He was a global leader, a true cyber security expert and company CEO from Atlanta. We were in some glass tower in London. I was there just doing my job. Was there an issue with me interviewing him?
I remember offering my hand and saying hello and he immediately picked me up on my Yorkshire twang. "You're a long way from home" he said. "Likewise' was my reply. It turned out Tom was born in York and had moved to the States as a boy. He classed himself as a Yorkshireman. There was a brief exchange of banter, mostly with me questioning his Yorkshire status and our humorous exchange broke the ice.
Common ground had been found and from that point on, the interview went well with the relaxed atmosphere being maintained throughout. Tom's voice later becoming the backdrop to the conference overview video and was one of a further six green screen interviews we captured that day. It's no surprise to most people that I have a strong West Yorkshire dialect, being more specific, a strong Batley tone. This is the only accent I have, it's one I'm proud of and it’s served me well.
A great project with an established London PR agency.