How I got into the Industry
A proud team (and presenter Sian Lloyd) at the screening for Wales: Land of the Wild in 2019
It’s coming up to a year since I launched Media Career Advice and I’ve been so busy in that time that I haven’t even written a blog post! I’m going to try and get a new blog written every 1 – 2 months as there are lots of subjects that I want to share with you all from industry insights to tips and tricks based on my experience.
I thought I’d kick them all off with a bit more about my career and my route into the TV industry. Cue embarrassing photos!
When I was growing up I didn’t have a clear idea of what I wanted to be when I was older. Some people know straight away and fall into those careers, but for me it took until after I left school to decide which path I wanted to go down.
I come from a working class family and went to a state school. I was pretty academic, but I knew that none of the conventional jobs appealed to me. It wasn’t until I decided to take Media Studies at GCSE that I found a subject that really interested me. I remember being in the classes analysing a film or an advert and I realised that there must be lots of jobs out there in the media industry to be producing that content, although I thought they must all be in London and I’d need to move there instead of staying close to home in South Wales.
I was always a big TV and film fan, but it never crossed my mind that I could get a job in that sector as it always seemed so out of reach. I’d spoken to my school’s career advisor and she had printed a few sheets on your conventional TV & film roles but it was very much “it’s very competitive so you shouldn’t pin your hopes on it”. I’ve always been really driven and didn’t see it as unobtainable; I just didn’t know where to start to realise my ambition. After leaving school I decided to complete a diploma in foundation art & design, as I enjoyed art at school and wanted to see if I had a talent for it as maybe this was another route I was going to try. I loved the year long course and specialised in photography, but I knew that I didn’t have enough talent to pursue it as a career, despite a short stint as a school photographer.
Side of stage watching Fatboy Slim while on a break at Boardmasters 2011
I knew deep down that my passion was to work in the media industry but I didn’t know what jobs were out there apart from the roles that are normally talked about like director, cameraman etc. So I started a degree in Media Production, as much like my art diploma it offered a taste of different subjects such as radio production, TV production, photography and theory among others. I felt the mix of the theory (studying film conventions etc) and practical elements of the course really gave me a good foundation and overview of the industry. It also steered me towards taking TV studio production as my final major project. During that project I enjoyed the organisational side of the studio production the most, but I didn’t realise there was a role in the TV industry that focused on just that.
I really enjoyed the course and it taught me a lot about the industry as a whole. However, it didn’t give me any idea about the real media world out there, or even what roles there were in the industry. I didn’t really know where to start to apply for roles, but I’d heard that work experience was a good way to get your foot in the door. I was very pro-active in trying to find this work experience and after many speculative emails to all of the local media companies I could find (after extensive google searches!) I finally got my first week of unpaid work experience in a large independent TV company in Cardiff. That week really opened my eyes to what the job roles were and what was involved day to day in making a programme. I was working closely with the Production Co-ordinator and my role most of the week was to complete post-production paperwork. I couldn’t believe people got paid to watch TV programmes and put together a script of the dialogue, or log the music used. From then on I was hooked and knew it was the right industry and role for me.
Although that initial spark of enthusiasm waned when I struggled to get more work experience. I was determined to stay in Cardiff and not have to go to London where there may have been more opportunities, as I’m a home bird at heart. However fewer companies meant fewer chances of me landing my next role, added to the fact that I’m not a Welsh speaker which cut my chances of roles almost in half due to the amount of Welsh-language programmes being made in South Wales. The first year I found really difficult as I didn’t want to take jobs outside of the industry as it meant I may not be available if something within the industry came up, however I still needed to earn some money. It was very sporadic initially with 1 day to 3 month contracts spread over that year. That was until I saw a job advertised at a local TV advertising agency. I impressed enough to land the role and from then on I worked relatively solidly moving from company to company for almost my whole career, as I proved I could do the work well and had managed to build up a large network of people in that time that I could turn to if a contract was coming to an end.
Excuse the hair, slippers and messy flat! I was very excited to be part of the Cardiff Big Brother auditions in 2012
Gaining experience in various companies and working across multiple productions at each company meant I moved quickly through my career from Office Runner to Production Assistant, to Production Co-ordinator to Production Manager and then to Head of Production. I haven’t moved at all from the production route as it really sparks my passion and feeds into my skills and I find it incredibly rewarding as a career.
As a freelancer, of course there has been uncertainty and stress over finding my next job and times where I have been off for 3 months with no work on the horizon, but it’s allowed me to work on great productions and progress through my career. The most rewarding thing about my job is when everyone comes together as a team and creates great telly that we can be proud of and it’s always great when you go to a dentists appointment and they are really interested in what you have to say when they ask what you do, as it’s such an exciting industry to be a part of!
My first programme billboard in 2019
I didn’t know where to start to get my foot in the door into the industry, which is one of the reasons I set up my company as I wanted to help as many people as possible to start in the industry or to progress through their career, as I know how difficult it can be to get to where you want to be.
I’ve worked on all types of different shows from studio shoots, location shoots, foreign and remote shoots and across multiple genres including corporate & commercial. I’ve also had a stint in drama working for a special effects company on productions such as Doctor Who and Final Score, as well as working on events such as the BAFTA Cymru Awards and RTS Wales Awards. I work really closely with runners, researchers, assistant producers, producers (SPs & EPs), directors, cameramen and editors and know what it takes to succeed in their roles. A large aspect of my role within the industry is to recruit teams, from looking over CVs, cover letters, conducting interviews and negotiating rates. So I’m very well placed to help in any aspect of TV & Film careers.
On my services page you’ll see the full list of the what I can offer from CV support, interview techniques, negotiating skills to general career advice. I also offer budget friendly packages if you would like a few different sessions. Whether you are considering a career in the media or want to improve your skills to get you closer to your goals, let me give you Media Career Advice.