We are delighted to share with you our interview Questions and Answers with Sony Award winning Presenter and Producer Kylie OLSSON.
Carla MARTIN: Please introduce yourself for those who do not know you yet. Kindly tell us about your background and your business? How you decided to create your business?
Kylie OLSSON: I’m a TV Presenter and producer, published author and Music Journalist specialising in rock music! I’ve been doing this for over 10 years now and have worked for SKY Arts, MTV in the US, VH1, Universal and Warner Music and have also worked directly with bands such as The Rolling Stones, KISS and Def Leppard. My two books are called The Art of Metal and Rock, A Life Story and I’ve written for Classic Rock Magazine and AOR Magazine. As well as this I’ve done a bit of radio and was over at Planet Rock and Team Rock Radio for a while. I decided to do what I do because I’m a failed musician so when I realised that I would never be good enough to play my Saxophone to a professional level I decided that I’d like to talk about music. I’m also a nerd!
CM: What was your path to the role you have now?
KO: I studied film at university and then whilst I was still at University I started work experience at the BBC but I really started at the bottom making tea and then worked my way up.
CM: What does a typical working day look like for you ?
KO: No day is the same. I could either be on a shoot interviewing a rock star or at home writing a feature or pitching documentary ideas.
CM: Tell us what is your success mindset?
KO: For me it’s not about how successful you are in monetary terms or if you’re the big boss but how happy you are and if you’ve achieved your own personal goals. I’m not a house hold name and I don’t present the biggest rating show on TV but what I AM doing is the type of show I’ve always wanted to do in an area that interest me the most.
CM: What was your biggest challenge on the personal side also business side?
KO: On the personal side I suppose it was in the beginning of my career and dealing with rejection but I soon managed to have selective hearing and learnt how to pick myself up and move straight on to the next goal. As I‘ve got older It was having children in an industry where I felt my career would be over if anyone knew so I hid my pregnancies from most of the people I’ve worked with as I didn’t want to be over looked just because I was having a child. I work in a very male dominated industry and I think some of these guys have pre conceived ideas on motherhood is… which also leads me to my next challenge and that is not being taken seriously because I’m a woman I’ve really had to prove myself – which is a nut I feel like I’ve cracked.
CM: I would like to know what is the best advice in business you have been given? may I ask who gave it to you?
KO: Feel the fear and do it anyway. It’s an old one but a goodie. When I was about 15 my dad gave me that book to read and I’ve always lived my life by it. I’ve never said no because I was too scared to do something and I’ve never taken no for an answer. So thanks for that dad!
CM: For a young entrepreneur, what advice would you give?
KO: Feel the fear and do it anyway. Hahaha. No, I would say keep your eye on the prize and if there is somewhere you want to work or be then figure out a way to get there… sometimes you just have to go in the backdoor!
CM: With everything you have achieved, what you would say your greatest achievement is?
KO: I suppose it is that I have achieved everything I’ve set out to so far. I was particularly proud of working on a documentary for the BBC about Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, making a doc with Def Leppard in Nashville was also pretty cool and working with The Rolling Stones is up there too.
CM: From your entire professional experience, what was your most exciting project up to now?
KO: It was very exciting to go out to Nashville with Def Leppard and know that I set this whole deal up and then managed to deliver something that everyone was really pleased with. I’m pretty proud of that.
CM: What is your business current focus?
KO: My next mission is to direct a music documentary so I’m talking to a few people about doing that.
CM: What charity do you support?
KO: I support a few. I think the biggest challenge we are facing is climate change and if we don’t act soon then our children will be left without a future. I had a message from a 13 year old girl on Instagram last week saying that she had just chosen her GCSE’s and was really excited about this but then she started looking into what was happening with the planet and it left her feeling hopeless about her future – so I support a few charities that focus on this. I also am involved with a charity called Secret Saris which helps women in India who have been forced into the Human trafficking. And lets not forget, this isn’t just happening in India, this is a worldwide problem and Is happening under our nose.
CM: Who inspires you today?
KO: Greta Thunberg!
CM: Do you have a secret talent?
KO: Not really, I’m quite good at baking cakes!
CM: You found your passion, in your opinion how does everyone find their own passion?
KO: Seriously because I’m a woman I’ve really had to prove myself – which is a nut I feel like I’ve cracked.
CM: If you had the power to change just one thing in the world what would it be?
KO: Climate change!
CM: Thank you very much Kylie for your time and kindness to answer my questions.