Jobs in TV: What’s out there?

It seems to me that plenty of us have degrees these days; some of us in areas we’ve no intention of ever working in, some perhaps in areas mildly related to the field we’re interested in. However it also seems that whilst we all leave behind the ‘best years of our lives’ with the ability to write ten thousands words in only two weeks (you know you all left it to the last minute too) and a debt the size of most other people’s mortgages, we have absolutely no idea what jobs are actually available to us when we leave.

This is where I aim to help. If you’re interested in working in TV, you should know what areas you can work in, what jobs are available to you and what they entail.  Now rather than right a superbly long (incredibly boring) essay-style list of what everyone in the industry does, I’ve done a brief overview of some of the areas you might be interested and have provided links to useful sites with info about specific roles.

Production

The production team is responsible for the creation of the programmes we all love to watch. Employment opportunities vary from the production office to working on location or in a studio on shoots. More info…

Roles can include: Runner, Production secretary, Production Coordinator, Producer, Assistant Producer, Director, Assistant Director…

Find out more about the role of a Runner, here.

Technical

These are the jobs that help capture, light and record productions. You’ll usually need some technical production-based experience/training/degree to apply.

Roles can include: Camera Operators, Camera Assistants, Lighting Director, Sound Assistant, Electricians…

Find out more about technical roles in television, here.

Creative/Promos

Creative departments in TV companies are tasked with creating the promos (or trailers) that are seen in the ad breaks and between programmes. These trailers are one of the most effective ways of promoting the channel’s content.

Find out more about working in the Creative department of a TV organisation, here.

Post Production

Post-production generally refers to the processes that come after a production has finished filming in order to make it ready for release/transmission. These processes include; Video Editing, Visual Special Effects (CGI) and Sound Effects/Music.

Find out more about Post Production in Film and TV, here.

Schedules

Within television channels there are whole teams dedicated to ‘building’ TV schedules and more teams responsible for filling the schedules with programmes, promos, and idents. 

The Media Planning department will be responsible for seeing that the creative promotions for the channel’s programmes are promoted in the right places (TV, Radio, Print, Online) with the aim of reaching relevant audiences. Media Planning is closely related to/is a form of Marketing.

Continuity/Navigation is the means by which a television channel will try to retain audiences or point them in the direction of other content of interest. At the beginning and end of most programmes, on screen graphics, an End Credit Promotion or a Continuity announcer voiceover will signal to the viewer, which other programmes are coming up/ might be of interest to them.  

The continuity team will work closely alongside Media Planning with regards to what programmes are being promoted and where.

Find out more about what being a Continuity Announcer involves, here.

These are just a few of the areas of television I’ve learnt about whilst working in a TV organisation.  There are obviously many other areas to consider, but this list might give you some guidance/help with future job role research.

If you’re interested in working in/finding out more about the broadcast industry, Boyce Recruitment have a specialist Broadcast Services Director you can contact, here.