A NEW face to look out for on the small screen is Toti’s own Zoe Brown, who was last week declared the winner of Presenter Search on SABC 3 and has now joined the Expresso Show.
“It took a while before it dawned on me that this is really for real. For me, it’s a dream come true as I have always wanted to be in the media industry, specifically TV. To win my first competition like this has been incredible.”
Hot on the heels of the last Presenter Search episode being aired on Friday, 29 May, Zoe (25) appeared on the Expresso Show on Monday, 1 June. “I am really excited to start this new journey. I am in a professional environment where everyone is good at what they do. They are friendly and I am about to gain the best experience and exposure from them.”
Her foray into the world of live television started on her completion of a honours degree in international relations from the University of Stellenbosch in 2014.
“After my degree, I decided to do a TV presenting short course at the beginning of the year. During one of the classes, one of the guys informed the group about auditions for Presenter Search on 3. We decided to audition as a group, hoping for the best. From my initial audition on 13 February, I received a call-back audition. I did not make it into the national top 30. A few weeks later, I found out I was back in the top 30 as a wild card. Thereafter, I made it into the top 11 and finally took one of the top three spots.”
Initially, Zoe honed her presenting skills on radio. “While studying, I joined the campus radio station (MFM 92.6) in 2012. In 2014, I became a radio presenter on KFM. I am currently doing both, Expresso in the mornings and radio in the afternoons. I do the traffic report on the afternoon drive show with Rob Vember. On weekends, I host my own show.”
Zoe’s future goal is to establish herself well within the SA media market. “I would like to build a career that enables me to focus on humanitarian issues and be able to build real and lasting bridges between people and communities, at both local and international level.”
Her family established roots in Toti, having relocated from Cape Town in 2002. She attended Toti Primary School and matriculated at Kingsway Highway School in 2008.
Zoe has also taken to stage in the beauty stakes and was crowned second princess in the Miss Teen SA pageant in 2007.
Currently, between balancing radio and TV, she has little down-time. “I love the outdoors and all kinds of adventures. I am always going on hikes or walks in the Western Cape and I enjoy visiting all kinds of markets. But one of my favourite activities from my Stellenbosch days is wine, cheese and olive tasting.
