So You Want to Work in TV
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Making TV is all about creativity – plus someone who can organise the ideas and put the practicalities into place to get it to screen – not all creatives can do that. Those that struggle with the practical need to join forces with a business-minded friend/colleague. Anyway the marriage of creativity and business is a [...]
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Making TV is all about creativity – plus someone who can organise the ideas and put the practicalities into place to get it to screen – not all creatives can do that. Those that struggle with the practical need to join forces with a business-minded friend/colleague. Anyway the marriage of creativity and business is a [...]
If you are looking for a break as a small-screen presenter, keen to get something professional on camera for the TV presenting showreel and you live in the north of England – AND you love dogs – then this job may have your name on it! Mandrill Television is a successful independent television production [...]
Do you work in audio in TV or radio or interested in pursuing that line of work in the media? Then you may be interested in the work of Sound Women, a network of over 900 inspirational women working in audio. If you’re male stay tuned – there are useful tips for you too! [...]
I get a lot of questions about how to pitch new television programme ideas so when Mark Marinaccio got in touch to ask if we’d like some information on pitching reality TV ideas, I grabbed the opportunity to pass on the benefit of his experience. Mark Marinaccio is an Executive Producer, Creator and Showrunner (American [...]
There are several routes into television but here are two of the most common: one is through the studio route. Going from runner on a studio floor or on location, moving up to assisting the director, floor manager etc and then possibly into directing. The other (most normal route in shows like ‘This Morning’) is [...]
This is a tale I often tell media students, not only to provide some encouragement but also to show how the right approach as a work experience or runner in television production can help you get ahead. Back in the days when ‘This Morning’, ITV’s daytime series, broadcast from the Albert Dock in Liverpool we [...]
Kerry Burch is an experienced television producer and one of the most organised, calm and glamorous producers I’ve worked with. But she didn’t to get to where she is without going through her own baptism of fire. Kerry has done her time on live television, including producing ITV’s daytime magazine show, ‘This Morning’ – two [...]
So what should you expect to be doing once you get that television researcher job? And how does that role differ from that of Assistant Producer? Barney Newman is another great production team member I’ve had the pleasure of working with. His charm, talent and hard work has taken him from researcher to assistant producer and finally to producer. So who better [...]
Let’s talk about television presentation – not the kind of presentation that involves you appearing on-screen but the presentation of the channel: the bit that happens between the programmes. A channel needs an identity just as a product does. There is a creative department that designs that style and identity and ensures that the trailers [...]
So I ran off a short post on the qualities of a good television presenter and frankly it serves me right – how can you quantify a ‘good’ television presenter in a few paragraphs. It’s so much more complicated than that. So thank you to those who responded. They did it on another forum but I’d love [...]
So you may not be a television presenter as such but you have an area of expertise and you want to demonstrate it on television. You could be a TV ‘expert’ but how do you get yourself noticed? The good news is that over the past few years it’s become easier for TV experts to [...]
So you want to be a weather presenter or maybe you’re just interested on getting your hands on any kind of TV presenting job you can! Well one woman who’s best known as one of Britain’s most popular weather presenters is the lovely Sian Lloyd. As she will explain herself Sian is a whole lot more than [...]
Abi, a student of Media Practise, recently asked me how she should go about moving from being an unpaid work experience in television to a paid runner and whether it was possible to do this whilst at university. It was such a good question I reckoned there’d be many of you out there wondering the [...]
So you want to work in TV; you finally get that dream job; you race eagerly into the office for your first day of making television programmes – and then you have your first meeting with The Boss. But what is your TV boss really like? Inspiring and supportive – or challenging – maybe even [...]
From major Hollywood films to low-budget daytime television, stylist John Scott has done it all and lives to tell the tale. Many tales in fact! John has downed cocktails with Jackie Collins, spruced up Piece Brosnan, sparred with Eamonn Homes and cuddled Ewan McGregor but what he loves most is helping ordinary men and women [...]
