Job Searching
Finding jobs in production can be overwhelming, especially when you don’t know where to start. If this is you, I feel your pain. When I was in college I thought I wanted to make the in-depth features I saw on NBC’s Olympic coverage, and assumed I needed to work for NBC. I was wrong!
The first thing to know is that the documentaries and series you see on Netflix and HBO are not made by Netflix or HBO, they’re made for Netflix and HBO. They’re often made by smaller production companies and independent filmmakers who team up with agents to sell their projects to these networks or show their films at film festivals, where a network rep sees the film and starts a conversation. The same is becoming true for podcast networks.
How do you get on these projects? You get to know people, you ask to work with them, you pitch them ideas, you spend a few years as an executive assistant at a network show (there’s no better way to understand the life of an executive than to be the one scheduling that life). If you’re coming out of college, look for entry-level positions where you can add value. Recognize that not all payment comes in hard dollars — you’ll also be paid in knowledge and experience, which will help you land bigger jobs in the future. Ask where past assistants have gone on to work (and if the answer is, ‘I don’t know',’ then you don’t want to work for that boss. You want to work for a boss who will be invested in your future success, whether that success is with that boss or elsewhere).
If you’re an experienced writer/director/producer, put together a deck to pitch your idea. In other words, don’t look for your next job. Create it.
If you’re looking to report, you can start covering stories on your own and publishing them on YouTube or Substack or any other platform of choice. Building a portfolio will help land a job, as it will help show your expertise in the beat you hope to cover. Or it might help you create a job, as a network or publisher might see your coverage and decide to offer you an opportunity to work with them.
Resources
This American Life