Here's your guide to getting in...
The TV industry is host to a list of professional job roles, but in order to work in the TV industry in order to succeed you need to be resourceful and use your initiative consistently, and have the will to go the extra mile, when opportunities arise. There are a range of important roles in the TV industry, all important in their own respective sectors which are:
- creative
- editorial
- technical
- managerial
- financial
- administrative
Every role plays an imperative part in creating and producing TV network programming. Broadcasters as employers employ predominantly on a short-term or freelance basis, more so than the economy as a whole. There are around 850 independent producers in the TV industry. Just under two thirds of these are based in London, except the BBC's most recent edition to the industry Media City, which was a move intended to stimulate growth in this particular part of the industry in the North of England.
At the moment the TV industry is in a state of change due to the internet and cable providers providing on online service 24 hours a day, for example BBC's iPlayer or Channel 4's 4oD and more recently streaming media services that hook up to your modem such as Netflix and Lovefilm. These all act as competitors for TV producers and the industry today. Researchers in a recent study founded the theory of 'Content is King' in which the viewer scouts for content rather than channels and programme schedules, this may be a fair representation, with the rise of the internet, there has been a rise in consumer choice, all though advertisments still function, people tend to spend time finding things they like, especially if it is a leisure interest of theirs, for example they may research film noir as a genre, with the internet they can discover more independent content from independent sources. Recent statistics show the average British TV viewer watches around 20 hours of television a week. Those who operate in the TV industry are highly qualified with around two thirds of them holding degrees. Those who wish to employ within a media sector that wishes to compete globally will look to employ individuals with good entrepreneurial skills and commercial knowledge.
Making your way into the TV industry...
Making your way into the industry is widely recognised as the hardest part of qualifying for a career in TV. This is due to the exciting possibilities that await those in the field, the competitive nature that exists in the business and the need to be qualified, consistent, devoted and hardworking, you must be passionate about what you do in order to conceive this.
A key factor to gaining experience once you have your degree is to volunteer and while doing so devote as much of your time as you possibly can to the employer, remember it producing media, so there's always work to be done. During your time volunteering you should be inquisitive try and learn as much as possible, it is common to start out as a runner, then make your way to camera operator so on and so forth. Television is the biggest employer of runners throughout the creative media sector. Employers say ""When we meet people - often through work experience - we particularly look for some INTEREST and idea about which way they hope to develop, but people just say 'I'd like to work in television.". Doing so will demonstrate your skills and potential to possible employers and while doing so you will gain more experience and skills than you previously had. Research your institution, get to know as much as you possibly can about their approach and style to producing their programmes. Depending on the scope for opportunity, they may offer you an internship, which would act as crucial work experience that you could then include in your curriculum vitae, and references to attach to it to!
Networking is also very important in the industry, not in the social media sense but in a face to face environment, it's important to branch out and meet as many useful and helpful contacts as you can, use your time with them effectively by asking them advice on the tools of the trade, learn from their experiences and what routes you should take in order to get the job you want in the industry. You can start networking before even securing an interview, if you don't know anyone first-hand try attending events and functions, research the organisations and sponsors that back the functions before attending such events. Some people also share their material and discuss by subscribing as a members of an online media community or a number of them, here you are updated on job opportunities and can also communicate with professionals who could point you in the right direction.
Here are a few things you should consider after obtaining your professional degree...
Here are a few things you should consider after obtaining your professional degree...
- Apply for jobs advertised, check various national publications
- Approach independent companies “cold” as many jobs are simply not advertised. It may depend upon being in the right place at the right time. Research the company’s record before contacting them, to avoid any irregularities.
- Use your ideas and creativity by getting involved in projects (funded or non-funded) and generally demonstrate that you are a TV person who is prepared to go the extra mile in order to work in an industry you feel passionate about in this case TV.
- Review current skill shortages within the UK television industry, this may give you a leg-up in the event of an interview, by having skills that other applicants lack.
- Attend trade fairs, seek advice from sector skills councils i.e. skillset
Creating a showreel can also help to showcase your work, this acts as a visual counterpart.
Rather than providing pages of writing that transcribes your work experience you have images that if organised and presented properly will leave a picture in your employer's mind of what you're about.
For example if you wish to work as a broadcast reporter, you would first complete your degree then apply for researcher roles within the industry. Researchers often go on to become journalists or broadcasters, research plays a pivotal role in any form of media production, it is important to go to great lengths to gather extensive research both primary and secondary. You have to do this to make a programme or film seem more authentic and believeable, you must use your initiative to conduct thorough research, it is important to engage with several sources when fact finding, in order to establish the strength of the information given to you. It differs with each creative role, but no matter what role there is always room for promotion.
Overall there are 50,100 people working within the television industry in the UK. Around 62% of the industry's workforce are based in London around 28% of those people are employed on a freelance basis.
