Icebreaker

Categories

In each round, I will assign a category

Going in a circle, name something that falls under

that category

If you hesitate or give the wrong answer, you‟re

out!

Agenda

Overview of the speaker panel

Industry Training: „Careers in Television‟

Professional Development: LinkedIn

BCEC Retreat

Upcoming Events

Speaker Panel

Deltas

Pluses

Careers in Television

Whether your goal is to be on air or behind-the-scenes, it is important to familiarize yourself with the professions out there and understand how the various parts fit together to make the whole.

The better educated you are about the business, the greater your chances of gaining entry to and succeeding in an industry that has produced the likes of Walter Cronkite, Oprah Winfrey, and Diane Sawyer.

Note:

These are all entry-level positions

I did not list technical jobs, such as prop

master and audio engineer

Agent‟s AssistantDuties

At agencies like CAA, you have to be doing desk work for at

least a year before you can apply to the agent trainee program

$30,000 a year, paid minimum wage at first

Typical office responsibilities like filing, scheduling

appointments, and fetching coffee

Rolling calls; chatting up clients and manning calls while your

boss is out of the office

Reading scripts and contracts, studying up deals

Support the agent: remember the details s/he forgets, pick up

the dry cleaning, and making dinner reservations

Bend over backwards to keep the clients happy: accompany

stars to premieres, pick up the dry cleaning

PROS: insider access to the industry through celebrities,

producers, directors, and studios

Expectations:

Available at a moment‟s notice; failure to do

so may get you fired on the spot

Low pay, but lots of perks: free tickets, free

swag

Gateway to opportunities, so pay your dues

and network hard

Even if you don‟t want to be an agent, with

the contacts you make the sky is your limit

Opportunities

http://www.agentassociation.com/frontdoor/classifi

eds.cfm

If you‟re really interested about the world of talent

agencies, read The Mailroom: Hollywood History From the Bottom Up

Assistant Script SupervisorDuties:

Collecting and transcribing script revisions, disseminating those changes to the department heads

Transferring continuity notes to the corresponding page colors

Recalculate the scene totals and one-eighth breakdown (measurement of inches of page used to determine scene length)

While on set, participate in taking photos for the purpose of ensuring continuity of each scene for pick-up shots or retakes; responsible for maintaining the catalogues of these photographs in an organized manner

May run lines with actors during rehearsal

Maintaining forms and supplies of the department and may be delegated to office tasks such as making copies, procuring materials

If required to work on a second unit production team, s/he will be upgraded to a department head

What to Expect

Usually freelance career

Time split between working on set covering continuity photographs and completing notes and script revisions in the production office

Anticipate irregular hours based on the shooting schedule, and travel may be necessary when working on location

Position is a natural steppingstone to script supervisor

Prior experience as a production assistant is useful

Casting AssociateDuties

Read through the script with the casting director to identify the principal and supporting roles, compile a list of possible actors for each character, and contact the talent‟s agency for availability

During the audition process, you will have to operate the video camera, collect and catalog resumes, and ensure the process runs smoothly

After auditions you edit each actor‟s video, working with the casting director to select the best takes and create a short list of names for each character

These tapes must be labeled and packaged with the pertinent materials (resume, availability calendar, etc.) and delivered to the director for final approval

Also serve as secretary and personal assistant

Between projects, must be constantly adding to a mental roster by watching new films, shows, plays, and commercials for talent

What to Expect

You can land a gig with a rich resume of amateur

theatre experience and student films

You must be a master networker

Support the casting director, above all else

Clearance Coordinator Clearing a property refers to the practice of securing permission to use copyrighted material or personal likeness, or researching a property to ensure there are no ownership claims and disputes

Duties:

Generating clearance requests, drawing up appropriate license agreements

Negotiate and administer contracts

Continually update department‟s database with pertinent information regarding contracts, owner information, royalty data, and cue sheets

Ex: to use a behind-the-scenes interview with an actor on the set of his new film for a promotional website, the coordinator would negotiate with the production company that shot the footage, the producers of the film, and the management company representing the featured actor

Other examples include using a film clip in a television show, sampling a recorded song in a video game, or getting permission from TV extras

The production assistant would have them sign the release form, but the coordinator‟s job is to log those releases and record the information in the event of a later dispute

What to Expect

Outside of TV, employment opportunities also exist within advertising agencies, print publications, and video game developers

Can lead to advancement at the manager level, or to positions such as associate producer and segment producer

Excellent first step for those interested in the business side of entertainment production, as you have plenty of networking opportunities with industry professionals in music, film, television, and live production

