Meet Jess Webster, AFL play-by-play commentator for Triple M and Fox Footy.
Two nights before we recorded this podcast, she was on stage accepting the Clinton Grybas Emerging Talent Award at the AFL Media Awards.
Jess grew up in Brisbane with three older brothers, running the scoreboard at her local footy ground for a pie and a can of Coke and umpiring boundary as a high-school casual. She studied journalism at Monash and the University of Queensland, did six weeks of TV internships that led nowhere, then moved to Darwin with no job, where someone resigned at the NT News two weeks later and she got her way in. Five years in the Territory gave her print, local commentary and the rise of live streaming. Back in Brisbane, she met mentor Quentin Hull, who taught her play-by-play from scratch and helped her call her first AFL radio game in 2017.
Then she moved to Melbourne on nothing more than \"if you're in Melbourne, we'd consider you.\" COVID hit, she lost her AFL job, and she went two years without a single play-by-play game, working government comms and thinking her career was over. She fought all the way back, called Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera's history-making comeback as Triple M's first female play-by-play caller, and this year became the second woman to call AFL on television.
Lots to look out for in this episode, including how to create your own opportunities in an industry where the jobs are never advertised, sustaining belief and bouncing back when the work you want disappears, and how the right mentor and the right mindset shift can change a career!
We cover:
(04:25) - Interview begins
(06:23) - Quick Fire Questions
(12:46) - How Jess got her foot in the door in sports media and journalism
(17:24) - Jess' career after she moved out of the Northern Territory
(28:46) - The feeling and preparation before calling her first game live
(35:29) - What preparation tactics has Jess picked up from peers
(37:10) - Jess' career move to Melbourne
(43:45) - How Jess built a mindset that has helped her career journey
(50:24) - Key takeaways from the \"Finding Mastery\" podcast
(54:05) - How Jess landed her roles at Fox Footy and Triple M calling AFL games weekly
(56:54) - The week after Jess' incredible call of Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera's moment against Melbourne FC
(58:11) - Biggest Pinch me moment
If you liked this ep, give these a go next:
#263: Journey to become a Sports Journalist with Sarah Burt
#356: Career journey of FIFA World Cup Commentator David Basheer
#363: From outsider to on-air - how to become a sports broadcaster with David Culbert OLY
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Thanks for listening, much love!
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