Quiet Voice, Strong Heart! That’s the persona I discovered behind television journalist Mark Reddie. He’s been ABC TV’s grizzly crime reporter for over five years, but now he’s swapping news for a different kind of coverage – swimwear! He tells me about overcoming both personal and professional hurdles to reach his dreams!
With his chiselled good looks, blue eyes and Clint Eastwood-esque hair, Mark Reddie is every bit the television news reporter. He’s one of those journalists who can give poker face on air, but when the shooting stops, his smile is every bit as a Hemsworth.
Originally from Melbourne’s East, Reddie relocated to Sydney around five when his dad, a chemical engineer, landed a new position. Along with his parents and younger brother, he adapted, developing a love for the city.
Mark reporting on the 2020 Australian bushfires
“I’ll always have a connection with Melbourne,” says Reddie.
“My heart’s always in Melbourne, but Sydney is now very much home. I remember initially feeling it wasn’t quite my place, but over the years I’ve grown to love the beautiful beaches, fantastic weather and there’s always a buzz going on.”
“When I read my first radio bulletin, a lecturer said, “You’ll never make it with a voice like that.”
Like most, Reddie attended high school and grew up in the suburbs – Clontarf to be exact, in Sydney’s Northern Beaches. But high school also brought its challenges.
Mark reporting for the ABC News
“I had a learning difficulty,” says Reddie.
“I would read a paragraph in class but couldn’t quite comprehend it. People may wonder how I ended up being a journalist, but I was very average in school. I realised that if I was to do well, and make something of my future, I’d have to work hard. So, I approached the head of English and said I had read “If you can master your own language, you can be the master of anything”. From then on, I focused on English and spent lunchtimes doing practice essays. I wanted to get up to speed and I eventually did quite well. Initially, I had been in the bottom of my year, but then rose into the top. I also won a prize in excellence which was presented by Dick Smith at the Sydney Town Hall.”
“I wanted to tell people stories and thought there were so many out there who don’t have a voice.”
Reddie went on to study journalism through a scholarship at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst NSW.
Mark reporting for the ABC News
“Moving to a small town in Central West NSW was very different from growing up in the city, but it was a nice way to meet people,” he says.
“I now have friends from country towns all over, and I grew to love journalism. I wanted to tell people stories and thought there were so many out there who don’t have a voice. I felt if I could help them get that voice, it would be the most rewarding job in the world. I really believe that journalism has been the most amazing career for me.”
“I felt like I’d gone against my own values by going into a country that doesn’t support gay marriage.”
Impressive as Reddie’s career is, it came with battles along the way. There were issues inside the newsroom and out, but the biggest included discovering his true self.
Mark reporting for the ABC News
“My journalism journey has been somewhat rocky,” he says.
“When I read my first radio bulletin in regional NSW, a lecturer came into the newsroom and said, “You’ll never make it with a voice like that”. He was obviously referring to the fact that I sounded too gay to be on air – to put it as bluntly as possible! It was quite crushing for me, especially to my confidence and a sort of hitch in my dream. It was also awful because I hadn’t come out, and I wasn’t sure of who I was. But I knew I wanted to be a journalist, and for an expert to come into a newsroom full of cadet journalists and say something like that was terrible. This was 2006 and same-sex marriage wasn’t legal, and society still had very strong views about gay people. I was growing up in a country town where the views were even more extreme, so it was all quite traumatic and hard to get past.”
Mark and his partner Anthony
But get past it he did. Reddie pushed forward, determined to break boundaries, and carved a career while receiving support from his mentors.
“Eventually I got a job at a Sydney commercial news station and while there, the insinuation was the same, that I sounded ‘too gay’ to be on air. I approached a presenter named Celina Edmonds for help. After reading the morning news, she would spend hours training me in the voice booth. She helped me find the right level, improving my diction and authoritativeness, while letting me keep my own voice.”
“I’d worked so hard to find out who I was, only to be in a country that didn’t agree with who I was.”
Reddie eventually left the network to travel, which included a working holiday during the Canadian ski season, before basing himself in London in a dream role.
“I really wanted to work at the BBC,” he says.
Mark and his partner Anthony
“I discovered a manager’s name there but didn’t have her details, so I found her on Facebook, sent a private message and she replied! I had an interview and got a job which was a dream come true. I remember going in for the interview and getting stuck in the revolving doors with her. Security had to come to the rescue! When we got out, I said “I’ll see you Monday!”
After two years with the BBC, Reddie landed a journalist role at Al Jazeera, based in Doha Qatar – a country not known for being gay-friendly. A few months in, Reddie found himself conflicted.
“After they sped off in a maroon car, I looked down and was covered in egg yolks.”
“It sounds a bit cliché, but when I came out in London, I needed to travel to find myself,” he says.
Mark and his partner Anthony
“I came out to my mum over Skype, and it was a weight off my shoulders. I had finally discovered who I really was, and I was proud of who I was! My family have been so supportive, and there were no adverse reactions from my friends either. But when I went to Doha, I felt like I’d gone against my own values by going into a country that doesn’t support gay marriage and doesn’t even believe that gay people exist. I had a moment where I came out of the Al Jazeera newsroom and called a journalist friend. I was in the desert, hot and in tears, feeling like I was cheating on myself. I’d worked so hard to find out who I was, only to be in a country that didn’t agree with who I was, and it didn’t sit right with me. That was why I came back to Australia to work for the ABC.”
