Sports Presenter – TV
Alex Cullen
Age: 28
Profession: Sports presenter with Channel 7
Experience: Seven years
First job: Radio announcer
Interests: Sport, military history, all music, movies, books
Deciding at the age of 12 he wanted to work in television, Alex Cullen was lucky to be in the right place at the right time for his first job in journalism.
What does your job involve?
Reporting, preparing and presenting the sports news of the day on Seven News every week night at 6pm.
When did you decide you wanted to get into television?
When I was about 12. I had a tape recorder that used to entertain me for hours. I’d record myself commentating imaginary games of tennis, rugby league, etc. I showed my Year 6 class and they loved it, so I decided that was the career for me. I couldn’t do maths to save myself but took a liking to the written word so I thought journalism would be the way to go.
What was your first job in your profession? How did you get it?
During my last year of university I did a lot of casual work as a radio newsreader at the ABC in Orange and also 2GB in Sydney. My first full-time job was at Prime News in Wagga Wagga. I happened to be visiting Wagga at the time and decided to walk into the station and give them a spare CV. It happened a bloke had left the week before and they needed someone. I was told to come in with a suit on Monday. The boss ran me through a few voice and writing tests and after an interview I had the job that afternoon. I caught up with my old boss a little while back and I’m still the only bloke he’s employed straight off the street. It was a case of right place, right time.
Describe the first job you ever had.
Helping out on the family farm near Coonamble in northwest NSW. It taught me a good work ethic and how to work and deal with all kinds of people. You wouldn’t believe the characters we’d get. Dad paid me $10 an hour and $12 if it was tractor driving, which only had AM radio. Long hours but I loved it. I try to get back to harvest every year, which is a busy time and Dad appreciates the help.
What do you consider to be your big break?
Being offered the job as sport producer on Sunrise. I was working as a news reporter in Perth and got a call to come back to my home state. I jumped at the chance. It allowed me to be closer to my family and realise my goal of reporting and presenting in the Sydney newsroom. I did the hard yards at Sunrise with six months of the midnight-to-dawn shift and after pestering the Seven News director for a job, he gave me one as a general reporter.
What have been your career highlights?
There are a few. Reporting on the V8s in Bathurst, the Melbourne Cup, NRL and AFL grand finals. Presenting sport on Seven and interviewing Harry Kewell, Ricky Ponting, Elton John, Miranda Kerr.
What do you do when you’re not working?
I try to watch a lot of live sport. There’s nothing quite like being there. I try to watch the Parramatta Eels as much as I can, which has beendisheartening lately. They’ll come good. Iread a lot and am addicted to movies, music and talkback radio. I find myself glued to the History Channel as well. I love catching up with friends and being from the country, it’s great to get out of Sydney every now and then. I exercise a fair bit and run a lot. I also have a guitar that I need to findmore time to play.
