Speaking in public is not something Carina Berg fears. Being well-read and
interest is the foundation, add to this a genuine interest in feeling and
To understand the person in question, you have some of the factors that have made her a
our lead presenter. She is now also stepping into the role of entrepreneur,
and here it's about his own company, Frö, where passion is the driving force.
Morgan Norman Photo

Carina Berg is one of our most beloved TV and podcast personalities. We are currently seeing her live on the Melodifestivalen stage, where she professionally takes on the presenting role with a constant smile on her face as she travels the length and breadth of the country in search of this year's best Mello song to represent Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest at Malmö Arena in May. Hosting Melodifestivalen in various locations around Sweden for several weeks in a row is a huge spectacle. This enormously large, glamorous music festival requires a presenter with nerves of steel. A lot can happen when you're working with a lot of technology, people, and live broadcasting.
– Hosting Melodifestivalen is as overwhelming as it is fun, Carina Berg tells INRIKES. I love being part of this enormous machine. Even during the preparations, I learned about a hundred new things, and that's just fantastic. For example, I learned how to conjure fire from my hand. Who would have
Do you know it? I don't!

PREPARATIONS & MULTITASKING
Carina laughs and goes on to say that the preparations took several months.
– I knew as early as last summer that I’d be working on this programme. Last autumn, I started doing a bit of work on the side, but the main work began in December once I’d finished touring with my and Carolina Gynning’s show. The preparations for Mello are enormous, and we often have to multitask to keep up. At a script meeting recently, I had to stand behind a whiteboard whilst they filmed a trailer.
we would record the day after. It was a new experience. Carina explains that with regard to the script
and how to handle things on stage, you can only prepare to a certain extent, the rest is pure improvisation.
– We're writing a basic script for what I'm going to say, but then it's about being present in the moment and picking up on anything fun or unexpected that happens. When I talk to the artists on stage, there's no script, but I do a lot of research so I have something to fall back on. Working with live broadcasts is unpredictable and the whole team, both in front of and behind the camera, must be prepared for anything to happen. Carina explains that there is always careful planning before each broadcast.
– We have some secret plans for how we're going to act. There's an idea that's so funny that I now almost hope something breaks.

I love that I get to be a part of this enormous undertaking. Even during the preparations, I learned
around a hundred new things and that is absolutely fantastic

To Lift Others
Carina is a master at highlighting other people. She makes those she interviews shine and sort of ‘find themselves’ when they talk with her.

‘Oh, how lovely of you to say that – I’ll take that as a compliment,’ she says with a laugh. ‘I find it so enjoyable getting to know people. Everyone has a story. I’m often curious about why someone is the way they are – what has shaped them.’ Relationships are my hobby. It’s all I ever talk about with my friends. So I suppose the reason I’m good at conversation and interviewing is simply that I really like people.
I believe I'm a good judge of character, I try to be humble and not too quick to judge anyone. But I'm quite good at picking up if someone is lying – that's a skill though.

An Industry in Transition
Carina has worked with radio, TV, and podcasts for over 20 years. She says that a lot has changed in her professional role during these years.
– There have been big changes for the better. It’s a more orderly atmosphere now. Friendlier and more professional. After Me Too, there are more protocols to follow, which is good for those who don't understand how to treat other people. At the same time, it's also trickier, given that so many players have been hit hard by the economy. Many in the media industry are now out of work, and you can feel it all around you.
Creativity naturally takes a hit when radio and TV channels can't buy content. Carina, together with Carolina Gynning, is making a popular podcast, Gynning & Berg.
– Making a podcast is quite similar to making a radio programme like *Morgonpasset*, for example. It’s the same sort of closeness and intimacy that develops when you spend time with the same group of people every day. Gynning and I have known each other for 20 years, so there’s already a real sense of intimacy there. We also feel very close to our listeners after broadcasting episodes every week for four years. They know us inside out by now. The listeners know, not quite everything, but almost… Carina laughs out loud and adds:
– This is becoming an increasingly borderless podcast!

A pleasure-seeking entrepreneur
Alongside her professional role as a presenter, Carina is an entrepreneur. She has invested in, among other things, the skincare brand Skinome. Today, she is an ambassador for Skinome, which is a fresh skincare brand founded by Dr. Johanna Gillbro after 20 years of research.
– It's very energising to work on new things. I get to meet people from a completely different industry and through them I get to learn lots of new things. It's a luxury. When Carina is off work, she spends her days with her family, preferably in the Stockholm archipelago.
– My dream life takes place in the countryside. There, we play with the children in the woods, build things, plant things. And then I flop down on the sofa to watch a film. Once Mello is a thing of the past for Carina, she plans to go on a mini-break with her family and take a breather.
– I think that could be good for all of us. Then it's back to work. I'll be working with my new company, Frö, which is a small production and idea company that I started with my friend Robin Muhr, the director and screenwriter for Melodifestivalen. We started Frö purely for the fun of it. We have so many ideas and projects underway that we needed to gather everything in one company. We've just finished producing a commercial and
We are so proud. We've got a taste for it, producing and creating ideas for others. It's fun to be a bit behind the camera. Carina is a workaholic. She constantly has new ideas and enjoys juggling many things:
– I’m writing quite a bit at the moment; we’ll see how it turns out. But it’s looking like a full-length film that Robin and I are working on. This autumn will see the premiere of Carina and Gynning’s new live show. It’ll be a glitzy, laugh-filled event that we’ll be touring with all over Sweden. And of course, we’ll carry on with the podcast. We’ll never stop that!

CARINA BERGS TIPS

Speaking in public

• Many of us get butterflies in our stomachs from talking in front of people, giving presentations, lectures, courses, and so on. Carina Berg shares her top tips on how to succeed at ‘being on stage’ and speaking in front of an audience.
• Remind yourself that people in the audience are surely curious and WANT to listen.
• Preparations are pleasant. It means you know what you want to achieve.
• Eating. Being hungry just makes one dizzy and unfocused. I can't get anything done on an empty stomach.
• And if things go pear-shaped, just remember that the world keeps turning anyway. In the long run, nobody cares. Everyone’s got their own life to get on with.

CARINA BERG'S FAVOURITE PLACES IN SWEDEN
“The outer archipelago of Stockholm, for example the bare cliffs of Himmelskär. There is nothing more beautiful. Wait for the hottest day of summer and just make sure it isn't windy.” “Vemdalen is a favourite. We had a house in Björnrike with a view over Sonfjället. Strolling around the mountain, maybe even on horseback. One tip is Trumvallen’s mountain riding, it’s incredible. It’s so magnificent, it makes you cry.” “We go to Falkenberg several times a year. It’s Erik’s hometown. It’s the cosiest town in the world. And with the beaches and the sea.”
"It’ll be a little paradise!"”

3 QUICK ONES WITH CARINA BERG
… travels preferably by train or car.
listening på Lena Anderssons senaste roman Studie i mänskligt beteende.
… tittar på Fargo och Svenska nyheter