Professional development starts after education and some hands on training is acquired. The first thing to do would be to look for an internship with an organisation, then volunteer, then if successful gain a fixed term contract or a permanent contract within that organisation. The payment schemes for work in the TV industry are as follows...
However some of these contracts for wages are not always consistent, 38% of those working in Television in the United Kingdom have worked without pay at some point in their careers, however this is seen as investment for long term prospects in the future, you may need to hold down two jobs in order to work your way into the industry. When working shift-work you may have to wait for a period of time before receiving your pay. before you can begin to secure your placement, you need to apply the right attitude to your work ethics. You should be prepared to face some brutal assessments from your employer, however take it in your stride, behavioural criticism will come to help you deal with any issues that could be problematic in your line of work. Finding someone available to advise and mentor you would also help to shape your professionalism and help you understand the business and attitudes that exist within this part of the creative media industry and what solutions would help you to overcome obstacles if they occur again. This way you can gain foresight and achieve things easily without any hitches to slow you down.
There are resources for those who work freelance in the television industry, the not-for-profit training charity the Indie Training Fund created by Skillset. This allows freelance workers in the industry gain fees for training sessions, these are usually measured by the day, training criteria includes, development, production, cross-platform, people skills, legal, finance and business. This will help to shape your attitude for the rest of your career.
The first step towards shaping your own professional behaviour is to remain reliable. Your sense of reliability will reflect your punctuality and attendance, your self-presentation and your efficiency in the role you operate in. Although these are common sense skills that everyone serious and committed to a career in this industry would apply to themselves, there are skills you have to continuously improve and expand on such as software and appliance skills which can be obtained through intense course training.
It is important to be courteous even if you're in a position where you may not necessarily feel like being polite, it is important to project the right attitude when working as part of a team.
Rather than providing pages of writing that transcribes your work experience you have images that if organised and presented properly will leave a picture in your employer's mind of what you're about.
This will help your work to stand out. In order to do this properly you should research material the company has previously produced and tailor your showreel to meet the standards expected by the company. Most of those who begin working in TV production will often start out as a runner, depending on the career they wish to pursue in the industry. You could also include a business card with an web address for your own personal portfolio/homepage. This shows you are interactive and up to date. If you're successful this usually acts as the first step towards a career in the industry, from here you can work out your strengths and improve on your skills, once you have demonstrated your skills and qualities you can access more opportunities to work to the role you wish to secure.
For example if you wish to work as a broadcast reporter, you would first complete your degree then apply for researcher roles within the industry. Researchers often go on to become journalists or broadcasters, research plays a pivotal role in any form of media production, it is important to go to great lengths to gather extensive research both primary and secondary. You have to do this to make a programme or film seem more authentic and believeable, you must use your initiative to conduct thorough research, it is important to engage with several sources when fact finding, in order to establish the strength of the information given to you. It differs with each creative role, but no matter what role there is always room for promotion.
Overall there are 50,100 people working within the television industry in the UK. Around 62% of the industry's workforce are based in London around 28% of those people are employed on a freelance basis.
Professional Development
- Freelance
- Full-time
- Part-time
- Temporary
- Volunteer
- Shiftwork
- Multi-skilled
- Permanent
However some of these contracts for wages are not always consistent, 38% of those working in Television in the United Kingdom have worked without pay at some point in their careers, however this is seen as investment for long term prospects in the future, you may need to hold down two jobs in order to work your way into the industry. When working shift-work you may have to wait for a period of time before receiving your pay. before you can begin to secure your placement, you need to apply the right attitude to your work ethics. You should be prepared to face some brutal assessments from your employer, however take it in your stride, behavioural criticism will come to help you deal with any issues that could be problematic in your line of work. Finding someone available to advise and mentor you would also help to shape your professionalism and help you understand the business and attitudes that exist within this part of the creative media industry and what solutions would help you to overcome obstacles if they occur again. This way you can gain foresight and achieve things easily without any hitches to slow you down.
There are resources for those who work freelance in the television industry, the not-for-profit training charity the Indie Training Fund created by Skillset. This allows freelance workers in the industry gain fees for training sessions, these are usually measured by the day, training criteria includes, development, production, cross-platform, people skills, legal, finance and business. This will help to shape your attitude for the rest of your career.
Professional Behaviours
The first step towards shaping your own professional behaviour is to remain reliable. Your sense of reliability will reflect your punctuality and attendance, your self-presentation and your efficiency in the role you operate in. Although these are common sense skills that everyone serious and committed to a career in this industry would apply to themselves, there are skills you have to continuously improve and expand on such as software and appliance skills which can be obtained through intense course training.
It is important to be courteous even if you're in a position where you may not necessarily feel like being polite, it is important to project the right attitude when working as part of a team.
