Ex-top shopping channel TV host & celebrity agent reinvents himself as the go-to video communications consultant.
After 25 years in the entertainment and media business, Paul Weedon has reinvented himself as THE go-to video communications consultant and now works with some of the biggest brands in the world. His current client list includes Amazon, Accenture, Britvic, Marks & Spencer, Thatchers, Perrigo, Lancôme, Birds Eye and many more.
In his 20s, Paul was the best-selling shopping host on UK television, and by 29, was Head of Broadcasting for an LA-based shopping network in the US. Now 45, and after years as an entertainment agent, he is once again back in front of the camera to show people how to best communicate via video in the new age with maximum impact.
“How we effectively communicate via the screen fascinates me. We are undoubtedly in the midst of a communication revolution, and talking with team members, customers and clients via video conferencing is the new key skill that every business of any size needs to ensure current and future commercial success.” PAUL WEEDON MAY 2021
The main factor in Paul’s rapid success since starting his company just over a year ago is the ability to understand the medium of communication through the screen truly. A shopping TV host’s end goal is always to connect with the customer in order to engage, build rapport and then crucially induce ACTION directly. This process can be learned.
Paul has worked directly with hundreds of hugely successful hosts, including Joel Dommett, Chessie King, and Vick Hope, and now works with corporate and private clients to help them achieve their specific personal and business goals via video conferencing.
Interview with Paul Weedon
After 25 years in the entertainment and media business, Paul Weedon reinvented himself as THE go-to video communications consultant. I asked him to talk through his success.
When lockdown kicked in last year, I realised that I wasn’t going to deal particularly well with being stuck in the house all of the time. So I came up with an idea. Could I hand over my experience in the media industry to businesses that now needed to communicate via the medium of the screen?
I started to piece together simple learning tips. My first clients gave me incredibly glowing testimonials on social media, and from there, some massive multinational organisations reached out to me.
2. You work with some of the biggest brands and people in the world. Talk us through what you have been doing this past year.
I’m very lucky that some of the big brands identified early on the need for new skills in this area. For example, in the first few months, I was already working with Amazon, Accenture and Lancôme. These companies all wanted to understand how to communicate effectively via the screen. How to set up your environment, and how your body language and emotions are transmitted differently. As well as how to really understand the psychology of how people receive messages differently via video calls.
Since then, it’s snowballed. My clients now include Marks and Spencer, Britvic, Birds Eye and a whole host of other internationally renowned brands.
3. In your 20’s, you were the best-selling shopping host on UK television, and by 29, was Head of Broadcasting for an LA-based shopping network in the US. What are your favourite moments from your TV career?
Oh, undoubtedly, the first time I was on TV.
I’m from a very normal background, born in Birkenhead, and never had any connection whatsoever to the media industry. I started as a DJ and clawed my way up this ladder I didn’t understand. So when I got my first chance to present on television, the buzz and the adrenaline were something I’ve been unable to replicate with anything I’ve ever done since. So at the time, it was a massive moment. Looking back, it set me up and set me off on an incredible, varied and exciting career that is still giving so much to me now.
4. A shopping TV host’s goal is always to connect with the customer to directly engage, build rapport and then, crucially, induce ACTION. This process can be learned. What are your top 3 Top Tips?
1. Stop shouting. The microphone is approximately 30 centimetres in front of you. The person on the other side will hear you even if you whisper. If you’re shouting, you are talking ‘at’ the person, lower your volume, and you’ll find that you are talking ‘to’ that person, and you will both feel much more connected.
2. Make sure your camera is level with your eye line. The number of people with a laptop on a desk and therefore looking down on who they are talking to is simply incredible. If they are looking up at you, you are mimicking, emotionally, a ‘child to adult’. Or, even worse, a ‘child to parent’ relationship, which is not the way to engage with another adult human being. Put your camera on a pile of books, get the camera level with your eye line, and you’ll find that you instantly connect on a more adult-to-adult level.
