October 21 2014

Chris Grierson

Meet Chris Grierson - the new face of Palace TV.

Words and photos by Ramzi Musallam.

He's the guy with the microphone, asking the questions on behalf of Palace fans and presenting a large part of the digital programming making up most of the club’s social media and match day video presentations.

In fact, as he told me, he will be doing pieces for ‘Palace TV’ which includes Palace Player, the CPFC website, the ‘small’ TVs dotted around the stadium and new HD Jumbotron on a match day.

On the day we met, Chris was getting to grips with the gleaming new media centre in the Holmesdale Stand, and preparing to record a piece to camera reading out the team sheets to be played in and around the stadium to the waiting fans in a packed out and expectant Selhurst Park.

It’s no secret that he got the job very recently, having auditioned with many other hopefuls in a media truck parked at the back of the Main Stand during a match day earlier in the season. Despite his initial reticence (he admitted he very nearly didn’t go through with it when he saw the queue of hopefuls on the day), his confidence and natural enthusiasm got him on the shortlist of ten.

The club then put those audition reels on its YouTube channel to elicit feedback from Palace fans. Those ten were then whittled down to a final three for a showdown on the Selhurst Park pitch at half time during the game against Leicester City (which Palace went on to win 2-0!).

At half-time Mark Bright interviewed Kirsty, Alex and Chris and after a short video the announcement came ‘Your new presenter, Chris Grierson’ and they started playing his tape - Chris admitted the three finalists were a bit confused due to the poor acoustics in the middle of the pitch. As he said, ‘You can’t hear much on the pitch’ - so after a few initial seconds of confusion it dawned on him that he had just got the gig!

Since then it has been a whirlwind of activity and experiences which he is thoroughly enjoying. He has been to the training ground a couple of times, worked with Bright, met various players (and interviewed Fraizer Campbell, Paddy McCarthy and co-owner Steve Browett). So far he has loved every minute and admitted that at the moment he feels a bit like a kid in a candy store!

It should be noted that Chris’s connections to the club go back a long way. He attended his first match as a seven-year-old in the Whitehorse Lane end shortly after the 1990 FA Cup Final defeat and has been coming to games ever since.

Chris’s father and grandfather were also both avid fans and that in the Grierson household he has the job of ‘programme custodian’ with a collection of matchday programmes going as far back as the 1940s! So despite his relatively young age Chris has almost a quarter of a century of first hand experience as a Palace fan under his belt!

I commented on how natural Chris appears in front of camera with a mike in his hand and it emerged that Chris is a fairly experienced actor having appeared on numerous TV adverts (including a well known brand of chicken based fast food!) and various dramatic productions including Holby City, Hollyoaks and Fatal Error.

His appearances have not been confined to the small screen either. In addition to various theatrical productions, including musical theatre Chris has also appeared in three big movies including two Tim Burton films, one of which was the 2010 remake of Alice in Wonderland starring Johnny Depp (and my own favourite actor, Forest Hill’s very own Timothy Spall, another Crystal Palace fan).

So clearly Chris is currently enjoying an interesting and varied career of which his work with Palace will add another string to his bow.

Chris explained that his contract with the club takes him to the end of June next year and that until then he will throw himself into each task with gusto and enthusiasm. While he has not had any additional media training for this new role, he noted that Jonathon Rogers, deputy Communications Manager, has been showing him the ropes and giving advice such as asking ‘open’ questions.

Chris works with the small editorial team a couple of weeks before each home game to plan the stories and coverage and gives his input and ideas which are discussed and agreed in advance of shooting. So far it has been non-stop and he has fully embraced the buzz around the club at the moment.

Keep an eye out for Chris, ‘the man with the mike’, as he works his way around Selhurst Park on a match day. He clearly has a bright future and, if his acting career continues to bring him interesting roles, you never know he could come back and feature on Holmesdale Online as another ‘celebrity fan’!

Chris’s career has taken an interesting path. From advertising KFC’s Kentucky Jack (Google it!) to becoming the new presenter of Palace TV via the West End, Disney studios and 20th Century Fox, he has shown a willingness to try something new and tackle each challenge with passion and energy.

All of us at Holmesdale Online wish him the best in his latest endeavour!