1) Stay True to Yourself
This is first and foremost and goes along with anything else you do in life. Find your passion and stick to it. For me, it was sports and as mentioned, that's all I wanted to do. Nobody knows yourself better than you so don't let anyone tell you otherwise. If your passion is in sports, stick to that. For me, I always told myself I would never consider doing news, even if the money was better. For years, that had been my story: sports over news no matter the pay, I truly built myself on that. In reality, when you have an offer to do news and hear how much better the pay is than in sports, you contemplate it. Don't. If you went into this industry to do one specific thing and that's what you have your heart set on, then do it. However, there are some fine lines that come with that, which brings me to my next point.2) Learn It All
Never limit yourself... ever. If someone asks you to do something in this industry, you do it. Yes, it does contradict my previous point but understand where I'm coming from here. There may come a time when you don't want to do something or it isn't where your passion is, that's okay as long as you never lose sights of what you truly want to do and where you want to be.For example, if you want to be an on-camera talent: learn how to edit, produce, script, shoot highlights, run audio, studio camera - anything and everything. It is invaluable to know the ins-and-outs of television or radio and ensure you understand where the problem lies when there is one. Truth be told, there's thousands of people that are out there just like you, so what's going to make YOU stand out? Be dynamic, never say no, learn something and then perfect it. If you learn a certain role and bolster it, chances are people around you will notice and more opportunities are going to come for you, that's when you truly prove your worth in the workplace.
3) Get Criticized
There's nothing worse in this industry than someone who can't take criticism. Embrace it. Ask for second and third opinions, tell them to be honest when critiquing you and let it make you better. There will be people that criticize you perhaps too hard, but I'm a firm believer that there's no such thing. The harder someone is on you, the better and I think that goes with any industry. I've had several professors and mentors that I've been extremely close to but when I ask for their opinion on something I had done, they'd rip it apart. I was confused and thought 'maybe I'm not cut out for this' but looking back, it makes you so much better. Thicken up your skin and get the feedback because when the same honest person that has been ripping you apart then turns around and tells you 'great job,' that's something to feel outstanding about. I can't emphasize enough: get critiqued and let criticism better you.4) Don't Be Afraid to Hear 'No'
Ask and you shall receive is something to live by. That obviously comes within reason but for me, this was a big thing I had learned from many veterans in the industry. For example, my freshman year of high school I had a job shadow with a sports department at a television station. I obviously loved learning during my experience at their station so I went home as a 14-year old high school student and wrote emails to all four stations in my area asking them if I could intern for them. They all shot me down, obviously, because I couldn't receive high school or college credit for an internship. That's when one station took a chance on me and brought me in as a 'long-term job shadow' so to speak. I ended up spending three years at that station and got hired on as a freelance sports cameraman when I turned 18.So yes, ask away. If there's something you want to do, ask someone who can get you there. Ask your college advisor or professors if they know of internships or if they can help you find something to get you into the industry. The worst someone say is 'no' and when you come to that realization, you will be much better off, no matter your career choice.
5) Choose Passion over Money
We all want to make money, that's a given. However, a lot of times in the television industry, it's not all it's cracked up to be. Many people think that people on their TV-sets are making triple-figures and bringing in so much more than the average person but in reality, that's often not the case. You have to put money aside and swallow your pride, the money will come. Especially when starting out in television, you'll have to take some lumps financially and figure out how to make ends meet but think about why you're in the industry.A former high school advisor of mine once told me how broadcasters make very little money and that I should not go into the industry. He was animate about it: find something better to do where you can make more money. Nope, that's not me. I wanted to be a broadcaster and sure, money has been tight but work your way up and make it happen, you control your destiny.
6) Remember Why You Started
Nobody is going to die because of you, it's a harsh truth. As broadcasters, we aren't performing open-heart surgery or putting our lives on the line (in most cases) and that's something that has helped bring me back to my passion if I start to get even somewhat burnt out. So why did you want to get into broadcasting? What do you envision yourself doing? When you start to get exhausted and tired of the industry (believe me, you will have days like this) remember why you started. Back to point A, you could be in broadcasting, or you could be in a different profession with a lot more on the line in terms of putting other people's lives in your hands, it really helps to put things into perspective.7) Bring A Work Ethic Every. Single. Day.
No days off. No quit. The television industry is busy, people are always trying to get their start. So again, what's going to make you stand out? Work ethic. It's that simple, if people around you (bosses, former co-workers, etc.) see that you're working hard to get to where you are, the respect level rises. Meanwhile, if you're coasting on what others do for you, nothing will lose your reputation faster. Be a busy body, do it all and never have a bad day. Especially when you're new at a station or workplace, show them how hard you'll work to get to where you want to go, you'll be surprised where that'll get you.
8) Get to Know Every Fellow Broadcaster You Meet
Shake hands, be sociable, get on LinkedIn. You'd be amazed how many opportunities can arise from getting to know people. In television, there's a fairly high turnover in terms of people moving onto bigger markets and that's where this comes in. Let's say you get to know someone at a station you're interning and they get a job elsewhere and that station likely has other job openings, that's where connections come in. Having connections across state lines and across the country is an invaluable asset because you never know when your name might come up. We live in a world of social media so follow the people you look up to and interact with them. Again, prove your worth to them and if they move up, you could too.
9) Don't Let Social Media Ruin You
Please, do not let this generation ruin your career. In today's society, we love to vent and take our frustration out on social media and I'm as guilty as any. Either way, keep the profanity and other things you wouldn't want a boss to see off of your accounts. A former mentor in this industry once told me, "if you wouldn't want grandma to see it, don't post it," and that stuck with me. When adults tell you that bosses will look up your social media accounts before even interviewing you, they mean it. Do not apply for jobs until you clean up your act on social media.
10) Identify Your Goals
Do you want to work in a bigger market or do you want to stay close to your family? Decide what you want to do ten years from now. You may not have specific goals but it's important to at least know if you want to be in a big city or stay close to home, because those could limit your ceiling and potential. The more adventurous and 'up for anything' you are, you'll have a better chance of thriving in the industry, but different people want different things. Goals can change, however, so don't be so stubborn that you ignore your internal feelings.
There you have it, if you want to go into broadcasting, here are my personal tips for you from over six years in the industry and working around a lot of different people. I've had a lot of help from a lot of people and learned so much from them, now it's up to me to try to share that. Questions? Comments? Concerns? Don't hesitate to reach out to me on Twitter or Facebook. Thanks for reading.