Back by popular demand – Louise McNamara, author of one of our most popular posts, The Real Life of a TV Runner, with an update! Louise wrote very frankly about the reality of life as a TV runner and many people identified with her struggle to find work and a reasonable income as a recent entrant to [...]
So you want to work in TV but do you have the necessary skills to gain entry? You may be providing training for those entering the media, but are you giving your students the right sort of education to equip them for the current media workplace? You work in TV already but did [...]
Nuala Giblin is a television press officer with many years experience on some of our most iconic TV shows, including ITV’s popular police series, ‘The Bill’. Nuala kindly agreed to tell us her story of dealing with drama, drama queens and death: My first job in telly was a fluke, as so many things are [...]
The continuing saga of my life in television (and what I learnt from it…) Still in Rathbone Place, behind London’s Oxford Street, securely nestled between The Bricklayers and The Wheatsheaf pubs, the drinking, television production and media education continues. Employed by Music Box, making pop music programmes, I volunteer my services for a new commission [...]
The world of television is fickle, insecure and exciting. If you think it’s hard getting into television production then spare a thought for those trying to get a job presenting on camera. Getting to be a TV presenter is one thing, staying in that line of work is quite another. One day you’re hot, then next day [...]
Trish Bertram is one of THE best “voices” in the TV business. She is also a good friend and you are about to get the privilege of hearing her words of wisdom on the subject of being a continuity announcer. Trish knows her side of the business inside and out so if you’ve ever wondered [...]
Continuing our series on using music in TV (and film, the web & etc), we hear from Intricuts, a music producing, editing & composing company set us as a partnership between Fraser Bennett and Mathieu Karsenti. They have worked on shows such as Sky’s successful Got To Dance, ITV’s Take Me Out and have worked closely with reknowed [...]
So you want some great music to add to your TV programme but wondering where to find it. As we mentioned in part one of this series of articles on music in TV there are many good music libraries who provide music of all genres and style, legally cleared for use on TV and for [...]
Presenting on TV is a goal for many people and it can be a very hard road to travel as talented and experienced presenter Greg Scott has explained more than once on this site. There are many routes into TV presenting and some people work at it for years before getting their foot in the door. There are [...]
If you want to get work on screen in TV as a presenter, host or TV expert then you are no doubt wishing you could find a good agent. Today’s post is written by TV agent, Jon Roseman, who has represented the likes of Kate Garraway, Natasha Kaplinsky and Fern Britton. Getting an agent is [...]
The great ‘How To Write Your TV CV Debate’ continues! I know what I respond to when skimming through CVs for TV jobs but it seems there is conflicting advice out there, so we sent ace-reporter and crowd-sourcing supremo, Chris Dodd out to do some real research. The full results will get to you via [...]
What do television employers look for in a new recruit? Well much the same as sandwich chain Pret a Manger look for in theirs! Pret has been in the news charged with employing foreigners at the expense of local home-grown British applicants. Let’s not get into that debate but let’s identify what makes a new [...]
So you want to be a TV cameraperson? Then what you need is advice from a professional camera operator with a long track record in television. Colin Rogal is a very experienced and successful TV cameraman who has worked on many excellent TV shows, from C4 Dispatches to BBC’s Horizon, from drama and documentary to [...]
There will always be problems – especially when making television. Life is full of problems and they never stop coming so get used to it! Knowing how to approach problems and go about solving them is a key skill in television production. Here’s how to make the most of problems in TV: A problem is [...]
If you dream of presenting on TV then you probably imagine Philip Schofield’s job or presiding over a prime time entertainment show, maybe presenting a hard-hitting factual series? Chances are you are not holding out for the job of presenting on a shopping channel. However such a presenting job is more challenging than any high profile TV show. Presenter [...]
Most entry level applicants in TV will be looking for a runner’s job. There are a variety of different types of running jobs, most obviously those working in a studio, those working on location and those working in the office. Ryan Flynn tells us what it’s like working in the Location Department of TV: What do you do? I am [...]
