Award winning Journalist Marverine Cole, is a British radio and television presenter and news reporter.

Birmingham born Marverine has worked for BBC Midlands Today, BBC Radio WM, Imagine FM, ITV Central News, Sky News, and Touch FM as well as interviewing A-lister celebs such as Will Smith. Now in 2014 Ms Cole a.k.a Beer Geek continues her journalism career as a TV Presenter for QVC, UK.

Growing up

My two older brothers and I had very fortunate early schooling. My Dad came from Jamaica and worked in the building trade, he did so well that we were all sent to private school in Edgbaston. We moved from Perry Barr to Bartley Green and the boys went to King Edwards Grammar, I went to what was then Bartley Green Girls Grammar (now Hillcrest School). I had a very happy childhood, loved school and had lots of friends.


Ambitions and achievements
I did the traditional school and University route but had a bit of a winding career path doing all sorts of jobs in Marketing and Advertising and as a Personal Assistant to MDs and CEOs in Banking and Education; my last job  in that field was being the EA to an MD at Cadburys in Bournville. Ever since I was a teen I wanted to work in broadcasting – be on the radio or on the TV presenting something or another. I wrote lots of letters to BRMB, BBC WM and Central TV asking for work experience and spent the summer of my 16th birthday working at all three and loving it. Whilst doing my 9-5 jobs I presented radio shows at weekends and did some TV presenting for Cable TV.

“ I wrote lots of letters to BRMB, BBC WM and Central TV asking for work experience and spent the summer of my 16th birthday working at all three and loving it.”

Test and trials

I worked in different industries before journalism, but it was journalism that toughened me. I saw people getting opportunities around me that I wanted. I knew that if I didn’t ask for the same treatment and the same training, then I would be left behind. Luckily I had good bosses. Not all of them though: some managed by fear and almost drove me to leave my new found career even before I’d started but I refused to be broken. Every job, programme, or production I have ever been apart of has been because I created the opening and because I asked for it. The big challenge in life is to make things happen, not wait for things to happen to you.

The future 
For the last eight years I have mentored young aspiring media & journalism professionals, both male and female, undergraduate & postgraduate, formally and informally. I have been apart of the BBC & University of Birmingham mentoring schemes and also get approached by a lot of youngsters. Where I see passion and potential I will do what I can to help, sometimes face-to-face meet-ups, emails and phone calls. I also deliver talks in many Birmingham schools to teen girls and boys about my job. I am apart of a professional network called Remarkable Women (supported by Nokia) and recently we helped deliver a Conference for girls in London; I ran a workshop about self-esteem for 100 girls, aged 11-14 years. I am also a trustee for the charity - Positive Women, which helps empower women in their own villages in Swaziland with skills so they can be economically independent. For my personal future, I would like to keep working in the industry I love so much, build a happy home with my husband and stay close to my family.