‘Just Be Yourself’: Ryan Daniels channels Baz and Jeff for Mr Telethon role

In 2007, Ryan Daniels was a college student willing to do almost anything to break into the competitive media industry. When he signed up to gain work experience to help with Channel 7’s Telethon, he expected to spend long hours fetching coffee, applying tape and moving equipment. But he didn’t expect to have to literally dive into the deep end.

“I was given some work experience to help with the telethon weekend,” explains Daniels. “I followed the promotions team who were setting up games and stuff. I helped them move their stuff and became the guinea pig. ‘Can you pick apples and get 10 apples in one minute for a $10,000 donation?’ they would say. Because if I could do that, they could make the stars do it, but they needed someone to test it.

“I had to try a trick so Australian Idol judge Dicko could get into the spa and there was a girl in a swimsuit and they had to change into their swimsuit in 30 seconds to raise $10,000 underwater for the Telethon. ‘What kind of world have I stepped into!?’ I thought. But this is Telethon. This is chaos. And you have to make people laugh.”

Daniels’ willingness to seize every opportunity quickly landed him a job at Channel 7, where he became a familiar face on WA screens as a respected sports presenter. Telethon remains a key part of the Channel 7 team’s business, with one weekend a year focusing on raising as much money as possible for charities across the state. Since its inception in 1968, the Telethon has raised over $688 million, funding everything from medical research and specialist equipment at Perth Children’s Hospital to critical services and programs delivered statewide for sick and vulnerable children and their families.

“It became very clear to me early on that Telethon is like a heartbeat. It beats inside you. You get to a point where you might have had a really hard year and you’re bored and you do Telethon and then you walk out of that building and you feel incredible because you see that the world is really beautiful,” Daniels says. “We can all be really skeptical at times, but every October I’m reminded of the good things we have, and that makes you really proud.”

This year, Daniels is taking on the not-so-trivial job of Mr. Telethon, which he admits is a bit “surreal.”

“I watched Baz (Zempilas) do an incredible job (as Mr. Telethon), and Baz was a great entertainer and a great broadcaster. And I can remember Jeff Newman doing that, him being Mr. Telethon, being very welcoming and a huge part of the broadcast, and before that Stuart Wagstaff. I remember even back then, it was in the ’80s, but as a kid, those were my first memories of Telethon.” It was my memories. This is it. “He is a really funny and warm old man.”

Daniels says Zempilas, now State Opposition Leader, has not made any direct recommendations about being front and center at the fundraiser, but says he has learned a lot from watching him over the years.

“Bring the energy, immerse yourself fully in it, and really allow yourself to feel it,” says Daniels. “He would say, ‘Look, give it your all and be yourself.’ That was one of his famous quotes: Just be yourself.”

Not only will Daniels be front and center throughout the 26-hour broadcast, but she will also serve as emcee for the prestigious Telethon Ball, where the city’s top crowd raises millions of dollars.

“These rooms are magical places to be in,” he says of the Telethon Ball. “You walk away feeling really good about the world. Because even though people, businesses, or whatever, have a lot of money to give away, that doesn’t mean they have to do it. Telethon brings out people’s passion for actually doing something with money.”

But Daniels says the real honor of Telethon Weekend is connecting with Junior Telethon Stars.

“If you’re feeling tired, check out Little Telethon Stars,” he says. “These kids are there all weekend long. They’re on stage, they’re in the green room, they’re at the festival. And these are kids with really serious problems. They have really serious anxiety. And they have an energy that they’re constantly tapping into. So if you ever feel like you sound a little tired, a little flat, look at them for two seconds, like little Izzy (Miller), you’ll see her on the weekend and you’ll say: ‘We’ve got to do everything we can.'”

The telethon will take place today and tomorrow at the RAC Arena. Watch the broadcast tonight at 19:00 on Channel 7. To donate, visit telethon7.com.