Lucia Hawley has opened up about her career in media and television, and how she landed her ‘dream job’.
The 26-year-old, who is the daughter of former TV presenter Antonia Kidman and niece of Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman, explained her resume and past roles that helped her get her current job as 7Bravo’s red carpet presenter.
In a TikTok video shared on Wednesday, Lucia recounted her personal journey from studying Arts at the elite University of Sydney to working as a production assistant and eventually landing current job, but failed to mention her famous relatives.
‘Basically, my job is I’m the local host for 7Bravo and the face of Australia’s Live From E! red carpet coverage, which is a mouthful,’ she said.
‘I did a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Sydney. Say what you want about Arts, everyone bags it out. But it was one of the best things that I have ever done. It honed my writing skills and really set me up for the work that I do now.
‘Another thing that is really valuable, especially if you’re doing a broad degree like Arts, straight out of university, I was like “I want to be working in media, I want to be a presenter”. So I would encourage you, if you want to be in media, just get your foot in the door anywhere.’
Following her degree and internship at Vogue Australia, Lucia explained she started working at a production company as an assistant and later applied for a job at 9Honey — Channel Nine’s women’s network.
‘I started working for a small production company called McEvoy media and I worked as a production assistant,’ she continued.
Lucia Hawley (pictured) has opened up about her career in media and television, and how she landed her ‘dream job’
‘Being a production assistant is like the lowest of low on the hierarchy of a production, but it is one of the best things you can do. I was creating call sheets, I was working with directors, cameramen.’
Lucia added: ‘I then applied for a job at 9Honey… The best thing about working for a publication, be at any publication, is that you get invited to events. You get invited to red carpets premieres, the ARIAs, the Logies.
‘It doesn’t matter whether you’re a presenter or not, a lot of the people interviewing on the red carpet at these events are journalists and digital journalists at that. So there’s a lot of opportunity to move into the presenting space if you want to.’
About half-way into her role at 9Honey, Lucia explained how she ‘mustered up the courage’ to tell her boss that she wanted to be on television.
The 26-year-old explained her career journey and how her past roles helped her get her current job as 7Bravo’s red carpet presenter, but failed to mention her famous aunt Nicole Kidman (left) and her mother Antonia (right), who was a TV presenter herself
‘I was really embarrassed about telling her at first because it was like, “Does this seem really shallow? Like is she gonna think that I’m a weirdo, thinking that I can even be on TV?”‘ the brunette said.
‘But it was one of the best things that I ever did. Because she was so understanding and she started putting me up for opportunities that I wouldn’t have normally been put up for.’
After presenting for the publication at the Logies and the ARIAs red carpets, interviewing big name Aussie stars, the network compiled a showreel for Lucia which was eventually spotted by NBC Universal — her current employer.
‘They saw my show pop up. Serendipitously, they were also auditioning for the role that I have now,’ she contined.
‘So I auditioned … It was a big process. It was like memorise a script. I then had to look at some pictures from the Met Gala and sort of talk about them as if I was doing like a style show. I was so nervous.
‘Five days later, I got the job!’
Lucia scored the NBC Universal role in December 2022
The star went on to share her advice for those wanting to be on television or work in media.
‘If I had to choose like the biggest piece of advice that I had, it would just be put yourself out there and ask for opportunities. Never underestimate the power of putting yourself out there. If it’s not going to be you it’s going to be someone else,’ she concluded her video.
A few trolls pointed out in the comments that Lucia made no mention of her actress aunt Nicole or her mother Antonia, who was also a television presenter in the 2000s.
‘Nicole Kidman helps,’ one user wrote, while another added, ‘Or having a famous aunt who lets you in the door.’
However, some fans came to Lucia’s defence and noted that she still worked her way up for her current role.
‘What a tired response. Still have to earn it and be good with any career no matter how many family members do the same thing,’ someone commented.
‘Her mum’s a presenter as well and nothing wrong with having connections and she is [actually] quite good,’ said another.
A few trolls pointed out in the comments that Lucia made no mention of her actress aunt Nicole or her mother Antonia, who was also a television presenter in the 2000s
While some may accuse Lucia of using her ‘nepo baby’ connections to further her media career, Lucia says she worked hard to land her ‘dream job’.
‘I’ve been working towards this,’ she told The Sunday Telegraph last year.
The term ‘nepo baby’, short for ‘nepotism baby’, stems from a recent article published by New York magazine calling out US celebrities who used their famous parents and relatives to build their careers.
While the phenomenon is nothing new, the term ‘nepo baby’ has become an increasingly popular term to describe it.
In her interview, Lucia did admit that her mother’s work as a high-profile presenter was beneficial for her career – but only because it taught her ‘perspective’ rather than opening doors.
‘Having a mum who had been in the industry, through osmosis you gain that perspective and understanding and I think that’s been one of the biggest things that has helped in preparing me for this role, just having watched her and how she has carried herself through everything,’ she said.
