Spotlight executive producer Gemma Williams determined to prove her critics wrong
At just 25 Gemma Williams has been appointed executive producer of Seven’s Spotlight program and she’s determined to make the show a success.
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At just 25 years of age, Gemma Williams is about to embark on the biggest challenge of her career – and she’s determined to prove that her age won’t hinder her ability to make Channel 7’s Spotlight program a success.
Just seven years ago an ambitious Williams got her first job in journalism, and she has quickly risen through the ranks to be signed on as the executive producer of the Sunday night news and current affairs program.
While she’s younger than most heading up a flagship news program, Williams is not naive, aware that many critics will be watching closely to see if she can make the show a success despite being in her mid-20s.
“It doesn’t shock me that my age has come up and has been focused on,” Williams tells The Australian.
“At the end of the day, yes, I’m young but I’m never going to profess that I have more knowledge or experience than those around me who have been in the industry for decades.
“That doesn’t mean that I can’t lead effectively, but I’ve never been shy of a tough conversation or tough decision.
“I do have media in my blood and I have learnt a lot very quickly. I’m not saying I have the brain of a 50-year-old EP … I think you can lead a team and learn from them at the same time.”
Williams joined Channel 9 in 2016 and has worked in TV and radio, including a stint with 2GB’s Ben Fordham, before she returned to Nine and became A Current Affair’s Sydney bureau chief.
Her predecessor, veteran TV man Mark Llewellyn, led Spotlight from its inception in 2020 but left the program in April after the show’s ex-producer, Taylor Auerbach, claimed Seven had reimbursed Bruce Lehrmann for cocaine and sex workers in return for an exclusive sit-down interview with the show.
The network has vehemently denied these allegations.
Phil Goyen has been the interim EP of Spotlight, which is hosted by Michael Usher. Its reporters include Liam Bartlett and Sarah Greenhalgh.
Sydney-based Williams, the daughter of Nine’s former deputy director of news and current affairs Grant Williams, admits she has media in her “blood”.
Despite embarking on a law degree at university, after a couple of years she quit her studies to focus solely on her media career.
“I grew up in news and current affairs because of dad,” Williams says.
“Literally from the day I was born I was ensconced in that world and just loved it.
“I was always listening in on those conversations dad would be having from a very young age and inadvertently I think I picked up on a lot of that skill, and I just loved the way that the media ticked.”
She says she will include more breaking news stories instead of relying on stories that take months to produce.
“With the 24-hour news cycle it means that doing a story four months down the track is not necessarily what the audience always wants,” Williams says.
“If there’s a major breaking story there’s nothing to say we won’t cover it live in addition to doing something more in depth, we can be a bit more reactive.” Williams was appointed to the role by Seven West Media’s director of news and current affairs Anthony De Ceglie, who described her as the “next-generation talent and part of a strategy to recruit young leaders to Seven”.
In May, De Ceglie, who had only been in the role a few weeks after replacing veteran Craig McPherson, told Seven staff at a town hall not to focus on TV ratings and move away from the “status quo”.
“If we’re too focused on the daily ratings we’ll never take that giant game-changing risk that up-ends everything and leads to major success,” he said.
Until last week, Spotlight had aired 13 episodes so far this year on a Sunday night, up against rival Nine’s 60 Minutes. Nine’s flagship current affairs program scored higher ratings on eight of the 13 occasions.
De Ceglie says he is “thrilled” Williams is joining Seven and dismisses any criticism about her age.
“Her reputation and her talent as a news dynamo is abundantly clear to anyone that has worked with her,” he said.
“I’m very excited to see what she will bring to 7NEWS Spotlight, where she will be working with a great team.
“I’m also excited about what she will bring to the 7NEWS leadership team as we prioritise recruiting the best young leaders in the country.”
Williams concedes “I’m not going to be worrying about ratings” but says she won’t lose her “competitive edge”.
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Originally published as Spotlight executive producer Gemma Williams determined to prove her critics wrong
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