PEOPLE who love public speaking often dream of working as a TV host or presenter. You may have grown up watching morning chat programmes and fantasised that one day you would be the one holding the microphone and emceeing an event.
theSun recently spoke to Thiviya Balakrishnan, a TV host who has made emceeing her primary career, as she is passionate about speaking.
The 27-year-old began her career hosting a talk show, and over the course of seven years, she has grown.
Ever since she was four years old, Thiviya has been ‘talking’ to herself, and even staged her own fictitious interviews in front of the mirror. When she began competing in school public speaking and story-telling contests, her love of speaking to people intensified.
Even though her parents were urging her to pursue a career in medicine, Thiviya knew that path was not for her, since she was clear on what she wanted out of life.
She said: “I had a strong interest in speaking, and I pursued it with a lot of determination. As a result, I earned a degree in broadcasting, while also beginning my hosting and emcee career.”
However, she had no clear idea where to start when she first entered the corporate world.
“I would pitch to emcee their events in dozens of emails to corporations and event planners. In order to publicise my profile, I would initiate cold calls.
“I consider it a great blessing that a kind woman gave me the opportunity to host my first business conference.”
Thiviya was then offered the chance to host a travel programme, Malaysian Trekker, as her very first on-air gig in 2021.
“It was a dream come true to host all 13 episodes”, she stated.
Her career began to rapidly flourish after the debut of the show, which aired on Astro. She took a chance and submitted in her video résumé after learning from a friend that Tamil-speaking hosts were needed for the educational TV station DIDIK TV. Ultimately, she was hired for the position.
Thiviya is also the host of her own talk programme, Tee Talks. It is a virtual talk show that she developed when face-to-face events were reduced due to Covid-19.
She explained: “When the pandemic came, we were all in the dark, and I wanted to establish a platform where I could still work online.
“I interview anybody I come across. They don’t have to be well-liked [or well-known]. I think that everyone has a story that can inspire the rest of the world.”
Besides hosting, Thiviya mostly emcees corporate events. She also likes presiding over panel discussions.
Thiviya said she enjoys connecting with the people she speaks to. Whether it’s an audience, her parents, clients, or friends. Thiviya believes that she gets a lot of satisfaction from entertaining and educating the audience in her role as a host.
Thiviya looks forward to living and experiencing each day. She said that she pursues her passion and does what she loves to do.
“I am certain that my supporters will interpret that as my message.”
When asked how she would encourage others, she said that she wants to motivate the next generation to live life passionately and according to their own preferences.
She also offered some advice to “her 18-year-old self” as well, in a moment of self-reflection.
“No amount of cash, a large home, a fancy car, or a position in the workplace could provide you with the contentment and satisfaction you require to live a happy and fulfilled life. I excelled in school and always aspired to be an excellent student. I considered wealth to [equal] success at that age. Life impacted my perspective as I grew older.
“Generation Y is having a difficult time identifying their passion and pursuing it boldly for a variety of reasons. I’m pleased I made the choice to go with my gut. Because honestly, it is not simple.”
As we finished our interview, she took the opportunity to thank her parents for trusting her with the choice she made to pursue broadcasting over medicine, the business incubator platform for helping her discover her passion, and her friends for supporting her despite her hectic schedule.