3. Remember that you’re in each other’s homes, as it’s very easy to think of everyone as being sat in very different environments. Physically, yes, of course, this is what is happening. However, it’s very different emotionally, as, at that moment, you are travelling into each other’s spaces. Frame it like this, and you will go into every single video call with a much more appropriate tone.
5. You have also worked with the likes of Joel Dommett, Chessie King, and Vick Hope. How have you helped these celebrities achieve their goals?
I think it’s about collaboration. Indeed I think everything if you’re working with other people, is about collaboration. It’s about understanding their needs, desires, and objectives and then using your expertise to plan the way to move forward successfully and strategically.
6. 2020-21 have been years where people and brands have learned to pivot. What is your advice for anyone else looking to reinvent themselves?
See the positives.
I’m not naive. A number of individuals and brands have had enormous challenges across 2020-21 that nobody could ever have predicted. However, when things change, opportunities arise. I genuinely believe we are surrounded by new junctures as we enter what will almost certainly be known as a communication revolution. I believe that I am testament to how an individual or organisation can pivot successfully despite the challenging circumstances.
7. Video conferencing will be here to stay after we ease out of lockdown. What are your tips for others to be effective in using this form of communication?
Practise.
We all learned to ride a bike, and most of us have learned how to drive a car. We can do so because we took instruction from an expert and practised. Yes, you will reach a level that is appropriate to your natural skill set. Not everyone reaches Formula 1 status, and in exactly the same way. If you apply yourself, you can learn the basic skills of how to communicate effectively via video calls.
8. As we are easing out of lockdown, what are the 3 things you can’t wait to do again?
1 Go to a live gig.
Whether it be music or comedy, I can’t wait for that emotional connection of being in the same space as not just the performer but also the collective sense of joy that there will be from the whole audience.
2 Go to a football match.
You may see this is similar to a gig, but I see it as something totally different. For me, this is not about entertainment. This is about community in its rawest form. I am passionate about my football team, and being able to stand there and share my passion with thousands of people will give me a sense of internal emotion that I probably haven’t felt since I first went to a football match at 9 years old.
3 Jump on a plane.
My father lives in Spain and is yet to meet his brand-new granddaughter. When we can travel internationally, it will give them an opportunity to physically and, therefore, emotionally connect.
9. What is your top tip for living your best life?
Celebrate the wins.
I’ve been guilty in the past of not noticing when I’ve achieved something because I’m too busy trying to achieve the next thing. If you achieve something, whether it’s as small as cooking a really nice meal or something larger like your next career goal. Make sure you stop taking deep breaths, look in the mirror, and acknowledge that you are doing well.
10. What are your plans and ambitions for the future?
To keep doing what I’m doing. That sounds a little cliched. However, I have continually reinvented myself over my career, I have constantly taken things that I’ve learned and tried to move forward with them. I’ve also made sure that I have learned from every single negative experience, of which there have been many. So as long as I keep doing these things, I know I’ll end up in exactly the right place right now.
PRAISE FOR PAUL WEEDON:
“Paul is an absolute expert in all of the marginal gains that make our digital “frame” inviting and engaging to all. These are ESSENTIAL skills for 2020+” Mark Cowan – Founder at Happen
“Paul brought a wealth of experience and demonstrated a real passion and energy for virtual delivery, having an instant impact on how we communicate with our customers and how we deliver over our virtual platforms.” Martin Thatcher
MD of Thatcher’s Cider
“The fact that you had every single one of us engaged for that length of time, quite effortlessly from my viewpoint, clearly is praise itself and is a testament to all that you were talking about.” Adam Taylor – Calor
“Meeting virtually will never be the same again. I hadn’t realised how much I was leaving up to chance. Paul made clear the importance and power of meeting effectively over video.” Olly Jeffers -ACCENTURE
“It’s had an instant impact on the confidence and quality of our external and internal rapport, relationships & sales growth.” Steve Smith – SVP BRITVIC Americas
