Media and Entertainment Professions

Information compiled by the GradSchools.com team - last updated December 2010

It's true. There's no business like show business.

A&R rep (artists and repertoire)

An A&R Rep is responsible for discovering new recording artists and bringing them to the record company. He/she is expected to understand the current tastes of the market and to be able to find artists that will be commercially successful. For this reason, many who work as reps are often young and may have formerly been either musicians, music journalists, or record producers.

Assistant - media and entertainment

This is a broadly defined role that may exist in many other industries besides media and entertainment. Essentially, you’d be looked upon to provide various services and abilities to ensure the well-being of a particular individual or project.

Audio / video broadcast and postproduction

As an audio/video technician, your responsibility is to set up and operate audio and video equipment, including microphones, video screens, cameras, monitors and recording equipment to be used in broadcasts either from a television station or an event on location. In postproduction, audio/video technicians utilize mixing boards and editing equipment to create the final, ‘for air,’ version of a broadcast, film or program.

Booker

A booker “books” talent. This can include contracting a model for a job, signing actors and actresses for film and television, or signing a literary contract.

Camera operator

Camera Operators shoot a wide range of material for television or motion pictures. Some camera operators in the entertainment field have specializations and are known as videographers, cinematographers, or steadycam operators, for example. Competition is stiff among the many people trying to break into broadcasting/motion pictures and opportunities will be most available to individuals with the most advanced computer skills and experience.

Casting

The job of those working in casting is to fill roles. This generally involves a series of auditions before a casting panel, which may include the producer, director and/or choreographer. One or more casting assistants work under the casting director; they do everything from collecting headshots to corralling audition groups. By the same token, a talent or casting agent is one who finds jobs for actors, musicians, models and other people in the entertainment business. Agents make their money by taking a percentage of their clients’ pay.

Cinematographer

Cinematographers are camera operators who specifically film motion pictures. They are often integral to the action, blocking and shooting the scene with multiple cameras from multpile angles. Skills are acquired through on the job training and candidates with the most advanced computer knowledge and experience will have the best job opportunities.

Circulation marketing

Circulation Marketing refers to newspapers’ attempts at growing readership and penetrating bigger market shares. There are a variety of career tracks in circulation marketing, including customer service, sales and marketing.

Desk assistant

The desk assistant greets people as they enter the office and manages phone correspondence, deliveries and conference room booking.

Development executive

The development executive reads and evaluates scripts, seeks out interesting screenwriters, and finds source material that could be adapted for feature films. Development Executive is a larger blanket term that refers to several positions on the development ladder, including the various Vice Presidents, Director of Development, and Story Editor. The primary function of this position is to shepherd a project from the discovery of an idea to a compelling screenplay, combining and understanding of culture, film narrative and audience tastes with a professional network of industry contacts.

Freelance writer

Not all people who choose writing as a career have 9-to-5 jobs. Some work as freelancers, and are hired for specific projects. It’s a wide-open proposition but can be a difficult world in which to become established, as many companies work through full-time ad agencies or have an in-house creative team that handles promotional and copywriting. Even after you land the first couple of jobs and get your foot in the door, there are no guarantees. It’s hard work tailoring your own particular impulses to fit clients’ needs while turning copy over on time and to their particular specifications. On the plus side, one need look no further than the Internet for a whole world of opportunities.

Journalist / reporter

Journalists/Reporters gather information, write stories based on their organization of the material, and often edit together accompanying video material. They broadcast their stories in print or via radio and television to inform us of important people and events, and sometimes inject their commentary or point of view into the story. Competition is high in large metropolitan markets and the most successful candidates will have a bachelor's degree in journalism or mass communications as well as experience in a news environment.

Licensing and merchandising

Licensing and Merchandising roles vary depending on the medium, but the general idea is that you are involved in promoting an artist, group, show, film or product. Professionals in these positions analyze production costs, purchase materials, manage inventory, promote the product and facilitate its legal distribution. The general operating premise of licensing and merchandising is that a product, group, etc. should be as visible and appealing to the consumer as possible.

Marketing - media and entertainment

Media and Entertainment marketing can refer to the actual marketing of music, movies, celebrities, television shows, etc., or to the use of entertainment properties to market another product, i.e. a brand-sponsored concert tour. Professionals in this field use audience research, combined with knowledge and experience, to develop and execute the most efficient and penetrating marketing plans.

News director

The News Director runs the news department at a broadcast television station, network or newspaper. This position is one of the highest ranking in any news organization, and in local news, the director is also in charge of the entire staff.

Producer

Cinematographers are camera operators who specifically film motion pictures. They are often integral to the action, blocking and shooting the scene with multiple cameras from multpile angles. Skills are acquired through on the job training and candidates with the most advanced computer knowledge and experience will have the best job opportunities.

Production assistant

A PA is person responsible for various aspects of a film or television production. PA’s jobs can vary—the greater the budget of a project, the more PAs on hand, and thus the work is spread out more evenly.

Production executive

Often in film, television, radio and music, a producer will hold the title of Executive Producer or Executive in Charge of Production. These people usually don’t participate in the technical operations of production, but have some stake in the process, either as a previous owner of a movie’s rights, a financier, a promoter or distributor.

Programming

Programming and scheduling managers plan and schedule broadcasts for television networks based on audience ratings and competitive trend information. It is their job to creatively plan the program schedule and also implement a long-term plan for the network. Experience with the Nielsen rating system is critical.

