TV Producer
Lynsey Pollard, 26, TV Producer/Director
How did you get into the job? I studied Journalism at Sheffield University. I kind of fell into TV when I applied for a Web Journalist job for the first year of Big Brother. I never thought that the show would be so successful. It helped that I was in the right place at the right time.
Job history: My next job was at Granada where I worked on the website again. When my contract was up, I told them I wanted to move into telly. They decided to take a risk and gave me a research job on Jobs From Hell. I then started freelancing as a producer for GMTV and BBC Breakfast. This involved chasing stories, finding and briefing guests and writing scripts. I also worked on Get A New Life (BBC2) as an Assistant Producer and at the moment I'm working with ZigZag Production Company on Change the Day You Die for Sky One.
Best/worst bits: Being on location all the time can be fun, but it also puts a strain on relationships. You go to places that you would never dream of going and meet people you wouldn't normally mix with. There's a lot of working late, you're expected to put in long hours and drop your plans - I'm constantly letting people down at the last minute, so unless you have a really tight rein on it your job can become your life.
Advice for wannabees: Personality and perseverance matter a lot. You have to be a good people person and be willing to work long hours, have loads of initiative, be efficient and organised. Moving up is a matter of being good at your job and maintaining good working relationships. Creativity is also important - you have to come up with ideas, find people for shows and think of ways to move stories on.
CV essentials: Go to university because it improves your people skills more than anything, but you can get any degree as long as you get work experience in TV. Any technical knowledge is a bonus, especially if you can operate a digital camera.
Application process
Television is a competitive industry, so it helps to try to stand out from the crowd when you are applying. Few entry jobs are advertised, so you'll need to get used to selling yourself and using your initiative. Find out the name of the best person to write to at each production company and write personally rather than sending a generic letter and CV.
Once you have some experience on your CV you can start applying through various websites, and some people also use agencies. It does come down to who you know, so keep contacts and make sure you know what everyone is working on in case an opening comes up.
Job description
If you like variety, you'll enjoy a job in television as the job varies according to the show you are working on and what stage of production you are in. It takes a while to work up to Producer level - most people start out as a Runner or Researcher and work their way up via the role of Assistant Producer.
Most roles will involve a fair amount of research, finding people to take part in the show, making short films to show to the channel before filming begins, helping on set, checking copyright and permission issues, contributing to and distributing scripts. You'll also find yourself running around liaising between the actors/people in the show, camera and sound crew, publicity staff and other members of the team.
Skills/experience/training
Although there are media and TV degrees, they're not essential CV fodder for a TV job because you learn so much 'on the job'. Most production companies will expect you to have studied to degree level, but they're looking for enthusiasm and commitment more than qualifications. Follow Lynsey's advice about getting work experience and use your initiative to gain as many skills as you can while you're there.
Journalism skills, such as researching, writing, making contacts and conducting interviews are all important parts of the job, so provide as much evidence of these as you can on your CV. Any technical knowledge is also a bonus.
Personality/Who would it suit
TV isn't as glamorous as it seems, so you have to be passionate about it and be willing to muck in with whatever is happening. It also helps if you are a 'people person' who can get on with everyone, be approachable and tolerant.
Career prospects
There are very few staff jobs on TV and you generally get paid a lot less for these - most people work on a freelance basis, moving on when the show finishes. Staff jobs give you the bonus of knowing you'll be in a job this time next year and you won't have to re-do your CV every three months and keep sending it out like freelancers. On the flipside, freelancing gives you a lot of freedom, so it helps if you enjoy change.
Most people start out as a Runner or Researcher working for a pittance (usually around £200 per week) - or even for free. Be prepared for this, but be clear about what you want to gain out of the experience and maintain relationships so you can aim to get better pay with each new role. Researchers can earn anything between £350-£550 per week, Assistant Producers £600-£750 and Producers and Directors from £800-£1200 per week.
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Pros and cons
- • Lots of variety, both in the day-to-day work and the freedom with which you can move between jobs;
- • Meeting new people - 'real' people through documentaries and celebrities/actors;
- • Going to new places - some shows involve lots of overseas travel, others have perks like invites to events and launches.
- • Long, often unsociable, hours that can play havoc with your social life;
- • Bad pay for the first year or two;
- • Lack of job security;
- • Very competitive industry.