CopywriterWrite the ads and marketing assets that compel audiences to watch a show

Duties:

Responsible for creating copy for advertising, marketing, and PR materials on behalf of entertainment companies

Take direction on the goals of the campaign and work within the given creative and design parameters to deliver content that is persuasive, interesting, and reflective of the quality of the product and intended audience

May be asked to write a tag line and script synopsis for a TV show‟s website and press packet, actor bios, magazine ads

Attend meetings about upcoming initiatives, pitching ideas, and conducting research

What to Expect

Can be performed freelance or by

telecommuting, but most often, the copywriter is

required to keep regular business hours in the

office

Work under strict deadlines

Marketing AssistantDuties

Updating contact databases, conducting research on competitors‟ strategies, and scrubbing mailing lists

Clerical tasks like scheduling travel arrangements, fielding phone calls, and proofreading PowerPoint presentation slides

Update blogs and Twitter feeds

What to Expect

Data comparison, lead generation, and click-through rates should excite you

Supply information accurately and timely to supervisors, be proactive in completing tasks

Can pursue advancement as a marketing representative

Marketing Representative Duties

Deliver visual materials such as posters and product displays to record, DVD, and game stores

Work with media outlets to set up contests and giveaways; negotiate terms

Regularly visit stores to track sales and ensure there‟s enough product to meet demand

Identify factors impacting sales and prepare sales analyses and strategies

Coordinate focus groups, surveys, and post-release analysis reports

What to Expect

Do not keep regular hours

Travel extensively across assigned territory

Constantly visiting the same stores or radio stations to deploy a marketing strategy, then doubling back to follow up, maintain relationships, and track sales

High sales can help you work your way up from a local role to regional representative to marketing director

Personal Assistant

Duties

Act as the liaison for the client and fill the gap where the agent ends and the publicist begins

Keep client‟s brand operational, whether through updating social media sites, walking the dogs, or reading scripts

Manage client‟s day-to-day errands and appointments; most high-profile clients are scheduled down to the minute

Anything is fair game, and you become involved with their daily activities

What to Expect

The cliche is that every personal assistant has an agenda, whether it‟s to pitch a screenplay or land a role

On set you are _____‟s assistant and do not have a name of your own

Great networking opportunities, but the challenge is to get people to remember your name

“No” is not an answer

Common to transition to corporate world of PR, styling, or behind-the-scenes work

Production Assistant

Duties

Never a typical day at the office; PA is the catchall person for any task

Production office PA will answer phones, make copies of scripts, and run errands

Set PA will help assistant director by corralling extras, escorting actors to and from the set, and fetch snacks for the crafts services table

Does not operate camera, lighting, or audio equipment; instead, PA will grab an apple box for the electrician to set a C-stand on, or help keep the set quiet while the boom operator records ambient noise

What to ExpectIt doesn‟t matter if your aspiration is to be a director, audio engineer, or makeup artist; working as a PA is where you learn firsthand about life on a professional set and make the contacts to launch your career

Tasks that no one else wants

PA work is like boot camp for the entertainment business: if you can do this job well, you have shown you have what it takes to climb up the ladder

Going the extra mile to find tasks before you‟re asked to do them will impress the people around you; pass out water bottles to the crew, be standing by towels when director yells “cut!” on a pool scene

The PA‟s name that gets called the most often is the one who will be on the next shoot

This position can be a launching pad to any mid-level position in film and television

Traditionally the next step is as production coordinator, camera assistant, or electrician

Public Relations Assistant

Duties

Clerical tasks and conduct ongoing research to identify the brand or client‟s coverage in all forms of media. Includes every critic‟s review in a newspaper, every blog post, and YouTube parody video

Prepare press clips and deliver copies of media mentions to clients

Update email lists for press releases and e-list blasts

Script Reader

The gatekeeper between the scriptwriter and the

development executive with the power to

greenlight scripts. S/he keeps the crap off his

boss‟s desk and only forwards material with real

promise.

Duties

• Read scripts submitted for possible submissions or on behalf of a writer seeking representation from an agent

Catalogs each submission within an internal database system, detailing the title, author, submission date, subject, and other pertinent information

Checks for proper formatting

Rule of thumb: one page = one minute onscreen. Knows after reading the first ten pages if it is worth considering.

