I met Tamara Sarkisian last year on Instagram! Tamara is currently a Winnipeg-based registered dietitian who appears in the media and shares delicious drool-worthy recipes on social media. Have fun getting to know Tamara!
- Tell us a bit more about yourself, Tamara!
I’m a registered dietitian and lover of all foods. I started my private practice in the summer of 2020 after being a retail dietitian with Loblaws for 3 years. The best part about my job is that it varies everyday, my days can consist of nutrition counselling, recipe development/food styling/photography, creating content for social media, virtual cooking classes, media and consulting for other businesses.
- How did you get started working on TV? How long have you been working in the media?
I started getting exposed to media when I was working part time for dietitian, Helene Charlebois 8 years ago as a nutrition student. I assisted Helene with many TV segments and ended up doing my very first segment on CTV Morning Live Ottawa in 2015. I learned so much from Helene, she was an amazing mentor! In the last 3 years, I’ve also had some filming opportunities when I worked as a retail dietitian with Loblaws and completed some media training through Loblaws as well as Dietitians of Canada. In the past year while working for myself, I have had more media opportunities with CTV Winnipeg, Global Winnipeg, 680 News, Readers Digest and most recently filmed 2 cooking segments on the Great Tastes of Manitoba show.
- What was your most memorable TV interview? Why?
My segment from Global Winnipeg in March of 2021 for Nutrition Month was a hit! I felt very confident because I was prepared and had done a few interviews by this point. I had also filmed myself beforehand with my set up at home, and made sure to do a run down of what I was going to discuss. Practice makes perfect!
- Any ‘fumbles’ during a TV interview? What happened, how did you fix it, what did you learn from it?
My first interview I stumbled on some of words because I was nervous and was trying to speak quickly. I didn’t have specific messages planned out and felt that the person interviewing me didn’t allow me much time to speak. I learned to be more concise with my messages, have simple key points that I wanted to focus on and I learned quickly that I had to practice more to feel more comfortable. The more media interviews you end up doing, the more comfortable you get.
- Can you share 1-2 tips / advice for others who would like to work in the media?
Start by shadowing a dietitian if possible. Help them with their set up and be involved as much as possible through out the entire process so you can learn what works and what doesn’t work. Try doing your own “segment” on your social media platforms by filming yourself for 2-3 min with a topic of interest. Being present on social media and speaking to your audience can be a great start to getting comfortable on camera.
Follow Tamara:
Instagram: @fruitfulkitchen
Facebook: @fruitfulkitchen.ca
Twitter: TamaraSarkisian
Website: www.fruitfulkitchen.ca
