Even as I chat to Chris Gilliam, I am watching the clock. It has taken several weeks to pin him down for an interview and I'm aware he is rushing to yet another meeting about the broadcasting rights for Qatar's hosting of the World Cup in 2022. The event might be almost a decade away, but when multimillion-dollar TV deals need to be negotiated, time is money.
The softly spoken half-Irish half-Welsh man works for al-Jazeera Television and is based in Qatar’s capital, Doha. Gilliam has had a rolling contract with the company for two years and is busy project-managing its rapid expansion.
“I believe its English news channel is as good as the BBC or CNN now in terms of its coverage,” he says. “It’s fair, broad-based, comprehensive and up to the minute with its content. Its mission is to become the biggest TV station in the world and it’s very exciting to be a part of that.”
And of course the fact that the tiny oil and gas-laden nation is the richest in the world per capita helps when it comes to funding that plan for TV domination globally.
"The technology here is second-to-none. I used to work for RTÉ and we were always restrained by budgets, but in the Middle East they want the best of the best and can afford it. Technology I could only have dreamed of using in Ireland is possible here.
"I've been involved in the HD [high definition] upgrade of the channel as well as numerous digital rollouts. As well as news channels, they have several sports stations, a children's network and a domestic station in Qatar.
“They launched another TV News station in New York in August called al-Jazeera America and plan to expand in Europe too, as well as adding documentary channels and build on what they already have in the Middle Eastern region.”
The 52-year-old has a house in the Wicklow mountains between Blessington and Baltinglass, and manages to get home four times a year thanks to the free flights built into his contract. But how does living in one of the driest and arid country's in the world compare with living in the Garden of Ireland?
“I’ve been working abroad since 1996 so I’m used to it now. As well as Germany, South Korea, Libya, Iran and Azerbaijan, I’ve worked in Dubai, Saudi Arabia and now Doha.
“Saudi Arabia is very conservative, especially compared to Dubai,which is more culturally open to Westerners. But I found Dubai to be quite impersonal and a bit of a concrete jungle. Doha is small and friendly and easy to get around. You bump into the same people all the time, which I really like. It’s great for families and single people alike.
“The extremely hot climate can be tough and you have to learn the local customs. For example, Irish people tend to be very friendly, but that can been misconstrued here as overly familiar if you’re not aware.”
At a time when emigration has become a dirty word in Ireland, Chris not only pushes the benefits of living abroad, but the advantages of working for yourself. “I operate as a sole trader under the company title Aercast, which works for me.
“Owning your own business can be tough at times. You have to be more disciplined when it comes to managing your finances and motivated when it comes to winning contracts. You also have to be prepared to go where the money is at any given time, but it all pays off.”
Chris also assures anyone considering a job aboard that it doesn’t have to be forever.
“Getting out of Ireland for a few years exposes you to so many different cultures. I can speak Arabic now, which I would never have learned at home.
“You can use the time away as a stepping stone to move back to Ireland eventually. You’ll have more experience, a higher set of skills than your counterparts and be more employable. You don’t even have to commit to a full-time job anymore; there are internships all over the world as well as short-term engineering contracts which allow you to get a taste of the country and the lifestyle.”
So is this advice he’s passing on to the next generation, something Chris is considering for himself?
“Working for yourself often means you have to think harder about what will happen financially when you choose to retire. I definitely want to move home and back to Wicklow. I still have lots of friends in Dublin and I miss Barry’s Tea. I always bring it back with me. The stuff they have here just isn’t the same.”
