Martyn Andrews

Martyn Andrews is a British television presenter, broadcast journalist, trained actor, and singer. He is one of the original faces of RT (Russia Today TV) now based in London after living in Moscow for eight years. He also makes other freelance television and radio appearances for various media outlets and writes for several travel websites, lifestyle publications and inflight magazines. ^[1][2]

Martyn has created, authored, co-produced and hosted a range of award winning TV shows on several major networks. As a guest he recently appeared on CNN's Connect The World, on ITV's daily chat show The Alan Titchmarsh Show and also reported live from the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi for CTVam broadcast in Canada. He is represented by well known TV agency Gavin Barker Associates in London. ^[3]

Early life

Born Andrew Martin in Liverpool, England, at 18 years old Martyn became member of the "National Youth Music Theatre" of Great Britain. In 2000 he gained a BA (hons) Degree in Performance from Mountview Theatre School and in 2005 studied the NCTJ Journalism course at the No Sweat College London.

Martyn’s first ever major television presenting opportunity was for a BBC youth special "Songs of Praise" shown to over 18 million viewers. Knowing Martyn’s musical talents the BBC later asked him back as a guest soloist on the live TV event "Merseyglory", staged in front of 40,000 people at Everton's Goodison Park Stadium.

As a professional performer Martyn took lead roles in several UK and European major musicals ranging from Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express to Whistle Down the Wind before re-training and moving full-time into broadcast journalism.

Career

Martyn filming for Russia Today Wayfarer Travel Show, in 2009.

In 2003 Martyn was invited by the network RTVI in Tel Aviv to work on the English speaking documentary series Undiscovered Egypt. From sleeping alone in the Giza pyramids to discovering Egyptian secrets, Martyn's story was also featured in the book "The Pyramid Quest" written by Dr. Robert M. Schoch.^[4] Martyn then moved to New York in 2004 to head up the award winning TV documentary series "My Abyss", a dangerous diving show for Overseas Media Ltd in Manhattan - training and filming in dozens of exotic locations around the globe ranging from Hawaii to Australia.

Returning to the UK in 2005 the veteran traveler began writing travel articles and went on to co-host the live UK based chat show Lounge Living TV alongside Charlotte Jackson, the "Live Big Brother Event" for Endemol/T4 and became the face of Italy's main language DVD series before being offered the opportunity to move to Russia. Martyn again took a one way ticket and moved continents for the launch of Russia Today TV (later renamed RT). Co-presenting in the channel's first ever hour on air (10 December 2005), Martyn co-ordinated and set up the award winning live studio programme "Entertainment Today" which he hosted for three years, as well as presenting one of the networks first programmes in 2006, the food and travel show "Culinary Quest".^[5]

Martyn became known by audiences around the world in 2007 after he became the host of RT's popular travel series Wayfarer. An adventure TV show that saw him report from minus 40 to plus 40, through 11 time zones in over 75 cities in Russia and the former Soviet Republics. Over three series he lived with Eskimos in the Polar Circle, trained with Russian Cosmonauts and the Russian army, scuba dived in dangerous karst lakes, explored secret tunnels and bunkers of the Kremlin, base jumped from the Caucasus Mountains, was set on fire at Mosfilm studios, played with tigers in Siberia, played on Tchaikovsky's piano, paraglided over warzones and danced with locals in Outer Mongolia.^[6]

Other TV shows broadcast on RT include the award winning weekly culture show Moscow Out which Andrews authored and presented from 2009 - 2011, he reported live from the Eurovision Song contest in Moscow 2009.,^[7] Venice of the North: A Season in St Petersburg - a travel series on Russia's stunning former capital, Russian Around a historical travel series in 2011 on Russian culture filming in London, Paris, Florence and Rome, A Prime Recipe a food strand, The Golden Ring - A Tour In Time. In 2010 Martyn was also Channel M's live studio travel expert in Manchester, England.

From 2012 he became the arts and culture reporter for RT's evening magazine show Prime Time. In 2013 he became one of the faces of RT's new breakfast show Privet Russia and also started social and human interest reports for RT International. Martyn reported live on the Soyuz rocket launch in Kazakhstan and Martyn's stories on Russia's developing LGBT community and the Winter Olympics in Sochi raised his profile internationally appearing in press and media all over the world.^[8] In the summer of 2014 Martyn moved back to London full-time for the launch of RT UK (a daily opt out for RT's British viewers).

A selection of Martyn's TV shows have been broadcast on RTD (RT's documentary channel), CYRT Cyprus, Euronews, Airirang TV in South Korea, Aeroflot's long haul in flight service and the Sapsan train networks.^[9]

Journalism

Martyn climbs Mount Elbruss Russia in 2011.

As a travel, culture and social issue expert, Martyn is used by press and media all over the world. He has appeared as a panel member on various TV shows, compared business conferences, appeared as a guest speaker at numerous travel events, presented hotel corporate videos, voiced documentaries, idents and adverts and has been master of ceremonies at dozens of live corporate and private events.

As a print journalist he has had dozens of articles published featuring freelance travel advice, restaurant reviews, interviews and personal features in the UK, American and worldwide press.^[10]

OK! Magazine stated that Martyn was "One To Watch" and Beige Magazine in London published an article with headline "The Rising Tsar". In January 2015 he was awarded a gratuitous diploma personally signed by President Putin for his TV work at the Sochi Olympics.

References

External links

• Official website
• Wayfarer
• Eurovision Song Contest Coverage
• Interview with The Stage
• passportmagazine.com