4Talent awards

For some reason I have decided to enter the ‘multitalented’ catagory of the 4Talent awards (deadline is on friday.)

This may seem odd to some who believed I would enter the journalism catagory- and others who might have expected me to put myself forward in a radio capacity.
The reason I have gone for a more ‘risky’ catagory is because the majority of my writing is blogging. I worry that people will look at my BBC Local journalism and think “What?! She’s written a piece about a you tube star and is going to dickens world?!” It’s hardly the stuff of Guardian/Observer proportions.
This is not to say I am not proud of it. I believe that my work for BBC Kent has been balanced and carefully thought out. There is a distinct format to BBC Online and I have done my best to fit in with it. This means keeping my work within certain word limits, short paragraphs etc…
You can view it here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/kent/blast.
I have also become ‘Blast poster girl’ and on the site my face is the link you have to click on to find out more about the Blast reporter scheme!
Also, I was not sure if blogging counted towards journalism so I decided that journalism and blogging were separate catagories.
I also entered due to my numerous interviews, presenting on screen and on air. I haven’t done a whole lot of presenting and my BBC Blast stuff has only been edited into a two minute clip so far (you can find it on my facebook if you’re my friend) but hopefully a longer version will be shown on BBC2 at some Godforsaken hour!
I have also entered due to my music. I have a youtube channel, http://www.youtube.com/frankielovestoday and http://www.myspace.com/getfrankmusic.
So the recordings/performances might be sketchy (I need a band!) but I’m working on it. I’ve been playing uke for a month so will hopefully get better. I have classical roots but can’t afford the maintainence of singing lessons, so I’m using my voice differently now.
I think I completely forgot to include createdinbirmingham.com in my ‘sell’ which was very very silly of me as I think my interviews on there are strong…if a little long! (with the exception of my polar bear interview, which was written.) The CIB stuff Chris Unitt has got me to do has used voice, text and video so a nice 360 of formats.
I will be working with 4Talent at Bestival so even if I don’t win hopefully I’ll get to write for the next bi-annual 4Talent magazine…and even better attend the so called ‘champagne fulled ceremony!’
I also wrote to BBC Blast’s web team today and suggest they feature a blogger as one of their writing experts (people like Malorie Blackman) as blogging is a great and easy way for young people to get their work noticed. It’s got me where I am today, and that’s in a short amount of time too.
Frank.

Mental pacing…

…back and forth in my head!

Still waiting to find out If I’m staying as the myspace dj for a second week. It’s been hard so far as I’ve been faced with comments from people ‘missing joe’ and wanting him back. However he was voted off, it’s not my fault (yet people want answers and unsatisfied, they think I am the cause.)
Some people have been really nice however. When people have said less than favourable things I decided to tackle the situation by directly messaging them and asking them how I can improve/ what they don’t like. This has actually had a positive response. It’s quite scary facing up to people who don’t like you! I always get nervous opening their replies but it seems bravado on the myspace page does not carry over into personal messages. This is nice. This is good.
Joe, the former co host, lasted for 6 weeks. I’ve listened to the first half of his first show and I have to say that mine is certainly not worse. Both are funny (yes I thought my show was funny. Possibly because I have the memories of being there, so maybe it wasn’t, I dunno.) I just hope that people listen and actually think, ‘Well I miss Joe, but she deserves to stay.’ because voting me off won’t bring him back.
He had 6 weeks to get better and better, I’d just like another shot, see if people warm to me you know???
ANYWAY
Wednesday sees my first 4talent assignment, an interview with Sunday Best/ Bestival creator Rob Da Bank. I’m not sure what to expect but i’m going to be supervised as I record so its scary stuff. Got to do my research on this one!
Frank.

Myspace radio

Hello!!!

just found out i’m the next Mars Planets DJ….www.myspace.com/frankiesmellsgood
Myspace radio is the 1st of my top friends. 
Can’t believe it. I’m a replacement cos someone has had to drop out so dunno if I was lined up or i’m literally a last minute makeshift guest…well never mind!!!
I get to work with Alex Zane as well. So going to try and blag work experience hah!
frank x

underage fest…

Me (left) and Rachel, the Blast Oxford lady.
With Lee and Stef from Gallows on the Gibson bus…putting on an ‘ard’ face by the way!
Custom gibson encrusted with Swavoski crystals….mental. If you’re going to see Gallows at Reading watch out for it, it’s going to be on load to Stef for the show.

So underage fest, lots of young people wearing amazing clothes gathering in Victoria park.
Rachel and me were filming some stuff that will hopefully go out on BBC 2’s Blast TV. I did some fashion spots with kids from the crowds (including a guy dressed as a hotdog.) Between us we also interviewed members of Ox.Eagle.Lion.Man (Fred the singer scraped lippie off my tooth?!) Gallows, Foals, Dizzee Rascal, Poppy and the Jezebels, Glasvegas and Bombay Bicycle Club.
I found the filming actually quite fun, especially the fashion stuff. Not to say I’m the next Zayzee…hopefully i’m better! haha! Just kidding!
At one point we were setting up for an interview by some hay and MTV started putting up a sign basically to move us out the way. (They were overage which was not the point of the fest. We only got to go because a)I’m 19 so only a yr overage and also because we were escorting a young blast panel member.) As soon as we moved they took down the sign. Bastards.
However…job done. Rachel has the footage, can’t wait to see it!
Frank.

