Whether it’s editing an influential magazine, creating sound effects of an alien planet for a blockbuster movie, green-lighting an urgent new television series or signing the next Earth-rattling band, landing a job in media employment can offer the path towards a rich and rewarding life. Media employees are the gatekeepers and creators of culture, so these jobs demand rigorous training, ambition and networking to land. Many people often daydream aloud, “I could be a film executive, and I would release the films we all need.” But there is a wide chasm between the idle daydreamer and the successful media employee. In this article, we will lay out some paths and tips to land the job of your dreams. Remember, everyone in the world wants a job in media employment — getting that job requires a combination of work ethic, knowledge, demonstrable skills, networking and plain luck to land the job of your dreams. The road is hard but even the most powerful studio heads started somewhere. And they usually started at the bottom.
Finding the Perfect Job:
Before beginning your search, you should decide whether you would like a job in media employment in an executive/managerial or creative/technical capacity. In media employment, there are the people who produce the content and those that facilitate the production of the content.
Let’s start with the creative end.
You do not necessarily need a college degree or extensive training in your desired field. Many employers favor ambition, skill and reliability over impressive credentials. However, before applying for these jobs you should be able to demonstrate a familiarity and potential for improvement in your field — the more specific the field the better. For instance, in the film industry everyone wants to be a director, but spaces are limited, the skill-set is general and ambiguous and there’s no clear starting path. If you have an interest in film, a predilection for sound and a familiarity with the technology, why not for instance, try to find work doing ADR and Doley Effects? But how would one go about that leap? Some would say you need a college degree, but this is not the case. One or two night classes and a personal drive of your own should be more than enough to get your foot in the door. But which door to try? In this case, you would buy the Hollywood Creative Directory, scan the pages and find a few post-production houses. Narrow your search down and pick out three or four. Go to their website, search their work and credits. Make yourself intimate with their work — what you find they did well, what doesn’t work: become fluid in their field. And then call them up. How you approach someone speaks to your confidence. An email is timid, a personal drop-in can be too pushy, but a phone call let’s them know you’re serious, and more importantly, someone has to relate personally with you. If you have no professional experience, ask if you can apprentice. Do not expect a full time salary. Most niche creative/technical fields operate on the apprentice system. This system works — you’ll learn the craft from the bottom up in real time, real world scenarios. Then in three to six months, ask for a salaried position. Do not be afraid to start at the bottom. Pay your dues, learn your craft, and mold a career.
Now for the executive/managerial end.
Let’s say you want to be an A&R at a major record label. These jobs are highly cherished, so you will need discipline, perseverance and luck to land a position in that type of media employment. While you may feel that if you were the person calling the shots, the music in this country would be far better, many people feel exactly the same way. The obstacle facing many perspective employees in this side of the field is that these positions do not have a demonstrable skill-set, yet everyone wants these jobs. As in all things, go to what’s taking your interest. If you are passionate about reggae, learn everything you can about the business side of the reggae business as well as the artistic side. You may not be able to land a job at Warners, but you can certainly land something at your favorite local reggae label. Search their website, read all the trade and consumer magazines, call them up and ask to intern. Again, most places are happy to have people work for free. Do a good job, make yourself indispensable and after some time, climb those stairs. While interning, you may want to take a music business class or two. (You can join societies like ASCAP, BMI, or any other number of societies, but that will help later when you are more established.) Keep a record of your successes and build on them.
Salaries:
Most people working in media employment are not making big money. In fact, most are in the fields they are because they are passionate about those fields. In this day and age, with technology throwing out the old gatekeepers and the “culture of free” penetrating every corner of old markets, the revenues simply are not what they used to be. Know this going in. Publishing, Print Journalism and Music and Recording have been hit especially hard. You must be prepared to start at the bottom, working for free if you have to. It is a sad truth in media employment: because most employers only offer internships and not entry level salaried positions, most of the jobs in the media employment are reserved for the independently wealthy. If you are lucky enough to be offered a salaried job as an assistant, expect to earn around $30,000 a year, with benefits. Now these employers sometimes do hire from within, but just as many are youth oriented, and have no qualms about cycling twenty-six year-olds in and out. Do not plan to incrementally rise within your company — instead use your spare time to freelance, network and develop your own projects from the ground up. This is especially true in the United States, but there are plenty of emerging markets around the world where the opportunities and pay is better. Seek out locales with a good tradition that are heavily invested. Some countries, such as Canada, have struck deals with media employers and subsidize their operations. If you do not mind leaving the states, try new markets.
Opportunities:
You have three main options for seeking out opportunities to land a job in media employment. You may either head for the large behemoths of industry — like Sony, MGM or NBC, you may find niche markets — for instance an independent record label, or you may make yourself your own entity and freelance. Landing a job at a “major” requires good credentials and luck. As there are few demonstrable skills for non-creative positions at major companies, it will come down to who you know and blind chance. If you are able, establish contacts in high places at these major companies and ask them for recommendations or tips. Many times, these companies do not post their job listings publicly and rely solely on word of mouth to staff them. The advantage in working for a major company is that you have a modicum of stability, if you perform well. Then you may try your niche markets — however, make sure before interning or apprenticing that they are reputable, that there is the possibility for advancement and that they are funded. If you plan to work for yourself, plan on hustling, networking extensively and setting up a competent website that is linked to several communities, blogs and forums.
In many instances, to get media employment in a technical/creative field, you will need to join their guild or union. Many of these guilds are notorious for their complex prerequisites and being difficult to break into. Respect the institution as much as you are able, be diligent about their requirements and pay your dues.
Resources:
Most fields in media employment have one if not more trade journals and magazines. Subscribe to them and read them cover-to-cover. You will not only become fluent in the vernacular, but often they post unique opportunities for jobs, gigs and education. In niche markets, message boards are a great place to search. The heads of fields are often voluminously posting about an obscure film on a message board for Hong Kong action cinema — these are great places to learn the language, meet most if not all of the enthusiasts, and start projects of meaning and depth. You may also consider joining a professional society. If you are a creative, this may be a great way to network and pitch your projects. If you are a manager/executive, this may be a great way to meet up and coming (and cheap) creatives with the next big thing.
Conclusions:
Finding a job in media employment is tricky and will require tenacity, hard work, skill and luck. Learn all you can about the medium you wish to join. Learn its history, learn technological specifics, learn its language and meet its practitioners. Although many established professionals might cling to their own jobs, if they spot a young person, with clear enthusiasm and mastery-level knowledge of the medium, they will be inclined to help you. Those who hold good jobs in media employment got there because they are passionate about their field. Go to what you are passionate about, and you will be energized to master it. Have humility about what you do not know, start at the bottom and pay your dues.
