for your showreel:

• Keep it under 3 minutes and your best bits first
• Try to reflect your brand and expertise
• Stay away from telly talk i.e ‘Hello and welcome to the show’ or ‘coming up after the break’
• No long graphical intros or collages.
• Personality, personality, personality, show what makes you different, what’s your USP?

Want to know what show reels get our presenters work, pop over to our YouTube channel and take a look!