She started talking at six months old. Six months later, she was perfecting her verbal skills on a toy microphone. At her alter-mater, St Francois Girls' College, she hosted a school event at the age of 12 and blew her peers and teachers away with the ease with which she articulated her words. After her first stint on stage, she became the school's resident host as she was called upon to MC every school event. At age 17 she held down a part time job at 96.1 FM as a radio announcer, while doing her A Levels. Michelle Borel's voice and personality have helped the 26-year-old to carve out her own niche, mastering every facet of media.
In 2008, Borel stepped up her game, producing her very own television series, Triple F - Fashion, Food and Friends. Sponsored in part by TGI Fridays and The Magic Mist Group of Companies, Triple F is aired every Sunday at 5.30 pm on Cable News Channel 3, (CNC3). "The show is done based on my love for people, for food and for life," she says. "I want to embrace all that we as a people have to offer," she declares. "It's also about exploring and showcasing the good things we have in the region. We really need to appreciate the differences we have as a people." Now in its second season, Triple F has aired more than 20 episodes and Borel says the feedback has been "really good."
Big things
Borel says fans of Triple F can look forward to big things in 2010. Having already worked with some of the biggest names in local entertainment, Borel can now boast of interviewing top Jamaican personalities, such as artiste Macka Diamond and cricketer Courtney Walsh. "I got the rare opportunity to video tape Bob Marley's 'single bed' in Trenchtown, Jamaica, during a recent visit," she notes. "We're taking steps each season to implement the region into the new series. I'm hoping to go to Barbados to film very soon."
A woman of many hats
The attractive Chaguanas resident wears many hats and has a string of accomplishments under her belt. The regional brand co-ordinator of TGI Fridays, Borel is also a film producer, radio announcer on 107.7 FM's Oasis programme, sport announcer at 96.1 FM, as well as a former radio host at Hott 93 FM. Added to that, Borel is the mother of five-year-old Elijah and three-year-old Emily. How does she do it all without splitting herself in five? "I have wonderful support. My children have a wonderful father and my mother is also very supportive... and of course God." "People say I'm a workaholic but I don't look at my job as work. I have a passion for what I do. My children are my inspiration."
Just do it
Borel is one of those people who lives by the credo "Just do it!" She believes in living life to the fullest. "If something pleases me, I just do it and do it wholeheartedly," she says, matter-of-factly. "When I was in school, I would get a newspaper and practice reading out loud." What's her next step? "I want to promote the region internationally. I would also like to help others with their dreams because I had a lot of people in my life to make my dream a reality. I want to say thank you to Tony Lee, Cherrill Villaran, Paul Richards and Peter Ray Blood for all their support."
