Career Diaries: My Shemazing Journey

It feels so good to be back to regular blogging again! As I mentioned in my latest Style Diary post, I wanted to do a special Career Diaries feature, to bring you all up to speed on my Shemazing journey. As you may have spotted on my facebook or twitter recently, I have been chosen as the newest face of the Irish online channel Shemazing TV, and I was chosen via presenter-search-style competition that they held on their website, Shemazing.net over the past few months.

When I first saw the competition advertised online, I thought would be a fantastic opportunity, so I carefully filled out the application form, and sent it over along with my updated cv and a link to my showreel. Hundreds upon hundreds of hopefuls applied for the position, so I was beyond delighted when I got the email telling me I had been selected as part of the final 12 to go through to the filming stages. And that’s when the real fun began!

The Street Style Interview:

What I Wore: Jeans : Topshop | Top: Penneys (similar) | Necklace: Penneys (similar) | Jacket : iClothing (similar) |

As our first task, all 12 hopefuls were asked to film a short street-style interview during a specific time slot. Mine clashed with work unfortunately, which resulted in me having to dash into town to film it on my lunch break, and a painful taxi-fare! I did’t have much time to spare (I began and wrapped the whole thing up on less then 10 minutes) but I was happy with the finished video, and when the public voting stage began I was overjoyed to find that my video ended up with the most votes on social media, thus ensuring my place in the final 4. I must admit that the voting stages in competitions always  make me raise an eyebrow, as I feel that opportunities like this should be awarded based on the individual merit of the entry, rather than how much online buzz they can drum up. I do however, understand that voting stages are hugely beneficial to growing websites, and I equally understand the importance of Playing The Game, and so I was delighted (and somewhat humbled) at the response I got from you all when I asked you to support my entry. You guys really are the best, and I am forever grateful.

The Celebrity Interview:

What I Wore: Kimono : eBay | Jeans : Topshop | Top : Penneys (similar) | Watch: Casio |

The second task in the competition involved me interviewing the lovely model-turned singer, Nadia Forde. I have to admit that I was rather nervous about this one, not necessarily because of Nadia herself (as she was nothing but lovely, and a dream to interview) but rather because the competition was pretty stiff at this stage, and all the other girls were so talented, so I really felt the pressure! I hid my nerves it as best I could, and tried to focus on the task at hand. Thankfully soon after the interview started my nerves totally vanished, and I just enjoyed the moment. Nadia was an absolute sweetheart, and I relly enjoyed getting to know her, she’s such a superstar.

The Final Judging:

What I Wore:  Top : A-Wear (similar) | Jeans: Boohoo | Heels: Penneys (similar) |

By the time the final judging day came around, I have to admit I was rather nervous. At this stage I had the time to think more about this amazing opportunity and all that it would entail,  and that left me more hungry for it then ever. The judges grilled us one final time, and after some deliberation, the result was revealed. You’ll have to forgive my akward body language and apparent mortification when they announced I had won – as silly as it sounds, when that all the attention was put on me I sort of shrivelled up inside a little! I was over the moon yes, but I was so surprised that I had actually won, hence the “derp” moment!

The Winners Interview:

What I wore:  Jacket: ASOS | Teeshirt: Penneys (similar) | Jeans: Topshop |

This was an informal interview introducing me as Shemazing’s newest face, and recapping my highlights in the competition. As you can imagine, I was a lot more relaxed at this stage, and I really enjoyed having the chats with Niamh, Shemazing’s other presenter. The absolute LOL at my Prince answer though, I cant even say his name without getting flustered, can you imagine what I’d be like if I actually met him!? Too funny.

My First Broadcast:

What I Wore : Teeshirt: Romwe | Jeans: Boohoo | Necklace: H&M (similar)

My first official broadcast as Shemazing’s newest presenter couldn’t have been more fun. I went along to the Warehouse Fashion Weekender event, in their South King St store, to check out their new festival edit, and have a chat to the uber-stylish Vogue, who was guest dj at the bash. One of my introductory prizes as Shemazing’s newest presenter is a very generous €500 voucher for Warehouse, which has me feeling like the luckiest duck! Coincidentally, the final judging day was filmed in Warehouse, and while hanging out in there I fell in love with THE most beautiful black leather biker jacket. It’s made of the softest leather, and is a dead ringer for it’s Acne counterpart. At €250, it was an investment that I probably could not afford on my own right now, so I am delighted that I can now indulge guilt-free!

My first official day in the Shemazing office is on Tuesday, and I couldn’t be more excited. Im not too sure to expect, but I know my work will involve a lot of researching, scriprwriting, and of course, on-camera presenting. I think i’ll even be learning some editing too, which Im really excited about, as I love learning new skills. Some people have been asking about what will happen to my job as Lead Stylist in iClothing, and I am happy to say that I am still working with them, just on a part-time basis now, in stead of full-time, which I was doing previously.

It looks like the next few months are going to be pretty hectic, but I am ready for  the hard work. I am so excited to embark on this new chapter in my career, and I know that It will be a great opportunity, and hopefully with this change, will come lots of other good things. I am a firm believer in that working hard, and embracing new opportunities always pays off in the end. As I mentioned before, I am going to aim to do a monthly (or maybe a fortnightly) Career Diaries post on my work-life at the moment, so I can keep you guys updated on all the projects Im working on with Shemazing and iClothing, and anything else career-related that I get up to!

Finally, I’d just like to thank you all so much again for your continued support and kind-wishes, both in this competition and in general. I appreciate my readers so very much, and I know that I have not been able to blog as frequently recently due to my schedule, but I am determined to find the time once again. I have lots more posts lined up for the next few weeks, including another few Style Diaries, which I am so excited to share with you all. Like I said, it feels great to be blogging again!

Hoping you’re all having a great Bank Holiday weekend!

Ciara x