According to Mr. Appiah his first encounter in the media was as a producer, citing that he was in the university doing his master’s degree when a media practitioner advised him to join the media landscape because of his voice and intelligent questions he asked during sessions.

Mr. Appiah said that “It is not just the presenters that are good in the media, but everybody in the team contributes to making a successful media,” adding that his first encounter in media was in the backroom or behind the scenes as a producer.

“My point is that for you to make strong impact, in every area you find yourself, you need to develop strong expertise,” Appiah urged, maintaining that journalists  should be productive and have expertise in a specific area which can happen when you do a lot of research and ready to learn from others.

Expertise according to the erstwhile producer of Joy TV is the very first thing journalists should focus on in order for them to be influential and productive. He stated that it is very important because it matter what one does at every point in the media landscape.

Mr. Appiah further said that attitude is another area people should focus on to be an influential journalist, noting that it is very critical in the journey to success; further stating that you can be a good journalist but with bad or negative attitude people around you will not appreciate you.

Attitude according to Appiah is contagious and critical; citing that people should have a genuine positive attitude because the world is full of negative people.

Responding, Managing Director AYV Media Empire Dr. Ezekiel Duramany-Lakkoh commended John Appiah for the lecture, citing that it had been very instructive and intuitive and called on staff to take the message seriously if they wish to become influential journalists.

A question and answer session formed the climax of the brief but very educative lecture.