Artistes of the Month
Also featured: Chris Rogers, Jackie Bird
Thalia
Pellegrini
Thalia
can currently be seen presenting Fast Track, a travel programme broadcast
across the globe for BBC World. Producing and reporting for the channel's
flagship travel show, she covers both business travel and leisure stories
from all over the world.
Thalia graduated in English from Cambridge University in 1997. She began her career in television as a production runner, developing her skills to become a researcher, then an assistant producer.
Her first on-screen job was as a broadcast journalist for a local cable channel - she directed, reported and produced packages for London and the South East. She also launched her showbiz presenting career around this time, reporting from movie premieres and interviewing stars for film show ACNY.
In 2001 she joined the BBC's long-running children's news programme, Newsround. In 2003, she was asked to step in front of the camera for the programme, becoming the face of the flagship weekend bulletins. She was also a reporter/presenter for the launch of Newsround Showbiz, an entertainment news show, covering film premieres, movie junkets and music award ceremonies.
In 2005 she was asked to join CBBC's flagship kids' consumer show, Short Change. As an investigative journalist she reported on stories as far ranging as the risks of black henna tattoos to mobile phone scams.
More recently Thalia has been a reporter for the BBC's Holiday programme, visiting amongst other places Thailand to report on avian flu and Tanzania to report on so-called "voluntourism".
As well as travelling for work, Thalia loves to travel in her spare time too. Her other interests include nutrition, pilates and fiction-writing.
Click
here to view Thalia's online video showreel
Chris
Rogers
At
the age of 30, Chris Rogers is not only the youngest national newscaster
but also one of the most experienced and respected. Since 2003, he has been
one of the main presenters for ITV News. He presents five days a week on
the ITV News Channel and presents ‘news wall’ graphic sequences
on the ITV1 Lunchtime News. Chris also regularly presents ITV1 Weekend News
bulletins and the ITV News London service, London Today/Tonight. Following
his success on LBC 97.3fm, Chris has been invited to become a regular presenter
for BBC Five Live and can often be heard at the weekends.
Chris is also a determined journalist in the field and has just returned from the Philippines for ITV1 News, where he received a global response to his reports on the abuse of thousands of young children locked up in adult over crowded prisons for petty crimes. He recently reported for Five News on efforts to save the endangered Orang-utan. This was Chris’ own independent production.
Chris has worked extensively for radio and television for over 12 years. He made his debut reporting for the BBC Five Live youth programme Vibe. He went on to present for Buzz FM in Birmingham in 1990, Hallam FM in 1991 and swiftly progressed to London’s Capital FM.
He has presented various youth programmes for the BBC, including PX – which took Chris around the world covering topics such as religion, poverty and political issues for BBC1. He has also written and presented his own six-part series A Life of Knowledge for the BBC an informative and alternative view of further education.
In 1994 Chris became the youngest ever presenter of both BBC 1’s Newsround and the Emmy Award-winning Newsround Extra. Chris has interviewed many high profile celebrities and politicians and has reported for BBC Breakfast News, the 6 and 9 O’clock News and BBC World Service. He was noted for his reports on the Dancing Bear trade in India, Child Workers in Nepal and the Sudan famine for BBC News.
After a five year stint with BBC Newsround and BBC News, Chris joined Sky News as a reporter and presented BBC Songs of Praise and ITV’s Brilliant Creatures.
Chris became a Sky News presenter in 2001 – and was live on-air when news broke of the September 11th terrorist attacks in the US. He has also worked closely with Children’s Express – an organisation encouraging young people to take up journalism – and co-ordinated three Children’s Express interviews with the three party leaders at the 2001 General Election, broadcast on Sky News.
Chris has picked up numerous awards for his work and was nominated for the Royal Television Society Young Journalist of the Year. Sky News was awarded a BAFTA for its coverage of September 11th and 12th 2001.
In April 2002 Chris was asked to be the news presenter on Channel 4’s new breakfast show RI:SE, which was a Sky co-production with Princess. He then returned to Sky News for its coverage of the War on Iraq and the flagship Nightly News programme on LBC 97.3FM.
On ITV News Chris has already handled major breaking stories including the resignation of Alistair Campbell and the deaths of Dr David Kelly and the Pope and the London terror attacks.
Chris has been involved in two major undercover investigations and his exclusive reports have featured on ITN’s ITV News. Kids Behind Bars (tx August 05) exposed the cruelty thousands of young children experience in adult jails in the Philippines and in September 2006, Chris’s investigation into Romania’s abandoned orphans, exposed shocking images of thousands of children living in appalling conditions, in the country’s institutions.
Jackie Bird
Jackie
Bird is one of the best-known faces in television in Scotland and can turn
her hand to anything.
She presents BBC Scotland’s flagship nightly news programme Reporting Scotland and, on BBC Radio Scotland, the Saturday morning show Choice Cuts.
She played a key role in the recent General Election programme Vote 2005 and presents the monthly political programme Scottish Questions from Westminster.
Jackie is also host of other annual BBC Scotland programmes such as the Hogmanay Show, Music Live and BBC Children In Need.
Jackie also writes and produces for TV and radio. 2006 sees the launch of her new comedy series The Lewis Lectures, for Radio Scotland, and a sitcom pilot Having It All.
A busy newspaper columnist and contributor, Jackie is in high demand as host of corporate events including conferences, award ceremonies and after dinner speaking.
She is a keen runner and patron of JogScotland. She is also a swimmer
and all-round sports enthusiast.
Further Information
For further information or for a copy of our latest speaker booklet please phone one of our consultants whose expert advice will help you find the right personality for your event.
View All Artistes