It's Friday: have you thanked a photog this week?
Good news... three clients got job offers this week. Things continue to open up, so hang in there, and keep sending tapes. Remember, every time someone gets a job, that creates another opening, so don't wait for things to be "posted." Find places you want to work and send tapes. Cruise the "moving on" sections of places like tvjobs.com and find out where openings have just been created.
When getting a job offer, don't forget to ask if the station will put you up in a hotel for awhile while you're looking for a place to live. Most people forget about that, and end up with a sizable bill while trying to get established.
Pet peeve: Men who no longer wear ties on camera. I realize that we have become a "slob nation" but seriously, unless you're doing a story at the beach or out on a farm somewhere, let's have at least a long sleeved shirt and tie. (If it's hot you can ditch the suit jacket.) Seeing reporters in polo shirts with white t-shirts showing makes me think they just came from mowing the lawn. And if that's not enough of an incentive, no one wants to hire reporters who dress that way.
Memo to New York women who work in the business: When updating your wardrobe, color is the new black. Memo to young men in the business: There's a new invention out there called a steam iron.
Tip for people who never get any feedback from their tapes. Enclose a stamped, self-addressed post card asking for feedback. When you make it that easy for a ND, you're bound to get something. It worked for me on many occasions.
Don't forget to "punch your name" at the end of your package. I see too many packages when the sig-out just trails off like an apology. Unless it's a terribly sad story, put some energy into your name and sig-out. Your voice is your signature.
Finally, I really appreciate the thank you notes you guys send via snail mail and email, and I save them all. They mean more than you can know.
3 comments:
One thought prior to accepting a job: Ask the ND what kind of live shot, live newsroom/studio experience you'll get. I ended up at a station with a news philosophy that most stories don't need a live or a "front". Even if that's true, it means you don't get the experience to polish your live skills.
On the other hand, if you're not stuck with meaningless live shots, you'll have more time to work on putting together a quality package.
A station that doesn't do live shots is one of two things: cheap, or smart enough to realize the public isn't fooled by "live for the sake of live" anymore.
Cheap. Plus took the advice of a consultant who gave an array of awful advice which hasn't panned out. But point well taken.
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