We told you they wouldn't look like this lot - ours are much better looking!
Alt Valley's Got Talent is pleased to announce our Judging Panel, made up of top producers, managers, tutors and agencies from all sectors of the Merseyside media and entertainment world. Find out more by clicking on a Judge's name.
Steve Faragher
Ted Crossley
Jan Gibbons
Joanna Jones
Professor Phil Redmond CBE
Every act that is allocated an audition will appear before the judges, and will be given a time limit of 3-4 minutes for their performance. Bands will be given a short time for sound-checks prior to their performance. Please don't try and go on for longer than your allotted time as this will increase waiting time for other contestants.
All acts will receive feedback from the judging panel before finding out whether they have been successful in getting through to the next stage.
And if you don't get through - remember - there's a lot of talented people about but only the very best and lucky acts will be able to go forward!
Steve Faragher Back to Top
Steve’s deep-seated love of music took him into the realm of band management just as the world was waking up to the sound of Brit Pop in the 90s. His keen ear enabled him to take on board, and nurture, the talents of many Liverpool Indie bands.
Steve has also been a multimedia producer for many years, supporting many young people and community groups to create films, pod casts, animations, and lots of other exciting stuff. A keen radio presenter and producer, you may have heard Steve’s dulcet tones on BBC Radio Merseyside or Kensington Vision FM.
More recently Steve has been getting to know community groups across Alt Valley as the Community Outreach Officer for Alt Valley Vision. All of which makes Steve a very valuable asset to the Alt Valley’s Got Talent judging panel.
Impress Steve by showing a bit of character
Ted Crossley Back to Top
Currently studying for an MA in Music Industry Studies at Liverpool University, Ted previously spent many enjoyable years as a field sales representative for Warner Music, including clients such as Madonna and REM, and 3mv, an independent sales and marketing team responsible for breaking artists such as Oasis, Fatboy Slim and the Ministry of Sound label.
In his early years Ted started off as a singles buyer for HMV in both Leeds and Liverpool back in the days when people bought records! Ted also enjoyed fame as a singer in an 80s band and also recorded jingles for local radio.
Ted’s other claim to fame is that his uncle used to cut the hair of the famous and original King of Bling DJ and host of Jim‘ll Fix It, Sir Jimmy Saville. Now then, now then!
Impress Ted by singing like you just don't care
Jan Gibbons Back to Top
Jan Gibbons is a Project Co-ordinator at LJMU, where she runs a variety of exciting programmes for families in the creative arts to help them find out about university life, including engaging children and young people in drama, visual arts, circus skills and radio presenting.
Jan has been qualified as a teacher for 14 years, working with a wide range of children and young people across Merseyside. She has also worked at the Tate Liverpool, in Theatre in Education programmes, as well as a spell singing in the Philharmonic gospel choir!
Impress Jan by performing like a true pro
Joanna Jones Back to Top
Joanna worked at Mersey Television before starting her own TV & Film Casting Agency, Bananafish Management. Starting at the bottom of the ladder at just 16 years of age, she worked her way up and over the last ten years has been casting on programmes such as Brookside, Hollyoaks, Grange Hill, ITV's Bonkers and The Outsiders, to name but a few.
Seeing a niche in the market, Jo took the plunge and started her own agency in 2007. Bananafish Management is a Casting Agency running alongside an Entertainments Division.
In the short time it's been running, Bananafish Management has gone from strength to strength, supplying actors, extras and children to top TV production companies, as well as arranging entertainment for some of Liverpool's biggest events.
To learn more, check out www.bananafish.co.uk
Impress Joanna by showing you're top talent potential
Professor Phil Redmond CBE Back to Top
Best known for creating three of Britain’s longest running drama programmes, Grange Hill (30 yrs); Brookside (21 yrs) and Hollyoaks (11yrs), Phil has written extensively for radio, television and stage and is currently a regular columnist for the Liverpool Daily Post.
One of the first 2% to go through the comprehensive system Phil is now proud that in 1989 he was awarded Honorary Chair of Media at Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU). Since 1993 he has been a Fellow and Member of the Board of Trustees, as well as Chairing the International Centre for Digital Content also based at LJMU.
Phil is also a founder member of the first regional branch of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) in Manchester; a council member of the Independent Producer's Association (IPPA) and a former national negotiator for the Writer's Guild of Great Britain (WGGB). In 1996, Phil was elected as Fellow of Royal Society of Arts and in 1997 he was also appointed Vice Chair of the newly created North West Film Commission and became a Patron of the Commission in July 1999.
He was awarded a CBE in June 2004 for ‘services to drama in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list. Throughout 2005 he was Chair of the Merseyside Entrepreneurship Commission and is currently Patron of the Merseyside hub for Enterprise Insight.
In June 2005 Phil and Alexis Redmond sold Mersey Television, “downsized” to a small film production company Merseyfilm but retained ownership of Grange Hill for which Phil is still the lead writer and Executive Producer. He joined Liverpool’s Capital of Culture Board in November 2006.
Impress Phil by acting your heart out
* Image courtesy of TalkBackThames TV.