By Lucy Roberts
The Hundred Rising is a programme of exciting opportunities offering up-and-coming talent a platform to demonstrate their skills and gain valuable experience working or volunteering on this summer’s must-see sporting and entertainment event which is returning for its second season.
Elizabeth Conway
As recruitment continues for this summer’s competition, Female First spoke with one of the stars of last year’s programme, Elizabeth Conway, who was a Rising Host at Edgbaston for Birmingham Phoenix.
Conway explains how The Hundred Rising has helped her career prospects, spoke out why she liked working on the 100 ball format tournament and revealed what advice she’d give to this year’s applicants.
Q) What did you love most about working on The Hundred?
A) It was particularly special for me, as a female presenter, to see how much attention and spotlight women’s cricket received as a result of The Hundred.
Q) What was great about your Rising role specifically? Did you have a ‘pinch yourself’ moment?
A) For me, it was meeting the spectators and getting them so involved in the games. I loved meeting all of the young fans, getting them involved in fun dances, games and chants – you could tell they were all loving it!
Q) How has The Hundred Rising programme helped you in your career?
A) Being part of The Hundred Rising has totally transformed my career! Presenting in front of thousands of people gave me so much confidence and the belief that I could actually achieve my dream of being a sports presenter.
I felt so welcome, valued and a fully integrated member of the team who were so supportive and really got the best out of me through their encouragement. I was able to create a showreel full of my best presenting moments which I could then use in interviews for full time jobs.
Q) What advice / help were you given at The Hundred?
A) Progress Productions were very supportive and gave me lots of advice on how to stay calm, how to best use the in-ears and the microphone, what fan interactions worked well and how I could improve my presenting. Each match, I felt I got more confident and became a better presenter.
We had lots of rehearsal time and run-throughs as well as some training days in London where we met the other Hundred Rising hosts and practised lots of different techniques and scenarios which was great fun. I also learnt a lot from my main host, Qasa Alom, who is already established in the industry. It was great to chat to him about his career and gain an insight in where to go next. I also learnt a lot from watching how he prepares and how he presents.
Q) What do you do now and what do you hope to do in your career?
A) Since The Hundred, I've worked on the Birmingham Commonwealth Games as a content creator, hosted conferences in front of hundreds of people, been offered more cricket presenting work and I now have a full-time job as a journalist for BBC Sport across online, digital, TV and radio based in Salford. None of this would have been possible without The Hundred so I am very grateful I was given the opportunity.
Q) Finally, what’s your advice for those who are involved, or wanting to be involved, in The Hundred Rising in 2022?
A) If you're thinking about signing up, just do it! You will not regret it and you will have a brilliant summer meeting lots of new people, networking, and seeing if this is a career route you want to pursue. The fact it is a paid opportunity is also fantastic as they can be more difficult to come by in the early parts of this industry. It is such a fun event to be a part of and I've made some brilliant friends and contacts throughout the process.
The Hundred Rising returns this year, with 32 paid positions available across 7 cities. You can apply at www.thehundred.com/rising to join this year’s Hundred Rising as a Rising Content Creator or a Rising Reporter.
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