South African Entertainment Journalist To Share African Experience In NYC
By Novell Zwange – JOHANNESBURG – Leading South African entertainment journalist, Nadia Neophytou, is heading for New York City to make her inimitable mark on the city that never sleeps.
Currently the Arts and Entertainment Journalist for Eyewitness News (EWN) where her work is featured on Talk Radio 702, 567 Cape Talk, 94.7 Highveld Stereo and 94.5 Kfm, Neophytou intends to bring her same professionalism, flair and passion for arts and entertainment to NYC from mid-December.
Starting as EWN’s correspondent in the city, Neophytou says she intends “telling the stories of the South African and African artists who are making a mark in the States, and in the world at large”.
“I want to plug in to the incredible energy that runs through the streets of New York,” this versatile broadcaster and journalist says.
Indeed, it’s the incredible amount of energy and passion for whatever she covers – be it nabbing the big stars as they walk down the carpet at the Academy Awards or reporting on the soil-turning at Oprah Winfrey’s elite academy for girls in Henley-on-Klip, south of Johannesburg – that has seen Neophytou rise to the top in a highly competitive industry.
From starting off as a writer for The Big Issue in Cape Town during university to her experience as current affairs producer for eTV’s investigative journalism show, 3rd Degree and, most recently, her five year stint with Primedia Broadcasting, Neophytou has honed a set of skills that are the envy of even the most experienced in her field.
In making her mark in NYC, Neophytou will combine the experience she gained as part of a hard-news newsroom (where she quickly created a space and respect for her beat), as well as the on-the-ball suss needed to interview the likes of Andy Garcia (telephonically), Josh Groban (in a London kitchen), Sir Ian McKellen (in a music room of the historical Fugard Theatre in Cape Town’s District 6) and John Cleese (in the hills of KwaZulu-Natal), Jean Claude van Damme, Robert Pattinson, Rihanna, Celine Dion … the list is endless, and impressive.
Says Neophytou of her impending move, “Of course I aim to focus on entertainment because that is where I am most experienced right now. But my television background and print journalism experience means that I also aim to cover big news stories, like the opening of the September 11 memorial.”
With a résumé that includes extensive print work and both national and international exclusives, Neophytou pays tribute to her work on four of the most popular and well-known talk and music stations in South Africa for helping her polish her now considerable skills.
“I have had an incredible five years at Primedia Broadcasting and would like to thank my mentors and colleagues there who helped me create the entertainment journalist slot in a very busy newsroom. I am thrilled to be able to remain part of the Eyewitness News family and look forward to reporting on positive South African stories across many different media platforms.”
