Mikaela Ian Pearman is one of the island’s most recognisable on-camera presenters. She has built a reputation as a confident and engaging videographer, appearing in concise news programme roundups and videos for organisations.

Now she is reaching out to help others achieve similar effective communication through visual media, and is offering a free online taster session next week.

Ms Pearman believes on-camera skills are needed more than ever to make an impact with audiences, whether through traditional channels or social media platforms.

She has created a coaching business at Mikaelaian.com.

During her career, Ms Pearman has been a print journalist, including for The Royal Gazette, and has marketing and communications experience. She worked for the 35th America’s Cup when it was hosted by Bermuda in 2017, is a spokeswoman for Skyport, the operator of the LF Wade International Airport, and is cohost of The Daily Hour, a live morning show in Bermuda.

With more than 10 years of experience on-camera in various settings, she is now teaching business leaders and others how to improve their camera presence.

Her target audience is executives and leaders who have to appear on video regularly, whether for virtual engagements, such as on Zoom, virtual town hall meetings, media interviews, or promotional videos, but are not comfortable on-camera and want to ensure their expertise translates on video.

On July 15, Ms Pearman will be offering a complimentary workshop taster. It is open to all.

The power and popularity of social media and remote communication has accelerated due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Speaking with The Royal Gazette, Ms Pearman said: “In the past year, video has been the best way to speak to any audience, and people have realised that you have to do this.”

She said video “is a different beast” on social media, and its importance has increased considerably on platforms such as Instagram.

Some studies, including one by Microsoft, have indicated that people’s attention span has shortened in recent years due to the increasing digitalisation of people’s lifestyles. To capture an audience’s attention, videos need to be short and concise, Ms Pearman said.

If done the right way a message delivered using video has a better chance of being remembered than other forms of communication, she believes.

Having learnt the ins and outs of how to effectively communicate using video, Ms Pearman is sharing her knowledge and experience, helping others to achieve the skills needed to be effective on-camera communicators. She said: “Video is here to stay. Everybody should be on camera.”

The complimentary live masterclass, How to be a Video Pro Workshop, will look at the anatomy of a successful video, the biggest obstacle in the way of being a video pro, where to focus your energy to create pro looking videos, and how to improve your on-camera presence.

Sign up for the masterclass, which will be presented on Zoom, by visiting mikaelaian.simplero.com/video-pro-workshop. Through her website www.mikaelaian.com, Ms Pearman offers one-on-one coaching programme Bankable on Camera, and also the On Camera Ready service.