So you want to write for television or film? Then you need advice from an experienced and successful screenwriter. Philip Gladwin is that man! Phil has been a screenwriter for over 25 years , writing for such high profiles TV shows as ‘Casualty’, ‘The Bill’, ‘Holby City’ and many more BBC and ITV shows. [...]
Good television is all about finding – and telling – good stories. Apart from understanding the art of making video you also need to develop good writing skills for many jobs in television. Our last post focused on excellent advice from an experienced TV screenwriter but what about the factual entertainment side of TV production? Many factual and multi-item TV programmes eat [...]
How to Tell Stories. With the theme of writing for TV this week we’ve covered the art of writing stories (screenwriting) and how to find stories (journalism) but today Chris Dodd tells us a Story about a Storyteller and explains how telling stories can get you a head start in TV. If you’ve ever looked [...]
Yes I finally did it. Put my money (well, put my time & stress!) where my mouth is. Regular readers will know how passionate I am about getting out there and just ‘doing it’. If you want to develop your media skills you have to practise them and the Internet is just such a fantastic [...]
So how did Anthony Miller go from podium dancer to TV presenter and expert? The hard way. Anthony’s story is a great example of how hard and unpredictable TV work can be but also an entertaining account of how sheer perseverance can sometimes get results. He’s tried it all - presenting, TV expert, developing and pitching TV [...]
So – you’ve got a brilliant idea and you want to make sure no-one steals it off you. That’s the hard part. Now, first of all you need to understand that there is a chance that someone already has a similar idea in development. Anyone who has regularly pitched proposals for TV shows will have [...]
If you want to work in TV, whether behind the camera or in front of it, Debbie King’s story will provide plenty of food for thought. Debbie’s career has covered a whole range of TV roles including her main passion, presenting. We like to tell it how it really is on this site and [...]
What better way to find out what a TV post production runner does than go watch one in action, and what better way to illustrate the job than to put it on video. My mate Mark Sangster, top editor and a director at Editworks, one of London’s top post production houses, kindly let us into their busy centre of [...]
Staying on the subject of finding work as a post production runner, this account from an editor on how he got his first break as a runner in post production. Paul Lumsden broke into the business and found his niche as an editor without the benefit of useful contacts or a monied family to cushion those early years of low pay. [...]
TOP TEN REASONS WHY YOU WON’T GET A REPLY TO YOUR TV JOB APPLICATION “It really saps my morale and sometimes I can get quite upset about it. Am I of no value to anyone out there? I could send dozens of emails in a week and the silence is deafening”. So says one very [...]
Britain’s Got Talent’s Jonathan Antoine, opera singer extraordinaire has won something far more important than first place in the UK’s favourite talent show. Losing to a dog should not bother him one iota. The bigger prize that Jonathan has won is confidence and with that attribute the world is his oyster. Without confidence you will [...]
Graham Bannerman is a presenter and a voiceover artist but he’s also been a TV agent. Having worked both sides of that particular talent coin he has a unique perspective on the world of TV presenting. Graham kindly agreed to answer our questions: How did you get into the media in the first [...]
One of the things about working in television is the opportunity to make positive changes through telling strong stories. There are far too many examples of TV exploiting vulnerable people but there are also times when sensitively handled productions can do great good. One such positive story is that of Charlie Walduck. He weighed a [...]
I could rant. I could jump on the BBC-bashing bandwagon but that would be too easy. Let’s instead offer up Ten Top TV Lessons to Learn From the BBC’s Production of The Biggest River Pageant Since 1662. So much more positive and constructive! A Presenter is only as good as the Producer/Production put behind [...]
So you want to be a TV reporter or presenter? I get so many questions asking for advice on this subject and the next two articles come from two different people who have succeeded in their field by following two very different routes. If you are not already signed up to get these articles [...]
Chris Cohen is a presenter and comedian who credits YouTube for getting him where he is today. Apart from that, he and Justin Bieber have nothing in common! If you fancy your chances with an on-screen role in TV or even if you want to understand how the internet can help you make your mark [...]
