Chances are you’ve seen Chef Andrea Buckett on TV! She’s known for sharing practical cooking tips and kitchen prowess along with easy recipes with dynamite flavour! Andrea is a regularly featured food expert on TV, social media, in print and on the web. Have fun learning more about Andrea and check out her recipes at andreabuckett.com!
1. How did you get started working on TV / creating videos?
When I first started I was volunteering my time to create segments for small markets. Rogers Daytime had several smaller market locations and I did a lot of segments in the early days to get experience. I also supported other chefs by doing food prep and food styling for their on air-segments. Videos soon followed as the social media scene began to take off and I knew that video was going to be king of the content world.
2. What was your most memorable TV interview?
I once did a series of very short (2-3min) cooking segments with CMT Canada. I probably did close to 15 of them over a two day shoot. This was my first foray into a large market network that had a national viewership. I remember being so nervous but so excited at the same time. It felt like the years of working in smaller markets was starting to pay off.
3. Any ‘fumbles’ during a TV interview? What happened, how did you fix it, what did you learn from it?
Last year during the pandemic I had a partnership with a brand to do 4 segments. The segment was broken into two parts. The first was to highlight the brand and the second was to give general kitchen organization tips. On this particular day I decided to do the kitchen organizational tips first and just as I was about to get into the brand key messages the host cut me short and said “thanks for all the great tips.” Even though I had the brand on the table I had not mentioned their name or any key messages. The segment which was to be 5min ended up being 3min. There was nothing I could do. I immediately emailed the person who managed the PR for the brand and just told them what had happened. We agreed that I would do some extra social media to make up for my faux pas. Thankfully, I had a good relationship with the PR person and all was smoothed over. It was a reminder to always get your brand messages in off the top and to never get so comfortable that you forget how easily things can go sideways. I’ve always prided myself on being completely transparent with brands and so taking full responsibility for that slip up was important.
4. Can you share 1-2 tips / nuggets of advice for others who would like to work in the media?
Get good at following up. You might have to follow up often in the beginning when you are trying to secure segments. Producers often work with people they have been working with for a long time because they know the quality of segments they create and present. Sometimes it takes a while before a producer will give you a chance, don’t give up.Be flexible. There are many interests when building out a segment. Yours, the producers/audience and sometimes a brand. Everyone has to be happy with the segment and that often takes compromise and negotiations.
Watch one of Andrea’s recent TV segments here. Follow Andrea on Facebook and Instagram @andreabuckettcooks
