Liam Joyce caught up with Idols presenter and producer, ProVerb
You joined Idols in season 6 as a presenter; you are now a producer on the show, what’s been some of the major changes?
Wow! Well for one I think the profile of the viewer we are speaking to has changed significantly. Secondly the profile of the contestants and the calibre of talent has changed substantially, even the judging panel has gone through some changes and the show has grown in leaps and bounds.
American Idol just came to an end- will this be a final season for Idols SA?
Absolutely not, if you look at the projectorary we are on, I think we are far from our last season. I would not be able to commit to how many more seasons because ultimately that is the channels call to make, but if you base it on our viewership, sponsorship and even the amount of votes our contestants get, then we have many more seasons to go.
You are a presenter and producer, how easy is it for you to swop between the two?
It’s absolutely easy; in fact I think they both support each other, because I am behind the scenes and in front, I get to deal with all the nuts and bolts. As a presenter I now know which angles work best, the lighting positioning, and even what contestants should say and I know this now because of becoming a producer on the show so its really good to play both roles.
You have gradually gravitated towards behind the scenes of the TV game, with producing credits on some of SA's top shows. How do you choose a show you'd like to produce? Is there a particular checklist you use?
For me producing was something I always wanted to get into but I am glad that it happened organically. I know that I am not going to be the face of a show or presenting for the rest of my life, that has a lifespan so I am just positioning myself so that when it is time to stop, I can gracefully bow out. Right now I am not necessarily picking particular projects to work on but I am exposing myself to all, you know casting my net wide and expanding my pool of knowledge.
Pitch us a TV show you think would work for a South African TV audience?
We are sentimental people, we are emotional so I would go for something reality, and it’s a global working phenomenon right now. Id put together something that’s full of emotion and will get people talking, I don’t want something scandalous but it’s also great to push the envelope so I would do something like The Bachelor but a gay bachelor. One that speaks to love, its talkable and gay people are larger than life, you cant script that kind of show, it will have massive amounts of entertainment, you cant go wrong with that show. Now don’t steal my idea.