Makes notes on well-written scenes or bad ones, which is then created into a dissertation-like review that is forwarded to the development executive or agent for consideration

What to Expect

Give honest feedback on the characters, plot, dialogue, and setting

It is up to the development executive to decide what could be profitable for the company and what audiences will enjoy

Experience can lead to advancement in production development and producing

Social Media Coordinator

Develop strategies to increase fan base on sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and other sites by outlining a campaign calendar and conceptualizing tactics to increase audience participation

Actively engage followers to transform visitors into advocates for the brand

Collaborate with all divisions in the marketing and promotions departments to create relevant content

Deliver regular updates to superiors on traffic and conversion of visitors, and will submit new development plans for approval

Staff Writer

First step for aspiring television writers. Staff

writers are paid a weekly salary and contracted for

a designated period during the life of a series.

Duties

Gather with other staff writers to break down

script, develop plot points and flesh out

characters

Like improvisational actors, writers bounce

ideas off one another with the aim of adding to

the brainstorming. Constructive criticism should

be followed with a pitch for a solution.

May participate in first reads and rehearsals

with the cast and make notes and changes to

scenes that are not working well

LinkedIn

"LinkedIn is a social networking website for people in professional occupations.”

Odds are when you apply for an internship or when you contact a company for your event, they will search you up on LinkedIn.

Not having one when you are in a business club and/or are an aspiring business major implies you aren't serious about your professional life. When professionals look at your LinkedIn, it is also their first impression of you and the first impression really matters.

Profile Picture

Pick a professional picture of yourself to upload.

It should be clear and you should be the only one in it

(no floating arms from #failcrops)

It also depends on what industry you want to go into,

I've noticed representatives from entertainment

companies can get away with more "Instagrammy"

pictures because it shows their personality a bit and

sets them apart from the people in monkey suits.

If you want to go into something more traditional and

conservative like finance or accounting, you should

probably opt for a more conservative and

professional picture.

Headline

This defaults to the most recent thing under "Experiences", and if not, it will default to "Student at the University of California, Berkeley".

Personally, I would create an original headline -- this would help differentiate you among your peers and among the other search results. But if you had a prestigious internship or if you have had work experience that you believe defines you, keep that as your headline.

Summary

Your summary should have this structure -- introduction, body, action step, and optional specialties.

Your introduction should state your year, major, and school. The body should include some background information on yourself (like the objectives portion of your resume, but more detailed.)

The action step should be a sentence that welcomes the reader to reach out to you.

Specialties is just a list of things that you are good at and are interested in pursuing further professionally.

Tip

Look at the LinkedIn belonging to someone who

holds a title that you would like to hold someday,

or a professional you look up to in your industry

of choice, and try to emulate it.

Warning: if you look at someone's profile, it will

notify them and might prompt them to look at

yours in return. You can change your viewing to

"Anonymous" in settings.

Education and Experience

This could essentially be copied and pasted from

your resume.

Media

If you have created PowerPoint presentations, written research papers, done case competitions, produced films/videos, produced music -- upload it to your LinkedIn.

It will show people that you are so serious about what you are doing that you have gone out of your way to work on projects related to it.

Having physical work to prove that you have done more in school than just schoolwork will score you brownie points for sure.

Everything Else

Everything else is just a matter of you filling it

out all the way, this will help you get your Profile

Strength to 100%.

Your Presence

What is often overlooked by students on LinkedIn is their LinkedIn presence. Just like how looking at someone's statuses on Facebook and pictures on Instagram tells you a lot about a person, looking at your posts and likes on LinkedIn helps other professionals get to know you as well.

By sharing articles from the industry you are interested in, it shows that you are on top of current news. By liking company posts and statuses you show that you are engaged in the community.

Follow companies that you are interested in. Join groups that cater to your interest. All of this will bring your profile together into a cohesive professional narrative. This could also bring attention to your profile from the companies you are interested in.

Your Connections

Try to connect with as many people as possible without it being too awkward.

The larger your network, the better your profile looks to other professionals. It shows that you try to put yourself out there and try to meet people, which is always a good skill to have.

Connect with friends, fellow students, club members, counselors, coworkers, speakers you've talked to at events etc.

Assignment

Please connect with me on LinkedIn

(search Rachel Kang) as soon as

possible. I will check everyone's

LinkedIn by Wednesday, March 12th

and email out my critiques and

recommendations the following night.

BCEC Retreat

Saturday, March 15th

Meet @ Shattuck Bart station

11AM to SF

Return around dinner time

Upcoming Events

BCEC Music Committee Tour: Fantasy Studios

Thursday, March 13

9:15 AM to 12 PM

The tour will begin at 10am, so we will be meeting at 9:15am on the corner of Shattuck and Durant to catch the 49 bus down to the studio. We should be back in Berkeley by 12:00pm or 12:15pm.