A woman of broad talents and even broader insights, Hollis has cultivated a career as a renowned TV host, journalist, and newsreader. With age, Hollis has recognised just how influential her earliest, formative years have been. How would you describe your job? How did you first get started in the industry? Was journalism something you always wanted to pursue or was there something else you saw yourself doing when you were younger? When I was nine years old, my younger brother and I got guinea pigs as pets and I used to interview them, pretending I was on the news.
My pop would film me on his hand-held camcorderβremember those? What has the response been? Most of my on-air work takes shape in three ways: hosting game day broadcasts in-studio, running the sidelines at games reporting on the latest news and injuries, or filming feature stories with players that are shared across the network. Each of those roles requires a slightly different tone, identity and skill set, but are intoxicating and rewarding in equal parts.
No two days at work are ever the same. I love the unexpected variety that it brings. You live the highs, the lows, and the painstakingly nail-biting moments in between. I sit next to or behind a team bench and it puts me in a position to hear the coach calling out plays, teammates hyping each other up, or in the unfortunate event that a player comes off injured, I can usually hear the early conversation of diagnosis with team doctors which I then consider to craft into breaking news for our half-time show.
What does being a journalist and presenter mean to you? And perhaps create true change in the pursuit of social cohesion. We know sport is the best vehicle for that and to be on the frontline of a tiny part of change is rewarding. Is there a standout in your career so far? I flew to a remote Indigenous community in the Northern Territory to do a story on a morgue power failure that led to a wrongful burial of an Aboriginal man, who was taken off his country and placed elsewhere, only to be unburied.
It was just horrible for the all the families involved. At the time I was a video journalist, a sole operator, which meant I would do my own filming, my own audio, find the good light, make my talent feel comfortable and, at times, I had to be my own security. And, of course, I was the one to ask the questions. I learned so much about myself, the privileged position, and responsibility of the job.
