Working in the Media Industry

Media Industry Research

In this blog post, I have researched and wrote about the careers, apprenticeships and jobs there are in the media industry and which media jobs I am the most interested in.

Employment within the Industry (Careers)

For my future career I am most interested in working in the role of producer or director in the film sector of the industry.  

From my research into the producer and director careers roles I have found that they both have a lot of responsibilities but different duties. A director oversees the creative process of making a film while a producers handle the logistics related to the process.  

The responsibilities of a producer are to: 

• read and research into ideas and finished scripts 

• secure the finance for a new production 

• commission writers or secure the rights to novels, plays or screenplays 

• Hire key staff such as directors and crew  

• Pull together creative and practical talent involved in the project  

• Liaise and discuss projects with backers  

• Control production budget  

• Organize shooting schedules  

• Hold meeting with directors to discuss characters and scenes  

• Act as a sounding board for the director

• Trouble shooting problems

The responsibilities of a director are to:

• read scripts

• work with writers and provide feedback on the further development of scripts

• select actors

• monitor rehearsals

• direct actors during the filming

• select locations for filming

• meetings with the camera, art and costume departments

• agree the budget and schedule of the film with the producer

• be responsible for staying on budget and schedule

• supervise all creative aspects of the production

• work with the editor to present the final version of the film

• select music for the final film and/or work with a composer to decide on the musical score

• build and develop a network of contacts including writers, producers and others

Many companies in the UK have many job openings for producers and directors through the website Glassdoor, which shows the all the available jobs all around the UK.
Companies such as Netflix. ITV, Warner media, Formula 1 and many more are looking for producers and directors to take lead on their brand new projects. They are not just all in London but all over the UK for many different producers and directors to have a chance in the industry and bring new talent forward.

There are many jobs active for producers and directors in the UK. and the jobs roles are very integrate, For example the Formula One job role is to identifying editorials line and planning episodes, Recording audio content, managing editing work done, Publishing updates to social, video to promote episodes, recording scheduling's and logistics and much more in order to ensure that the project goes smoothly.

Skills and experience needed for many of the directors and the produces jobs are degree educated or equivalent, prior experience in media certain media, Experience using audio, Researching, Self starter with outstanding communications and organizational skills and much more skills and experienced are need to apply for the jobs. I understand why they ask for so much experience and skills due to the companies are very well known and they need people with that's of experience so they do not make any mistakes that could be detrimental to the reputation of them, they also want to know they are in capable hands to make this project for them. Many of higher up production companies will want directors and producers with so much experience in the industry so they can be able to make extortionary projects for them. 

In the media industry Freelancers are more common than employees and I believe this is because each project they work on is different to the last so they wont have all the best experience to work on a project they are not confident with or brand new to them but also more people are freelancers as once a project is finished with a company they do not know if there will be a project as meaning they won't have a job where as a freelancer can talk to other people when there project is soon to finish to find another job after so their income is more steady. 

Job Search

From my job search I have found that many website that have active media companies job vacancies all over the media sector. These were very easy to find as they are some of the first ones that popped up on my screen. 

They each have a search bar defining the type of job you are looking for, location or where you are and how far you are willing to travel for the job role. 

The first website that popped up was campaign live - https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/jobs/

It has a section for marketing, media, creative and adverting jobs so it is easier to define the job search for people. 

There are many types of producer and director on the website from my search and each company is rated from 5 starts from ex employees or new employees which is very helpful for people looking for a company that has a good quality of work. They also offer specialism searches, so if people are looking for certain types of job roles in certain sectors they can easily find one through the website. 

The second website I found was Cision - https://www.cisionjobs.co.uk/searchjobs

It has a full range of different types of media industry jobs ranging from reporter to producer. It is an easy to use website and has many parts of it if you are looking for a certain skill area for a job or a career.

Most jobs are often in London as it is the capital but there are many jobs all over the country in large cities such as Liverpool, Newcastle, Manchester and many more.

Skills and experience that are needed are many years of experience in that certain type of job role,  confident and comfortable while pitching, solid understanding of profitability, experience working in a fast paced environment, excellent writer and verbal communication, strong creative skills and able to think strategically and deliver project goals.

On indeed there are also lots of job placements for different areas in the media industry as there is a big demand from all sorts of medias.  

