Jay Curtis

Infobox Person


image_size = 150px
name = Jay Curtis
caption =
birth_date = 28th March 1986,
birth_place = Neath, Wales
death_date =
death_place =
known_for = Swansea Bay Radio Breakfast show & Bridge FM Drive Time
occupation = Radio Presenter
website = [http://www.swanseabayradio.com]

Jay Curtis (born 28 March 1986) is a Welsh Radio Presenter. He currently presents the breakfast show on 102.1 Swansea Bay Radio and Drive Time on 106.3 Bridge FM. His real name is David, Jason, Curtis, Adamiec but he has rarely used this name.

Childhood

From a young boy, it is thought that Jay was always interested in the lights, camera and action but his wish to become an actor was short lived. Although Jay started with Theatre Cwm Glo and trained alongside Eve Myles who plays Gwen in Torchwood and Steve Mayo from BBC Belonging and High Hopes in various productions, it would be over 10 years before he would work with them in a professional capacity.

Early media career

Jay started working in media whilst he was still in school and began a freelance career with Newsquest Media Group (A Gannet Company) writing for a local newspaper called the South Wales Guardian. He covered a whole host of local community news and generated headlines from various sources giving him his first taste for Journalism.

With a little bit of experience under his belt he began to broaden his horizons and did a number of work placements as a runner for various local radio stations and after some months this lead to a casual position at the BBC as a Marketing officer. It was whilst there he began work for Radio Wales and Radio Cymru supporting the Music Events on tour across Wales such as the Big Buzz and Pop Into the Park. This is where he worked alongside experienced presenters and began the pathway to his career.

Early radio career

After working unpaid at various stations he became a presenter on his local community radio station Afan FM 107.9. It was during this time he was given a chance to present at various Restricted Service Licence shows (often called an RSL) such as Pontardawe Festival, before the station finally was granted its licence.

His success at the station led to his very own show which he later branded the Wide Awake Weekend on Saturday and Sunday 12pm – 3pm, making him a young permanent presenter on local radio. Regular features on his show included ‘The Modern Guide to Movies’, 'What’s On', and Showbiz updates often using his list of celebrity contacts.

In January 2008, he felt he was ready to move into Commercial Radio and after a successful interview with group managing director, he joined Town & Country Broadcasting at their headquarters in Neath Abbey. He was initially given the Drive Time Show on 102.1 Swansea Bay Radio and also 106.3 Bridge FM broadcasting a dual live show between 4pm-8pm but by June 2008 his success led him to the Breakfast show whilst maintaining his presence on Bridge FM.

This is where Jay still works to the current day.

Television and film work

Jay has worked on television and international films. More recently along side Keira Knightley, Sienna Miller, Matthew Rhys and Cillian Murphy in the "Edge Of Love" which hit cinemas in June 2008. During the filming of which he entered an edition of Hello Magazine.

He has also worked with some experienced BBC personalities and familiar faces such as Eamonn Holmes on Children In Need's Great Big Bid, BBC Sport's Clare Balding, sports commentator Ron Jones, breakfast sport presenter Chris Hollins, and Dermot Murnaghan.He has also done a number of TV appearances as an extra with his casting agency Phoenix such as Torchwood, Dr Who, Casualty working with many talented actors.

Private life

Jay has a sister called Stacey whose interests are dance and choreography. His father David works for a large care agency and Angela his mother owns her own hair salon near his hometown.

In his spare time he currently still holds the rank of a Flying Officer in the Royal Air Force Reserve Branch as a Media Communications Officer and he’s spent many years supporting a local youth organization called the Air Cadets.

He has worked heavily to help support community and charity efforts even at one stage being a Volunteer First Responder where he provided advanced life support to his community with the Welsh Ambulance Service.

His experience in the voluntary sector has been utilised across the UK, by charity organisations such as Sport Relief who approached him to organise the first ever 1 mile event in the City of Swansea.

Since then his work has been rewarded on a national level, when he became a Lord Lieutenants Cadet serving under Lord Morris QC of Aberavon, for the county of Dyfed South Wales on behalf of her Majesty the Queen.

It was no surprise that this short listed him for the ‘Real Principality Hero Award' in 2006 which he went on to win and was presented by Real Radio's Angela J and Chief Executive of the Principality Building Society Tracy Morshead.

More recently he organised the successful welcome home stage party for Francesca Jackson with World Famous West End Performer Peter Karrie. It was following Fran's West End performance of Rent playing the role of Joanne and then the Saturday Night hit programme from the BBC titled I’d Do Anything, where Fran hoped to play Nancy in Sir Cameron Mackintosh's much-loved timeless musical Oliver. Following the event Peter approached Jay asking for his help in organising a similar event.

External links

* [http://www.swanseabayradio.com ]
* [http://www.bridge.fm ]