Category: Breaking into Broadcasting Project

What it Takes to Get Started

July 16th, 2012 · · Breaking into Broadcasting Project No comments - Tags: , , , , ,

I tend to get a lot of emails, and a lot of questions on a daily basis from people who are interested in getting into broadcast journalism — so I would like to offer you some basic tips to help you get started.

Today — let’s talk resume demos. Regardless of whether you are interested in work behind the scenes, or in front of the camera, you will need a resume demo to get a broadcast employer’s attention. It is a “must-have” — and I strongly advise that you take the process of building your demo with the greatest of care. Here are a few pointers:

College Tape vs. Tape from an Internship at a local news station

If you attend an institution with an up-to-date broadcast facility, good equipment, and slick graphics — like my “Texas Newswatch” at my alma mater, The University of Texas at Austin, or the stellar Arizona State University broadcast journalism program — your tape may stand strong if compared to the product you could develop at a local affiliate.

 

 

In most other cases, however, the video/graphics quality of resume demos tends to be better when produced at a local news shop. Your goal is to look as professional as possible in your first demo reel. If your tape looks amateur compared to the next applicant, hiring managers will notice the difference.

Show Variety!

If you have anchoring, put it on the demo. Mix it up with your best liveshots, and your best reporting. Showcase ONLY your best work, and make sure the pace does not drag. Remember — the first 10 to 15 seconds of your demo will determine whether a hiring manager looks at the rest of your reel, or decides to move on. Make sure to put your best material right off the top.

Good Luck!

 

G

Breaking into Broadcasting Project: Ready to go!

September 6th, 2011 · · Breaking into Broadcasting Project No comments

I reached my goal! The project re-design is now complete, right on schedule.

After months of tweaks and changes, Breaking into Broadcasting is now officially ready for beta testing. I am excited to finally start sharing this site within the industry. It is greatly improved from the simply blog format it started as, and I believe incorporates some useful features to help people who are trying to break into broadcasting.

Starting today, September 6th, beta testing will begin and run through Friday, September 17th. If you are interested joining during this period, please do so and send me details about your experience on the site. I am interested in getting as much feedback as possible before I push the site forward and share it with more people.

There are still several features from the original format – the e-books section remains, as does the monthly video conference. Some of the new features include “B-Roll” (the new B-Roll icon featured prominently on the picture above) – a social community for broadcast veterans and beginners to share stories, offer advice, and create personal profiles. There is also a new Classified Ads section for job seekers to promote themselves to hiring managers.

Last but certainly not least, there is a new Job Bank (with both user & employer access permissions), and a Stations List that currently lists the top 120 media markets, along with links to employment pages for television stations in those markets. Both a radio list, and an international stations list are coming next!

Let me know what you think!

Breaking into Broadcasting: Major Re-Design

July 21st, 2011 · · Breaking into Broadcasting Project, Reporter's Notebook Comments Off - Tags: , , , , ,

So, this is what I’m up to when I’m not tracking down a story or working on-air!

Behind the scenes, I’ve been very busy these past few weeks! If you’ve visited breakingintobroadcasting.com recently, you are probably already aware that a lot of things are moving and shifting around at all times of the day and night. From the kitchen table to coffee shops, I have been working to usher in a new look – new features – and a social network in the new Breaking into Broadcasting. I did a soft-launch about a year-and-a-half ago, and since then I’ve learned what works and what doesn’t work with regards to the project’s identity, overall layout and functionality. As of today, the project is still under construction, but should be ready for a hard launch unveiling and announcement by summer’s end.

The goal of Breaking into Broadcasting is to provide a constructive, supportive forum to help people interested in broadcasting and broadcast journalism. I have always enjoyed working with people to help them grow in this business, so building BiB seemed like the logical next step. I’m excited about the potential this project has to pay it forward. I will announce the completion of my fixes/changes to the BiB website here.

GK