Watford-born TV producer on the red carpet

Who gave you your big break?

I owe my start in the industry to the placement unit at Brighton University. My course required me to do a one month industry placement which the staff at Brighton kindly worked very hard to organise with GMTV.

Upon starting the placement it was Michelle Porter, who is now the deputy head of features for Good Morning Britain, who really gave me an opportunity to get involved with the show. I worked on her team for a huge feature where GMTV was renewing wedding vows for 50 couples on Valentine's Day. From that point on, she saw some potential in me and invited me back for another placement.

My work experience with the show eventually led to a job on their training programme upon completing my degree.

Do you get nervous covering an event like the Oscars?

Absolutely, the Oscars are the biggest morning of live entertainment coverage of the year for Good Morning Britain and Lorraine.

Our broadcast on this day is the culmination of months of hard work and planning. But it’s also the most exciting, adrenaline-fuelled experience. With live TV it’s very unpredictable and you never know what to expect.

Are there any rules to reporting on the red carpet that the press are given?

Every red carpet starts off nice and civilised but the second the first star hits the press line-up it becomes every news outlet for themselves. In my experience every rule goes out the window and all of the reporters are trying to get that extra special nugget from a star that is exclusive content for the show they work on.

Is there anyone you are looking forward to interviewing this year?

In the past year I’ve produced interviews with some of Hollywood’s biggest stars. But What’s so exciting about my job is that you never know which star we’ll be interviewing next. Everything moves at such a fast pace and we don’t always get a lot of notice. The most extreme example of that was when we interviewed Mariah Carey in New York recently. Her publicist called me to offer up the interview with Mariah, but we only had 20 minutes notice to get to the location and catch her before she went on stage. That was an exciting night.

Duncan Jarman, who is from Watford, is up for the make-up artist award for The Revenant – have you come across many people from Hertfordshire before?

There are so many Brits living out here in LA. I’ve not met many people from Hertfordshire though. Although saying that my close friend from school has also ended up living out here too which is good.

Is it easy to spot the Brits on the red carpet? How do they compare to the Americans?

Yeah, it actually is pretty easy to spot the Brits. Many of them know the show and recognise our LA correspondent Ross King, so they’ll come over for a chat. They also stand out to me because I recognise them from TV and films at home.

That was the weirdest thing when I first moved here as you come across big American stars that get a lot of attention, but you don’t always know who they are.

Who was the rudest red carpet experience?

So far so good, most stars on a red carpet are there because they want to speak with media so are usually on their best behaviour. So as long as you don’t ask them anything offensive they’re very charming.

What has been the best red carpet experience?

My best red carpet experience has to be at last year's Oscars. We were covering the Vanity Fair party and the buzz was phenomenal. To be broadcasting live and see pretty much every big star in Hollywood walk past was a pretty special experience. It was also amazing to see a real life Oscar up close!

What was it like to interview Elton John?

Producing an interview with Elton John was a dream come true. Being from Watford and a long time supporter of the football club, I’ve always been a fan of his. And he didn’t disappoint, he was absolutely lovely and it was a fascinating interview. We even got chance to talk a bit of football at the end of the shoot, which I never imagined I’d be doing.

Do you have any anecdotes for how you have tracked people down?

I haven’t had to track people down as such. But the craziest thing about living in LA is that you never know who you’re going to bump into. I’ve had lunch and found myself sitting next to a Sofia Vergara who was throwing a party for a friend and I’ve also been seated next to Jason Gordon Levitt in a restaurant too. It makes you realise pretty quickly that Hollywood stars are just ordinary people going about their business.

Who has been the hardest to get hold of?

A part of the job that I really enjoy is trying to book A-list talent for interviews. This past year I’ve landed a few big exclusives for the show including Mariah Carey and Celine Dion to talk with us about their Vegas Residencies. And perhaps the best of all was an extra special interview with James Corden and a look behind the scenes on The Late Late Show out here in the US.

Where do you go shopping for your Oscars outfit?

There’s no shortage of great shops in LA for an Oscar outfit, my favourite area to go is a spot along Melrose Avenue.

Describe the most Hollywood house you have been to?

It’s Ross Kings. He’s got the most amazing place up in the Hollywood Hills. It’s very LA and he has a view of the Hollywood sign from his balcony and pool. I love going to visit him, every time I’m there and seeing the sign it reminds me how lucky I am to be doing this job and to live in LA.