We Speak to Leading Sports Broadcaster Alex Steedman
Ever considered a career in sports broadcasting ? Many do and attempt to break into one of the most competitive areas of journalism .
Here we speak to leading sports broadcaster Alex Steedman and ask him how he got his break into sports broadcasting and his career covering racing and boxing.
What jobs did you do on leaving school?
I left school prematurely after my O’levels which was a mistake and left me unprepared for the immediate future. I got a job at 16 as a trainee in an opticians which could’ve been a decent career but I was too young to settle into that and went back into further education and into university. To be honest, that was more of a lifestyle choice than a career move and I’m glad I did so. But my Uni degree, although in English, didn’t have much bearing on the career I now have.
You are a familiar face/voice on Racing TV and Boxnation .How did you get the break onto TV ?
I always loved sport and became quite passionate about Horse Racing into my late teens with the notion of becoming a journalist. But that industry is ridiculously competitive and I didn’t want it badly enough so I looked at alternative routes and ended up working for a year as a betting shop manager at Ladbrokes in London. It was such a good grounding in betting and racing for me and through that led to the promise of work on their in-shop radio if I committed to pursuing a career in broadcasting. From there I managed to blag my way onto The Eastern Daily Press having spotted only Press Association coverage of their local racing and for several years I wrote freelance articles for them. As the EDP Racing man I could then approach BBC Radio Norfolk and was soon doing bulletins live from Yarmouth and Fakenham. Then I went back to Ladbrokes as a bone fide broadcaster and we were off. I probably worked a decade or so for them, branching out into greyhound track commentary and then football too for Arsenal and Chelsea TV among others. One thing led to another, you meet people who know people; do one job that links to another and so on. When Racing UK started up I sent in a tape, managed to secure a screen test and got a job that I still love.
Which parts of your job do you find challenging. eg – Do you get nervous in front of the camera ?
I’m fairly relaxed anyway which helps so I’d only get a little nervous if I’m doing anything
new or slightly different though staring into a camera is and remains a slightly odd experience. One thing I know is there are people sitting at home who could definitely do my job well as much as I look at high profile presenters and believe I could do their job too given the chance.
What advice do you have for any budding sports broadcaster ?
So my advice to anyone pursuing a similar career is be believe, graft (no prep is ever enough) and think about the sort of broadcaster you want to be. Only you have your voice so carve your own path and hopefully your style and talent will prevail. Luck will likely play a part too; I just happened to be the world feed commentator on the Klitschko v Chisora fight in 2012 which led to the opportunity at Box Nation but it could easily have been someone else’s turn that weekend. And ask questions, always. Of yourself, your guests, the sporting stars. Be lucky.
