Ewa at Franz Josef Glacier in New Zealand.

OW: I understand you currently work as a researcher for Channel 9's "Getaway" show. Does your job involve travelling around the world? Where is the most interesting place you have visited/researched?

ED: Unfortunately my job is not as glamorous as it may sound because I do not usually get to travel to the places that I research. It is my job to come up with the story ideas, prepare the itineraries and write up background notes about the destinations. I do all of this by phone/internet from the office and then the crew goes out and shoots the stories. Over the years I have researched trips to a variety of different places like Buenos Aries, Shanghai, Quebec City, Yalta and of course I arranged for the crew to film my homeland, Poland (David Reyne presented a story about Warsaw in 2003). Some of the more interesting shoots that I've organised included a submarine ride in Mauritius, a volcano walking tour in Hawaii and last year I got the opportunity to go on the road with the crew to film the running of the bulls in Pamplona.

OW: Is there anywhere in the world you would especially like to travel to and visit?

ED: Of the countries that I have actually visited, my personal favourites are Italy and France. I always enjoy researching these stories and getting ideas for where I would like to go. In particular I would love to visit Portofino, cruise around the Tuscan countryside on a Vespa and visit the designer factory outlet stores just outside of Florence for some serious retail therapy! But my ultimate getaway and the place that I have always dreamt of visiting is Machu Picchu in Peru. It was the first international story that I researched when I started at Getaway and I almost feel like I've been there because I learnt so much about it. I hope to make the trip one day but I doubt that I will do the four-day trek - I think I will take the train and bus option instead!

OW: Have you always wanted to work in television/broadcasting? How did you come to work for television?

ED: I have wanted to work in television since I was in high school. I remember watching Jana Wendt and wanting to be like her so I did a media degree at university and then did a post graduate diploma at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School. When I graduated, I started working in news but soon discovered that I was better suited to the lifestyle and light entertainment genre of TV.

OW: I understand that in 2001, you worked as a producer for the film "The Men's Room" - a production of the AFTRS (Australian Film, Television & Radio School). How did you find that experience?

ED: A fellow student came up with the concept and then we all worked together to produce a four-part TV series exploring what it means to be a man in modern Australia. There were five students doing the course and the girls outnumbered the guys so that made for a very interesting production! The great thing about the AFTRS is that you have the rare opportunity to produce a program from scratch and have full creative control over the project. We were given all the production resources, as well as a wealth of professional expertise and guidance from our teachers and then told to go out and make a show. It was an extremely worthwhile learning experience, although I have to say that at the end of it I was still as perplexed by the male species as I was when I started!

OW: How do you like to spend your spare time?

ED: I watch an excessive amount of television and I justify this as professional interest. I'm a huge fan of reality TV and recently a friend and I organised a Survivor party in Manly. We had over 50 people participate in challenges (like an obstacle course, a raft building challenge, a treasure hunt and of course a gross food eating contest) and the whole day was presided over by Australian Survivor host, Lincoln Howes. When I'm not organising Survivor parties for no apparent reason, I like to hang out with my friends, go to the movies and cook up desserts (I'm actually a hopeless cook but I make a really good soufflé!).

OW: Do you have any advice to impart to anyone wishing to enter the industry?

ED: My mantra is "be persistent". I got my break in the industry by being persistent (although it may be more accurate to say that I kept pestering people until they gave me a job just to shut me up!) The best advice I can give is to start by doing work experience in the industry - this allows you to prove what you can do and make the necessary contacts so that when a position comes up, you are the obvious choice.