Using social media to promote yourself in TV is essential. It is a fabulous resource for that all-important networking process – but it can backfire! Lou Gallagher is a familiar contributor to this blog. She wrote about her desire to change careers from the charity sector into TV and then wrote about her success in [...]
Some time ago one of our blog or Twitter followers asked about wildlife programming and what a producer did in that type of TV production – sorry, I forget who it is was! Anyway we went in search of an answer and found Mike Linley at Wildeye – an international school of wildlife filming. Mike [...]
So You Want To Work in Television’s very first seminar/networking event last week appeared to go down very well. A dark and decadent bar in deepest Soho was alight with TV talent and the speakers told it how it really is! Former Commissioning Editor at Living and Sky, and current Head of Entertainment, Factual & [...]
As promised, following our highly successful TV Presenters evening – The Agent, The Producer & The Commissioner – some Top Tips for those who couldn’t make it. Yes we are planning more so watch this space for details. TOP TEN TIP FOR TV PRESENTERS Get yourself a point of difference – a USP [...]
Would you employ someone on your fast-moving TV production who had a disability? Yes, you cry, of course! Wheelchair access no problem. But what if that disability were less obvious – something that caused the potential employee to get easily tired, maybe unable to complete a task within the unrealistic deadline that many TV projects have? Well I’ve had [...]
Let’s talk video. Everyone’s at it and you certainly should be if you are studying, loving, working in TV! Making films for your own website, for YouTube or anywhere for that matter is a great way to practise your media-making skills and advertise them. One of our gang, Ash Bhardwaj, has recently written about the role of YouTube in [...]
This morning I published a graphic bemoaning the time we waste on social media to the detriment of productivity. This evening I offer you an example of how social media can be far more productive than any other kind of marketing! Following my blog post I got into a Twitter conversation with Julia McGill who told me of her [...]
It’s all over the online news – and will be all over the headlines tomorrow – Phillip Schofield handed prime minster David Cameron a list of suspected Tory paedophiles during a live interview on ITV’s daytime show “This Morning”. With the Jimmy Savile investigation in full swing, the show was following up rumours that senior [...]
Otherwise entitled, The Production, The Presenter & The Press Part 2 (part one is here!). Was Phillip Schofield to blame for the way in which ITV’s This Morning programme handled the interview with Prime Minister David Cameron? I won’t rehash the details – they are available all over the Internet if you want to [...]
Are writing skills valuable if you want to work in TV? You betcha! Not only are writing skills useful in many aspects of TV work but they may help you to get TV work in the first place A badly written CV and covering email could finish your chances of even getting on the first rung. [...]
Happy New Year – and may it bring whatever opportunities you desire in the world of TV and creative media! Talking of opportunities, I thought we should start the year by highlighting a few – for both the experienced producer and director and those looking for work placements, plus a chance to win Amazon vouchers [...]
My sister watched her husband die this month. Such moments get you thinking about death and of course it’s precursor – LIFE. Excuse the dark opening to this post but death is one of the most effective ways to make you stop and consider where your life is leading and what you want from it. [...]
… create their own media, of course! Working in TV is fun but very fickle, as anyone currently in between jobs and worrying about where the next one is coming from will know! My advice has always been to spend those dry times working on your own ideas, your own media or art. Not [...]
Some very important dates for your diary: Writers First off, the BBC Writers Room have opened a window of opportunity for anyone to submit unsolicited scripts. It’s called The Writers Room. They’ve changed from a rolling submissions system to one with specific windows when they will accept writers’ work so you need to get [...]
DogsClub.tv Presenter Applications Details and Terms & Conditions To apply you must be over 18 years of age. Your application should include a copy of your CV or a biography, your contact details and a short account of why you feel you are suited to the role. Any material/videos should be your own work [...]
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Samantha Brick, TV producer and journalist, writes a feature for the Daily Mail entitled ‘Why Do Women Hate Me For Being Beautiful?’ A headline ideally suited to the Daily Mail agenda. It’s easy journalism too – write about yourself and there’s no need to do any research for the story. Some deemed it a journalistic [...]