by Nisha Sahdev
Freelance PR and journalist

Born in London and raised in the West Midlands Punam Verma began her career as a travel presenter for Trafficlink 6 years ago and then went on to becoming a Journalist with BBC WM. She also presented the radio show ‘Midlands Masala’ occasionally.

Today - Punam Verma is the first British Asian Presenter for Dubai One TV. She writes and presents her own entertainment show called ‘Out & About’, which is broadcast all over the Middle East.

How did you get a job in television?

After working as a radio presenter for many years I was looking to expand my skills. By complete fluke I received a junk email. I was about to delete it, but I decided to open it. At the bottom of the mail was an advert saying ‘Dubai TV looking for new Presenters’. The job wasn’t even advertised in the UK.

Anyway – I sent them a 2 minute showreel I had put together, via email. In the meantime they were casting 40 people in Dubai. About 5 days letter I received an email saying that I had been offered my own TV show. They hadn’t met me and I hadn’t met them. We both had to take a leap of faith.

2 weeks later I quit my job at the BBC and was on a plane to Dubai!

What is your show about?

I basically show everything fun and interesting there is to do in Dubai. Which means I try everything from extreme sports, restaurants, galleries, helicopter rides… you name it! It’s a hard job but someone has to do it!

You also presented the Dubai Film Festival and met George Clooney – what was that like?

Awesome! Actually shaking hands and talking to George Clooney was a dream. But just being amongst so many other Directors and actors such as Pooja Batra, Akbar Khan, Kabir Bedi , Sharon Stone, Gloria Estefan …..it was quite overwhelming, but a great experience I will never forget.

You’ve also been featured on OK! magazine in Dubai, do you feel like a superstar?

The nice thing about Dubai is that people are not overly obsessed with TV stars. You actually have a normal life. I do get people coming up to me and saying hi, but no one hassles me. They just want to say how much they like the show. I’ll always feel like the girl from the West Midlands – not a superstar, which is how I like it.

How is it different working in Dubai?

Being on the Radio you don’t have to worry about looking good. Being on TV – well that’s a whole new ball game. Now I have to think about all those mundane things such as hair, manicures, make-up ….. all so time consuming. But I’m lucky that I have my own stylists with me on the show – so I let them work their magic.

Also – my job takes me to about 10 different locations a week – so I have to travel all over Dubai.

How have you settled in Dubai from being a good old Walsall lass?

It takes time to settle in a new country and make friends all over again – but I’m lucky that with my job I get to meet a lot of new people.

But, whenever I come back to Walsall I still go to Bescot Market for my bargains. I don’t think I will ever change.

Tell us some of the highlights on the show?

Well some of my favourite experiences have been : Wakeboarding, deep sea diving, driving a Formula 1 race car, and taking a sea plane over Dubai.

And whats next for Punam Verma?

We are starting season 3 of the show in September – and this time the show will feature interviews with celebrities performing in Dubai, and as Mariah Carey is doing her first concert there – I’m hoping to get her on the show. We also intend to get Jay Sean on too, as he has a big fan base there.

On top of that - I’m hoping to pursue my music career over there. As well as presenting, I’m also a singer/songwriter and intend to make an album with producers in Dubai.