Reddie trained in Hobart as an ABC regional reporter before returning to Sydney to join the News Breakfast team. For the next five years, he developed his familiar role reporting live from some of Australia’s most notorious crime scenes.
“I’ve always had an interest in crime,” he says.
Mark and his partner Anthony
“Crime was a natural fit for me. I feel everyone starts off as a normal person, but what fascinates me is how someone can grow up from childhood to suddenly end up on the wrong side of the law. I have a keen interest in the human mind and the ‘how and why’ humans react the way they do. Then there’s the question of why they do certain things. I have a morbid curiosity, and I like the behind-the-scenes details that not everyone gets to know. Meeting people at their darkest times, who trust me to tell their story and then thank me for doing it in a tasteful way, has been very rewarding. I’ve enjoyed being an ear to their stories and hopefully bringing some sort of change to how people view the world.”
“I would encourage anyone to speak out about homophobia, especially around Mardi Gras, because that’s our time.”
However, in 2021 the tables were somewhat turned when the reporter himself made news headlines, having been the victim of a homophobic attack during the Sydney Mardi Gras. Along with a group of friends, Reddie was targeted in a savage egg-throwing incident.
The Mark Anthony Collection
“We were walking in Oxford Street when a car came out of nowhere screeching its tyres to a halt. All I remember was some men yelling profanities, and I felt hard things thrown at me like artillery. After they sped off, I looked down and I was covered in egg yolks, as were my friends. I decided then and there that because of my public profile and the public job that I had fought for, I had no option but to talk about it. Not everyone in the LGBTIQ+ community has that position of privilege to speak up about homophobia. So, I put out a tweet and got a barrage of support. But the next morning when I woke up covered in glitter and feeling hungover, I realised the true extent of what had happened. I had a wave of emotions like shame and high anxiety, because the story had blown up so much.”
The incident gained a large coverage not just within gay media, but also mainstream, including Reddie’s own employer the ABC.
Mark Reddie with Matt Myers
“I got so many messages of overall support, but I also had some trolls,” he says.
“One was a former police officer and the other ran a Christian youth website. I also had comments from people in the LGBTIQ+ community saying that if I were a trans woman working at Coles in Western Sydney and that happened, it wouldn’t have even made the news. So, I felt an overwhelming sense of guilt as well, in that the only reason people cared about this subject was because I had a public profile. I felt very uncomfortable with that. But I was glad people reminded me of those facts. One drag queen said to me that back in the Eighties and Nineties they were raped in the street or even killed. So, in the scheme of things, a few eggs aren’t that bad, but it still happened, and it was an awful incident. I feel mainstream media should cover any homophobic incident and I would encourage anyone to speak out about homophobia, especially around Mardi Gras, because that’s our time. It’s one weekend a year, and for some bigots to try and put a dampener on a celebration of love, diversity and inclusion is disgusting.”
When it comes to support, Reddie has a loyal bunch of followers, friends, family and of course the gay community. But there is one who has become a significant part of his life – his partner Anthony.
The Mark Anthony Collection
“I met my partner Anthony on Hinge during Lockdown,” he says.
“I’m normally a big traveller, so back then those four walls became much smaller, and I passed time by getting on the apps. I swiped the right way and met Anthony! That was around the time we were allowed to form a bubble buddy. Things developed quite quickly and a few weeks later I moved into his place. We haven’t looked back and I’m the happiest I’ve ever been! We also both got Covid, and if you can survive seven day’s isolation with your partner, that’s a good sign!”
Not only did the two fall in love, but things progressed well enough to form their own business partnership with a fashion label in swimwear.
“I’d always had an interest in swimwear,” says Reddie.
“I think the men’s swimwear market can be quite limiting. Anthony and I shared a passion to develop swimwear, particularly to be inclusive and look great on everyone. We came up with the title Mark Anthony Collection and we’ve put comfort at the centre. Our tagline is ‘comfort never follows, comfort leads’. A lot of men’s swimwear can be quite constricting, so we designed something you can wear under your shorts all day. We also have a special edition for World Pride – Reddie after me, and Chiddy for Anthony. I call him Chiddy and he calls me Reddie! My design is more plain compared to his being loud and out there. They kind of sum us up!”
The Mark Anthony Collection
While most of Reddie’s life has focused on his career in journalism, he feels he’s entered a new life chapter. It includes working on the business, hanging out with family, a return to travel and of course spending time with partner Anthony.
“My priorities have changed,” he says.
“Most of my life I’ve been purely focused on my career in journalism, but I’m now at a stage where I’m in love and started an exciting new business. I’m spending a lot more time with family and with the borders finally open, travel is on the cards! I’ve done more than forty countries and I’m planning on expanding that list. I’m looking forward to a more balanced life that doesn’t include chasing lawyers, underworld figures and police officers, but I’m especially looking forward to not getting up at 5.30am!”
For more visit: markanthonycollection.com.au
Instagram: @markanthonycollection