Sneaking in…for being overage!


I got a really cool email when I was working at the radio on friday morning…

I’ve been invited by Time Out mag to the press tent at Underage festival (14-18 years)
I’m 19…actually too old! Yet I guess I’ll be one of the younger journalists there. Funnily enough certain bands are going to think I am stalking them as multiple acts I’ve see/met/interviewed before. Infact Chatham band Underground Heroes have been at the last two festivals I have covered, and yes, they will be there on Friday!
It might seem a bit boring, but I’m actually grateful that the festival is a one dayer, 11am-8pm which sounds pretty heavenly to me right now! I’m even planned my outfit! (Hence the picture on the left!)
Kids nowadays are so effortlessly cool that I have to fit in!!!
Currently I’m researching a piece on You-tuber Ben Loka as he lives in the same town as me andI’m waiting to hear back from a seventeen year old photographer who has had a photo gallery posted on the BBC website.
fingers crossed
Frank.

De Niro or Al Pacino?

Today was my first day on the phones on the Dom King show.

I had a caller telling me that the streetlamps in his road had been left on for three months, a man who wanted to know the Cray Wanderers result and a lovely seventy year old lady called Betty who thought Al Pacino was a very sexy man!
Oh yes! An eventful day…
Basically there was a debate on the show about who you’d save out of Robert De Niro and Al Pacino. Hence Betty’s call. I also got to speak to lots more, including a gent from Biggin Hill who didn’t recognise my voice and was kind enough to wish me luck!
I also interviewed the BBC Kent Introducing team and sat in on a meeting. Jacob, their 17 year old producer is a really dedicated, talented guy. He puts together packages and scripts and helps with the playlists for the show. I wish I could have been involved when I was his age. He’ll go far for sure. In fact I think he has even set up a blog…
Let me look….
Ah…to rest
Frank.

Sometimes its hard to be a woman

So I was covering an event last night and something happened that has not happened before.

I felt a bit of an outcast. I mean, I’ve felt like one before but that can be due to my own wierdness, or ‘quirks’ as kind people call them. 
Yesterday I felt that it was because I’m female. 
It’s something that was quite wierd because I’ve not experienced it in the music/journo world thus far. I think I dealt with it, maybe not 100 percent productively but as much as I could. If one person doesn’t respond to you well, no matter how warm and friendly you naturally are/try to appear, go and find someone else who will! Perhaps that person who has had previous reservations will change their mind and if they don’t then take your talent elsewhere.
Sometimes I wonder if I should change what I wear, my appearance etc… I don’t wear jeans which is pretty much BBC uniform but that to me is because of practicality. I have sensitive skin, jeans make me itch! Also, I don’t think I’ll ever find a pair of jeans that fit me perfectly. However, dresses suit me fine. I’m not a ‘Barbie’ (not that anything is wrong with being really girly) but it strikes me that if you appear feminine, sometimes people take offence. 
For example, at Lounge on the Farm I had a bright pink two man tent purely because it was the cheapest tent in the shop that I could find, ten pounds. I had the festival next day and it was the only one left. When I was sat in the tent at the festival campsite I constantly heard people going past my tent making silly, childish remarks about it. Since when did people care enough to get all ‘NME’ on my tent!
When I returned home after the event last night I felt quite exhausted with the whole ‘keeping up appearances’ element of the evening. I could have flung myself onto my bed and let everything out but I decided to ‘take the evening with a pinch of salt’ and have a good read instead!
Frank.

The Dominic King Show

Today was like my starter day for the radio. I basically shadowed Steve the producer and learnt more about how the show operates etc… On monday I’ll actually be answering phones and calling guests etc etc… gulp!

After the show I went up to the newsroom to do some Blast type stuff/email etc etc when a guy came to talk to Jo, one of the Online journos, about the webtrail. Each week a voice over is recorded and broadcasted on the radio (a trail) about whats on the BBC Kent website. As I was to be mentioned at the end it the script ended up as “And, I, Frankie Ward will be”…yep I got to do the voice over. At first I did it too fast, or stumbled over hard-to-read words (it was quickly handwritten with words omitted that I jotted down) but in the end, I think we got a good take and hopefully it will be used from tomorrow…hoorah! Hopefully I can get some audio for the Blast site…
Frank. x

Mercury Nominations and having a blast

…Laura Marling has to win! 

Today I wrote two pieces for my Blast page, a diary and a piece on Lounge on the Farm.
At training I met Ashley Partridge, another Blastee and I have persuaded him to start a blog,
Us Blast kids eh? We’re gonna take over the world!!!
Also at BBC Kent I’ll be helping out on the Dominic King show from 10am-1pm. I suppose you could call it unpaid BA (Broadcast assistant) work which was what I really wanted to do when I got the Blast position. It’s going to mean lots of long bus journeys and getting up early but its so worth it!
ahhhhhh!!!
Frank.