And the Award Goes To...

So, onto the most glamorous part of the week, I got to be the stage assistant for the Royal Television Society (RTS) Awards! These awards recognise and celebrate achievements in the Northern Irish TV industry, like the comedy & entertainment award etc (think behind-the-scenes Northern Irish Emmys)

I arrived for the rehearsal at 6:45 in my little black dress (heels on and tan done, felt like I was dressed to the *nines*) really excited just to be there. I got to stand on the stage throughout the whole ceremony (after a lovely introduction from THE Angela Scanlon!) beside the main screen and awards table. It was my job to hand the correct award to the sponsor of each award, who would then announce and give the award over to the winner, and I was to stand up straight, smile, and try my best to look pretty doing it. 

As a previous drama kid (attention seeker!) I loved being on the stage and getting a closer than front row seat of all the action, it was a wonderful opportunity to get my name and face seen by industry professionals as well as find out what was happening and successful in the Northern Irish Television Industry.

I was also really buzzing (and starstruck, but I played it cool) to meet Northern Irish legends Julian Simmons and Michael Smiley! They were so nice and Michael even took the time to give me advice on how to stand on the stage and hold my posture for such a long time, for which I was really grateful! He was chatting to everyone during the rehearsal and was such a funny guy, I don’t think anyone present will forget that dance he did on the stage for us all! It was also wonderful to meet the beautiful and lovely Angela Scanlon, and the event was made even more special when she announced her pregnancy publicly at the event, congratulations to her! 

After the awards, I met up with my fellow RTS Futures Committee members and we couldn’t get to the private after party at The Dark Horse fast enough! I was having a brilliant time hanging out with them whilst rubbing shoulders with some of the most successful people in Northern Irish TV, and getting introduced to them by Sarah McCaffrey on top of everything else! It was lovely to see Kieran Doherty, Vikkie Taggart and Clare Blankley again, and congratulate them on Stellify’s success! They absolutely cleaned up, taking home both the Comedy and Entertainment award for Beauty Queen and Single, and the Factual Entertainment Award for In Solitary! It was an incredible evening to be a part of and I’m so grateful to Sarah for giving me this amazing opportunity. 

All in all, even though I couldn’t make full use of the bar tab as I’d to drive home, I had an absolute blast and will 100% be buying my ticket to next year’s ceremony. 

(Also, here's a cheeky link of Michael's performance, you can see me in the background having a great wee giggle!)

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