A familiar face from children's television, known for her extensive work on CBBC and her role as Gem on the hugely popular show, Swashbuckle. Gemma shares her journey from childhood dreams of being a performer and communicator to fulfilling a God-given calling in the media world. We delve into her early experiences, the challenges she faced, her successful TV career, and her transition into authorship.

Natural Enthusiasm: Discover how Gemma's naturally smiley and enthusiastic personality shines through her work. While acknowledging moments for deeper thought, she aims to bring "life and light and joy" to those she interacts with.

Finding Her Calling: Gemma shares how childhood experiences making home videos and recording radio shows pointed towards a career in performance and communication. A powerful word of prophecy at a church camp solidified her feeling that she was called to be "salt and light" in the media.

Church as a Training Ground: Learn how Gemma's involvement in her church youth group provided her first stage, microphone experience, and a "very forgiving audience" for honing her skills through dramas, public speaking, and even a memorable Spice Girls performance. Her experience helping run a church toddler group also taught her valuable skills for working with children.

Communicating with the Individual: Gemma reveals her philosophy of speaking directly to one person in the audience, often picturing a specific child like her godson Reuben. She emphasizes avoiding patronising language and treating children as "small human beings". This personal connection led to touching feedback from viewers who felt seen and heard, including those who saw representation on screen.

Championing Diversity: Coming from less diverse environments, Gemma found the diverse team at CBBC welcoming and felt a profound sense of belonging seeing people who looked like her. She discusses the importance of diverse representation in children's TV and feels proud to have trailblazed alongside others, empowering younger performers of colour.

Overcoming Personal Challenges: In a moment of powerful honesty, Gemma shares the struggles she faced with low self-esteem and severe adult acne while working on live television. She talks about the difficult decision to step back from TV to prioritise her health and confidence, stressing the importance of authenticity as a presenter.

Swashbuckle Success Story: Hear about Gemma's return to television with the highly successful Swashbuckle. She describes the show's high energy, the joy of working with the cast and crew (including Friday dress-up days!), and the thought process behind the physical games designed to align with Key Stage criteria and tested with children. Gemma also discusses making the show inclusive for children with different abilities and some memorable on-set dramas.

Parenting in the Digital Age: How Much Screen Time is Healthy? Gemma shares her family's thoughtful approach to screen time with their daughter. They differentiate between educational content and games, setting limits on the latter. TVs are kept in family spaces only, without personal devices in bedrooms, to facilitate co-viewing and monitoring, particularly regarding concerns about YouTube algorithms. The conversation also touches on encouraging other activities like board games and crafts.

Transition to Authorship: Gemma discusses her new career as an author, writing children's books that feature mixed-race families, drawing on her own family and faith.

Gemma's journey highlights the passion and dedication behind quality children's programming and the evolving ways in which she continues to communicate and inspire audiences, now through literature.

Find out more about Gemma and her work on her website: gemmahunt.com

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