Andrew James describes his new television gig as the perfect job.
The Hamilton-raised Dunedin businessman has landed a role as the gag-man-come-quizmaster on new sports chat show, Short & Wide, which premieres at 9.20pm tonight on TVNZ OnDemand and Duke.
Named after one of the worst deliveries in cricket, Short & Wide is hosted by self-proclaimed failed sportsmen Anthony Niterl, George Harper jun and Andrew James (hitherto known as AJ), who chew the fat with some of New Zealand's sporting best in front of a live studio audience.
AJ might humbly list his greatest sporting achievement as winning a gold as a member of an under-16 novice four at the Maadi Cup national secondary school rowing regatta some 15 years ago, yet he has other claims to (semi) fame.
"I got a bit of publicity when I did a dance at the Cricket World Cup'' he says, referring to video footage of himself dressed in a beige onesie at the Black Caps-South Africa one-day match at Eden Park last year.
AJ also used to dress up as a chicken mascot for his beloved Highlanders, a role that found him the subject of various YouTube replays after he tackled a streaker during a Highlanders v Blues Super Rugby match at Forsyth Barr Stadium in 2013.
More recently, he has been leader of the 'Landers Army. Formed for the Super Rugby final against the Hurricanes in the capital last year, the role led to more television interviews. Good preparation, then, for his new-found sideline?
"I do love entertaining the masses,'' the 29-year-old confesses.
When AJ's not busy filming Short & Wide (produced in Auckland by Reel Factory) he runs a Dunedin child care and sport coaching business for school-aged children (between 5 and 13 years old). He also manages Snapchat campaigns for brands and has been MC for a range of events, including corporate quiz nights and auctions. He has also been a roving reporter for the Black Caps.
All of which comes back to this new television series.
"Speaking in front of crowds, developing that MC role over the years, has helped give me confidence in front of cameras.''
AJ says Short & Wide was born of a mutual love of sport. Yet the series' eight 12-minute shows will go beyond the many and varied codes it will cover, aiming to delve into guests' personalities as well as provide plenty of banter.
"It's extremely exciting. We filmed our pilot more than a year ago. We have now filmed half the season. All the planning, including writing the scripts, getting the guests and the show to air has been a fantastic journey.
"We took the idea to networks and sponsors and have been lucky enough to be picked up for TVNZ OnDemand as well as a slot on Duke.''
Asked what points of difference Short & Wide will have to other New Zealand sports shows, such as the now defunct Sports Cafe and, more currently, The Crowd Goes Wild, AJ says much depends on the strength of the show's guests.
"The guys on Sports Cafe were our role models and were an inspiration for all three of us. But we are attempting to show that three virtually unknown, failed sportsmen who never cracked it - some would say we never had a chance - can sit down and talk about sport as well as push boundaries and ask questions that perhaps some television news journalists wouldn't.
"For example, if we had Richie McCaw on, well, we'd talk about his captaincy of the All Blacks, the World Cup wins, but a lot of stuff would be off the cuff as well.
"We'll joke around with legends of sport in our country. It's kind of that Sunday couch banter. We have a lot of fun with the guests as well as with one another.
"It all depends on that dynamic of the three people sitting on the couch. That's something we've enjoyed. Some of our line-ups are unexpected but work perfectly on set. It's about creating a comfortable environment.''
The question of who to invite on the show was one of the biggest factors in planning the series, AJ says.
"We sat down at the start and said we wanted variety. In a rugby and cricket-mad country, we wanted a range of sportspeople and that includes male and female, as well as former and current athletes.
"We also want each trio of guests to have something in common. For instance, one episode features three sportspeople who have, at some point, lived in Hamilton. That helps the banter among the guests.''
- Short & Wide, a series of eight 12-minute weekly shows, premieres on TVNZ OnDemand and Duke (Freeview 13, Sky 23) tonight, at 9.20pm.
