🗣️ EXCLUSIVE CHAT: Leigh Sales

Our good friend Leigh Sales joins Jonesy & Amanda ahead of the second season of ABC's The Assembly.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:01):
And Amanda jam Nation. The Assembly is back for a
groundbreaking second season. I had the honor of being part
of the first season which puts Australian puts autistic young
people in the interviewer's chair. Being on the receiving end
of that is quite confronting but very very emotional for me.
They asked They're allowed to ask anything they want. That

(00:21):
is the rule. They have some very hard hitting questions.
Nothing is off limits. Lee Sales is back to mentor
the group and she joins us.

Speaker 2 (00:28):
Now, Hello Lee, Hey, Amanda, Lee, Hello Lee.

Speaker 1 (00:33):
Obviously I couldn't just come and be interviewed every week again.

Speaker 2 (00:36):
You had to get new people in. Oh that would
be so good aboutage, that would be awesome, That would
be my favorite. But okay, let's lock it in next
season and the cohort of students. Is Amanda getting too much?
I know that your buddies, but is she getting too much? Never? Look,
I'll give I'll give you a call if that happens.

(00:57):
You know, he's always on the cast, but he's just
the right at the moment.

Speaker 1 (01:01):
Well said, So who have you got this year? I mean,
tell us who the so called celebs are?

Speaker 2 (01:07):
Look, obviously all be great is after you, aman, But
you know Ray Martin, Richard Rocksborough his first cabos the
Rank this Sunday Night, Maggie Beer, dy Sebastian, Julie Morris
and Steve Warre, the Formerustralian cricket captain. One of my
favorite bits actually is one of the young women says
to Steve war Well, to be honest, I find cricket
quite boring enough.

Speaker 1 (01:30):
This is the thing. These journalism students can say anything
they like and you have to copy it. Did he
because you don't normally hear that in an interview? Did
he take it graciously?

Speaker 2 (01:39):
It was so good because he said, well, to be honest,
if I can find cricket pretty boring as well. I
just thought, well, I never would have got to that
from Steve Waugh because I never would have raised the
topic of cricket being boring. But what an interesting revelation
from him that, of course he would sometimes find it boring.
It goes to day you can be stuck in the
field for day this time of course it's boring.

Speaker 1 (01:58):
And I know you've got different students this time around
journalism students once again all with autism. What did some
of the last batch go on to do well.

Speaker 2 (02:08):
So some of them actually came back and worked with
us this time in the crew for season two. So
one was a camera assistant, one was an audio assistant.
A couple of them worked is what we call runners,
which people that just do a lot of general sort
of jobs. One young guy, Angus, works full time at
Triple J. Everyone did an internship at the ABC at
the end of last season, and then Angus was such

(02:29):
a great fit there he got off at a job there,
and then others of them do various bits and pieces. Abby,
who you might remember was the young woman in the wheelchair,
She has done a bit of work here in the
sports not exactly. She's about to do the red carpet
for the ABC on the dally M Awards. She did
last year as well. So yeah, variety of different things. So, yeah,

(02:51):
it's just been wonderful to see them thrive and you
know just how their confidence is growing.

Speaker 1 (02:55):
Do you envy their candor? I guess if there's a word,
because I find with the a journalist with autism, they
can ask whatever they want.

Speaker 2 (03:05):
Do you find you envy that a little bit because
they can blame autism? I do and sometimes they'll have
a question on the list and I'll think, oh, I
can't wait to see how that person reacts to that.
But I'm so glad I don't have the social awkwardness
of being the asker of that question, but I'm desperate
to see there is once so this time around, I mean,
guys Sebastian gets asked about losing his virginity and there's

(03:27):
some Yeah, there's some wild moments. Actually, what about Julia Morris,
because that would be she's wild to start, that would
be quite an interesting whirlwind. Oh my god. There's a
classic bit at the start of hers where before you
even start rolling into view, the person walks into the
room and there's a few of the students are milling around,
and the second Julia Morris walked in, the very first

(03:47):
thing said to her was Willow. One of the young
women said I don't find you funny, and Julia, to
her great credit, said, oh, well that's okay. You don't
have to everyone finds me funny. That he's completely fine.
She hadled it really, really well, but my heart sort
of went into my mouth a bit like, oh my goodness,
couple of that came straight out, but Willow was then

(04:10):
sort of like, but I like you very much anyway,
I really like you. She's a big Robert Herwin fan,
so she was a little disappointed that it was not
I wish you were Robert her Well.

Speaker 1 (04:19):
Lee, it's always great to talk to you.

Speaker 2 (04:21):
I can tell you. If you Jamanda gets too much,
you just come to me. Okay, I'll be straight to you.
Don't you worry about that. I'll say back off. Boogaloo.

Speaker 1 (04:31):
Season two of The Assembly our premiere Sunday this Sunday,
the twenty first of September. It's sevent thirty on ABC TV,
and of course I view Lee.

Speaker 2 (04:39):
It's always great to catch up with you. Oh. I
love talking to both of you. Lots of love not
talking to you soon, see you soon, okay,