Meet The Presenter Telling TV’s Gatekeepers To Get With The Program On Tourette’s
deadline.comEXCLUSIVE: Aidy Smith is on a mission, to convince traditional TV’s gatekeepers to take a chance on presenters with Tourette’s syndrome.
Smith says he is the only TV presenter in the UK who has been diagnosed with Tourette’s, while there are only a handful in the U.S., with the crux of his issue lying with commissioners and execs’ lack of education over what the syndrome is and how it manifests.
Speaking exclusively to Deadline, he said “the room just goes quiet” when he introduces the idea of helming a TV series to those who hold the greenlight keys. “Commissioners and creators need to unlock doors and realize we are capable of doing things,” he said.
Smith, who presents a branded content show about spirits, said that when broadcasters do make shows about Tourette’s, they often hire presenters who don’t have the syndrome.
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