I'VE CHOSEN independent television producer and director Bill Hughes as my hero, because he's someone who has done and achieved so much in his career, while managing to remain funny, friendly and outgoing.

I'd been hearing about Bill Hughes for years before I met him, because of all the work he had done in television and with the Irish Tenors, but I really only got to know him properly this time last year, when I was on the Celebrity Jigs and Reels programme. He made a real impression on me, and I admired him because even when he was under pressure, he still managed to be a bubbly, fun person to work with. We've all worked with people where it's not fun, and you just have to put your head down and get on with it, but working with Bill is like being out for a pint with him, and is always good craic.

Bill has worked as an independent producer and director for 22 years, and has made over 1,000 hours of television production for Irish, British, American and Australian television, which is just incredible really. Bill's achievements are amazing - he began his television career with RT�?, and then went to produce the groundbreaking MT USA in 1985, which was the first music video show in Europe.

He won the Music Critics Award for Best Producer for a BBC rock music series, and produced and directed five chart-topping videos for Boyzone.

What he did with the Irish tenors - Anthony Kearns, Ronan Tynan and Finbar Wright - was amazing, because he took them to America and the amount of albums they sold on the back of his TV productions is phenomenal. It's just as hard for producers to break America as it is for singers or actors, so to be held in the esteem that Bill is over there is some achievement.

What I admire about him is that he's always had very clear goals as to what he wanted to achieve, and never gave up in spite of any setbacks he encountered. That's what my idea of a hero is - someone who keeps going no matter what. Bill would be the first to admit that there were months where he wondered if he was in the right business at all, and I can identify with him because the music business can be very hard too. I'm quite sure there have been occasions where he put in pitches and proposals for shows that have been pulled at the last minute, and this is very similar to my line of work, where you think you have the gig and, all of a sudden, it's off, for one reason or another. Things like that can be hard to swallow, but you just have to pick yourself up and keep plugging away and eventually you'll reap the rewards, and that seems to be very much the case with Bill.

His work has received international recognition and he was nominated for the Rose D'Or for his tribute documentary, Happy Birthday Oscar Wilde, and it was nominated as Best Documentary at the Boston Film Festival in 2006.

Bill's production company, Mind the Gap Films, which he runs with his business partner Bernadine Carraher, has produced some great shows for RT�?, such as Celebrity Jigs and Reels and The Irish Tenors and Friends. Both of them pulled in great ratings, so he's doing something right. If you have an idea for a show, Bill is always very willing to listen, and I've seen that with a couple of people who have come to him in the past year or so with ideas. I met him recently to ask his advice about some ideas that I have, and he took me out for lunch and took two hours out of his day to sit down and talk to me. I ended up feeling very positive, and on the right track.

We all know people in the business who wouldn't give you the time of day, so when you come across somebody like Bill, who is prepared to make that much effort, it's Iquite impressive. What's great about him is his openness to ideas, and his enthusiasm and energy. He's a really good person to have around you when you're starting out, and he's given me an awful lot of confidence. If I do get to the stage where I've done very well for myself, I'd like to keep in mind what people like Bill have done for me over the years, and be prepared to help anyone who comes to me for advice in the future.

Bill is always very bubbly and friendly and outgoing, and he has been with his partner Gary for 10 years. I've had a couple of nights out in the same company as them, and they're two lovely guys. You can step on people's toes in showbusiness, and they can step on yours, but one thing I've noticed about Bill is that he has a good word to say about pretty much everyone who comes up in conversation that he's ever worked with or dealt with. No matter how much he's prodded, he never says anything bad, and that's a very important lesson for me, because it would be very easy to fall into the trap of bitching about people and giving out all of the time.

To me, a hero is someone you look up to, who has similar values to you, and Bill is always positive and determined and has achieved everything he could want. These are all attributes that I want to have when I'm in my 50s, and hope I will still be happy and enjoying it all, just like Bill.

» Paul Byrom and his 30 piece orchestra will perform in the National Concert Hall on Saturday, 10 March. Bookings (01) 417 0000 or www. nch. ie