My top ten tips to get started in TV...
Updated: Jun 5, 2020
At last count there were over 65,000 members of a Facebook group that helps entry levellers get a foot in the door of the broadcasting industry. Competition is extremely fierce for these new starters, armed only with a graduate CV and an enthusiastic smile.
How is it possible nowadays to start your broadcast career in an industry that has become so niche with even it’s most experienced broadcasters?
The majority of TV job adverts expect at least 3 relevant credits in the same programme genre, which in turns creates a vicious circle of CV pigeon holing that’s hard to break free from.
Here’s my top ten tips on how to help get your career started…
(1) TV types have the attention span of a goldfish so make sure your starter CV is ideally on one page and easy to read.
(2) Give yourself the title that you want to be considered for at the top and make sure your CV is tailored to the role you are going for. Eg, DRAMA RUNNER, CAMERA ASSISTANT, PROPS RUNNER, set the scene.
(3) Be honest with your CV, we know you’ve just graduated so don’t try to write a paragraph about a running job you did for a day, just put ‘Day Runner’. Everyone knows what a Runner does.
(4) Great that you have worked as a receptionist or waitress, it shows you’re a hard-worker but these roles need to go nearer to the bottom than at the top of your CV.
(5) Think about your social media presence, do you have a twitter account and do you follow all the production companies that you’re interested in? Same for instagram and facebook, get to know the people you would like to work for, look for clues as to how you could get in there.
(6) In turn make sure all your social media is up to date and edit postings that could affect how you are judged by potential employers. People do look at social media, who doesn’t?
(7) Don’t just think of TV production companies, think outside the box, digital agencies, charities, local businesses where you could use and show off your broadcast skills to their advantage
and start to build that CV.
(8) Vimeo or Youtube showreels, great to have your student film up but if you are a budding camera man, show off your skills. Film a garden, the flowers, tell a story on film. We need to see more than a friends music video. Keep it simple.
(9) Create a one page website that shows off your showreel links, experience, testimonials all on one page
(10) Keep focused and motivated, if this is the right vocation for you, your career will happen.
