So there was Dorothy in the movie Wizard of Oz, walking the Yellow Brick Road, when suddenly the path divided in two. “Which way to go,” she wondered, when suddenly a voice yelled out, “Some people go both ways.” With that, we could see the smirking Scarecrow, hanging on his cross,with his arms crossed in front of him, indeed pointing BOTH ways...
Among broadcast performers, some people profess a passion for news. Others are sports freaks. But some share an interest in both. So the question become, “which way to go?” Perhaps the Scarecrow has the right answer.
I can’t say for sure—I haven’t polled every news or sports director in the country--but I’m reasonably sure a demo DVD that has both news and sports elements to it would be OK. Let’s put it this way, one of our clients is trying it because he feels comfortable and confident performing in either genre.
Even though I’ve been a play-by-play announcer for nearly 15 years and a sportscaster for 28 years, I’d actually spent about the first five years of my career as a broadcast performer exclusively in news. In truth, I made the transition rather seamlessly, having wanted to be in sports all along. Being a lifelong sports fan didn’t hurt either. In fact here in Philadelphia, a major market, two prominent performers made the transition from sports to news while on the air here in Philly.
Point is, if you can perform, chances are you can be equally comfortable in either news or sports. And, if your demo DVD reflects both, it would seem to figure you’re making yourself eligible for that many more openings as well.
By the way, that client of ours who’s producing a demo DVD of both news and sports—we’ve just started on the production. You’ll see the results of our efforts and be able to view that demo on his client page in the coming months. Check back frequently here, at Marc's site.
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