Marc Zumoff, Broadcast Coach

Breaking into broadcasting: success in a recession

The job of breaking into broadcasting is tough enough.  Now, you have to do it in the middle of a recession, a time when reduced revenues are forcing stations to cutback.  This not only shrinks the amount of jobs available, but it also swells the unemployment pool at the same time, especially with people who already have experience!

Before you get too bummed out, take heart.  The competition was going to be fierce no matter what.  So recession or not, you still need to be ready with the tools necessary to give you a leg up on the competition.  Here’s a review of some of the mandatory assets you will need to succeed in your quest to break in as a broadcast performer:

1.) Believe in yourself.  This is the first step, the foundation for success.  You have to believe that you can do the job, not only in the face of competition, but also in dealing with being rejected.  And as you probably know, you have to be lucky sometimes even to be rejected because telephone calls and e-mails are often never returned.
2.) Surround yourself with positive people.  This will help you to believe in yourself.  Negativity only leads to doubt and a drain on your energy.  Sports teams have cheerleaders.  Why not you?
3.) Have the right demo DVD.  This includes putting your best stuff first and having it professionally produced. 
4.) Network to the right people.  This includes scheduling informational interviews and constantly following up. 
5.) Remember the three P’s, Passion, Persistence and Patience

All of this won’t do anything for anybody’s 401k, but it will help increase your chances of breaking into the business as a broadcast performer, during or even after the recession.  At www.marczumoff.com, we provide lifetime assistance in all phases of the process that is, breaking into broadcasting. 


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Put your best stuff first

15 to 20 seconds. 

Sometimes, that’s all the time it took Paul Gluck to make a decision on someone’s career.  Gluck, currently an associate professor at Temple University’s School of Communications and Theater, was at one time a major market news director.  And he says when he had an opening and was judging demo reels that were sent his way, often times he would decide whether or not a person was worthy of being on the air at this station…

…in 15 to 20 seconds…

Recently, I had the privilege of speaking before one of Gluck’s classes at Temple.  When the subject of what to put on a demo DVD came up, the former producer, writer, executive producer, executive editor and V.P../ station manager spoke from years of experience, not to mention hundreds of hours of looking at demo after demo after demo.

This 15 to 20 second example is meant as a simple reminder for all of you who are feverishly editing demo reels and wondering what exactly to put on them.  While chances are a news or sports director will look at a bit more than the first 15 to 20 seconds, the principle is still the same: be sure to put your best stuff first.

Often, I recommend putting a montage of stand-ups at the top of your reel to give some quick depth and breadth to your work.  Ironically, Gluck told his class that when he was a news director, he had preferred at times to see a full report at the top of a reel. 

This is not meant to confuse you, only to enlighten you to the importance of putting your absolute best material first on a demo reel.  And that includes leaving out  any bad edits, video hits, graphic mistakes or other imperfections that might be present in some of your material.  While any or all of these errors might not be your fault, the fact that you are including them as examples of your work is your fault.  In other words, it might show a news or sports director that your judgment is clouded—that you’d be willing while working in his or her shop to allow these mistakes to hit air—and that’s simply not good. 

So no matter what it is, make sure you hit them with your best shot.  Whether it’s a montage, a full report or something else you’ve done, make it your best work.  Indeed for some, 15 to 20 seconds might be all the time you have. 

At www.marczumoff.com, we’ll help you produce and edit fresh material for a demo reel to be sure you’re putting your best stuff, first. 

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