Apprenticeship 

Most media apprenticeship offer a number of types such as adverting and digital marketing, broadcast media production and editing, television and radio, film production, journalism and publishing to give a full range of people.

Media apprenticeships are typically offered at a level , foundation degree or bachelors degree education level.

Most media companies offer apprenticeships but the main ones that offer are BBC, Channel 4, ITV, Sky and Virgin media each offering different types of apprenticeships sectors such as film to journalism to digital marketing. 

BBC apprenticeships are available in four areas including business, production, journalism and design, engineering and technology. There are many opportunities all around the UK. They are very focused on college leavers with interests in TV, journalism and radio. 

Channel 4 offer apprenticeships in areas such digital media, production and others they work with business such as as in house digital content, 4studios and creative agency's giving people more experience with other business.

Media apprenticeships normally have specific programs which specialize in certain areas, for example TV production apprenticeships generally involve you working behind the scenes, performing a range of task and help to run everything smoothly on set. 

Media apprenticeships are mainly aimed at at people older than 16 years old and meet the employers requirements, They mainly want school or college leavers as an alternative to university leavers. 

I would be paid the national minimum wage, which currently is £4.81 per hour for under 19. While working as an apprentice I would be paid regular working hours, as well as a training part of the scheme. I would also be entitled to 20 days paid holiday each year plus bank holidays.

If there aren't any apprenticeships vacancies being advertised in my chosen field, I still may be able to land a internship or gain some work experience from a media company. 

On Indeed there are many apprenticeship placements on many different types of business for all sorts of media such as Tv, social media, journalism and much more. 

They are all over the country and have many positive incentives to move or work for them such as salary, housing, discounts and much more. This is a way to get more people applying and involved in their business. 

Most apprenticeships on indeed only require for GCSE and are from the UK, this is so they know you have basic information and they can easily to train them in certain areas.

Each posts have descriptions of what would the responsibilities you would have in order to tell people what they would be expected to take care of and learn how to do by training staff and more.

For the Digital Marketing Apprentice - Social Media and Email Marketing the responsibilities are:

• Social media management/planning & scheduling
• Content creation for social media, websites and email
• Graphic design & email marketing
• Paid media campaigns/PPC
• Research, analysis and reporting
• Planning new activities and projects
• Keeping up to date with the latest trends
• Document day-to-day activities for short-form video, e.g. TikTok
• Building rapport with clients online
• Posts about team including: new team members, events attended, sharable industry graphics, articles, promoting charities
• Writing copy, e.g. landing page, websites, social media captions etc.
• Learn & implement SEO practices for websites
• Public relations marketing
• Reporting on performance of digital marketing strategies & activities
• Collaborate with other teams & departments to ensure consistency
• Analysis of consumer experience in different digital channels
• Support the team when necessary to deliver client-focused projects

This might seem too much for an apprenticeship but this is what they would expect as they are working a job, they will give training so people can easily understand how to perform tasks to the highest standard but also they will have guidance at all time. 

This type of apprenticeship interest me a lot as there is lots of responbilites a jobs to do day to day. 

Training

You will undertake the ground-breaking Professional Apprenticeships Digital Marketer Level 3 qualification. Professional Apprenticeships hold the title of Bristol and Bath Apprenticeship Training Provider of the Year for 2021. We also boast the highest Ofsted rating, which only a select few training providers in the region have.

During this advanced apprenticeship, you will learn a vast range of knowledge, skills and behaviours, covering topics such as:

• SEO
• Analytics
• Copywriting and so much more.

The programme is designed to mould you into a high-level, all-rounded digital marketer. You will learn in detail about:

• Social Media Marketing
• Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
• Content Marketing
• Email Marketing
• Google AdWords & Analytics
• Paid Media (PPC) & much more.

These modules are designed to jump-start your career and make you stand out in an increasingly competitive field, boosting your future earning potential.

They give lots of help and guidance for training ot make sure they are not over whelmed with work

Conclusion

Researching has informed me and helped me to understand what it would be like to work in the media industry. From researching different jobs, career paths and what I would need to qualify them, all of these are able to gain more knowledge of the journey I could take in the industry. 

Researching does gain me much knowledge but my work experience at the Washington Arts Center has helped me much with the skills I would need but also gave me hands on experience with digital marketing and social media platforms.