Proofreader

The proofreader reads transcripts and marks grammatical, typographical or compositional errors for correction before the final story is printed or broadcast. Many proofreading jobs require only on the job training.

Radio programming and talent

Someone working in programming and talent is responsible for who and what gets on the air. This can be selecting the order in which the commercials are played, music for each segment, on-air guests, interviewers, etc.

Reporter

Journalists/Reporters gather information, write stories based on their organization of the material, and often edit together accompanying video material. They broadcast their stories in print or via radio and television to inform us of important people and events, and sometimes inject their commentary or point of view into the story. Competition is high in large metropolitan markets and the most successful candidates will have a bachelor's degree in journalism or mass communications as well as experience in a news environment.

Screenwriter

A screenwriter writes the screenplays from which films and television programs are made. Most screenwriters start their careers writing scripts for no pay. When these are sold, they are called “spec-scripts.” As a more lucrative option, many screenwriters also work as "script doctors,” changing scripts to for directors or studios ; for example, a studio manager might take issue with a character’s zany personality or action scenes that fall flat. A “script doctor” would fix up the screenplay to the studio’s liking.

Script reader

Script readers read scripts that have been submitted to the studio or production company and write “script coverage” which includes a plot summary, likes and dislikes with explanations of why, and ratings of script components like character and dialogue. The reader then makes recommendations on the script and the writer.

Station management

The Station Manager is responsible for the day to day operation of a radio station or broadcast channel, including managing various departments, scheduling staff, overseeing advertising issues, developing budgets and complying with regulations. The station manager also is responsible for hiring and training employees and acting as liaison between the station staff and owners. A bachelor’s degree, business management experience and communications skills are requirements to entry.

Talent / literary agent

There are primarily two types of agents – talent agents, who represent actors, musicians, and directors, and literary agents, who represent the writers and authors that create the blueprints for the stories that get developed into films. There are countless agencies throughout Hollywood, but there are only a handful that handle A-list actors, directors and writers. The biggest are: Creative Artists Agency (CAA), International Creative Management (ICM), William Morris, and United Talent Agency (UTA). CAA was the first mega-agency, started by Hollywood legend and failed corporate executive Michael Ovitz. Endeavor is one of the newest, started as an exodus of ex-ICM agents who formed their own group of young power-hitters.

Agents are known for handling interference for stars and prominent personalities. For example, if a studio, or a production company wants a star, the agent takes the call and relays info to that star - the notorious “let my people talk to your people.” If a famous person wants something, usually they have their personal assistant (or occasionally their agent) call. If someone is not famous, a good agent can make phone calls to get someone at a studio or production company to take their call. Agents are the people who bring people together in the industry - the wheeler-dealers for those who aren’t as skilled at networking for themselves.

While agencies draw many prospective employees, it takes a certain kind of person, with a thick skin, to stay. It’s essentially a sales job. There are tons of agents around and it is highly competitive. The industry abounds with endless stories of individuals who finish law school and start in the mail rooms at talent agencies. However, agencies are one of the best places to start because of the volume of people one meets and the contacts one gains by working there. It’s hard work, even abusive at times, but it is the best way to break into the entertainment world, especially for those with few other connections.

Writer

"Good writers are those who keep the language efficient. That is to say, keep it accurate, keep it clear."  - Ezra Pound

Writers are a vital part of our culture. The image of a writer as someone who scribbles away in a darkened library is out of date, as there are jobs for writers in every industry. Writers now have more career options open to them than those who toiled with the pen in the time of Shakespeare - or even in the time of Fitzgerald and Hemingway. The exploding high-tech industry seeks out technical writers with knowledge of a certain field to infuse dry, complex material with clarity and style.

Copywriters at advertising agencies write content for print, broadcast and television media, and command slightly higher salaries. Many burgeoning content web sites are finding that writing talent is a hard-to-find and precious commodity. 

Traditions die hard

Still, the high-profile writing jobs at national magazines and newspapers are alive and well. They remain hard to get without a long publishing history and an "in" at the magazine. And the "day job/night job" class of writers, who spend their days waiting tables or, like Franz Kafka, clerking at an insurance agency, is far from extinct. These writers are often working on novels, screenplays and television scripts while they wait for an agent or a studio to "option," or agree to consider, their work. The most successful writers are those whose passion for their work pushes them to keep writing and keep submitting, even if it takes years to see their work in print.

Freelance writing

Not all people who choose writing as a career have 9-to-5 jobs. Some work as freelancers, and are hired for specific projects. It’s a wide-open proposition–one day you can write a brilliant treatise on the effect Voltaire’s Candide has had on modern satire and the next you’ll be knee-deep in product write-ups for pet chew toys. Freelance writing is often a difficult world in which to become established, as many companies work through full-time ad agencies or have an in-house creative team that handles promotional and copywriting. Even after you land the first couple of jobs and get your foot in the door, there are no guarantees. It’s hard work tailoring your own particular impulses to fit clients’ needs while turning copy over on time and to their particular specifications. On the plus side, one need look no further than the Internet for a whole world of opportunities.

Career path

Writers seeking employment with a general newspaper or magazine should have at least a bachelor's degree in journalism, English, communications, or literature. Those applying for a technical writing position should be either well versed in their subject matter or hold advanced degrees in the field. Newspaper journalists need a good portfolio of published work to get in on the ground level as reporters. Writers in entry-level positions at small companies may get writing opportunities almost immediately, but moving up the corporate ladder is a whole other story. On the other hand, writing opportunities at large firms only come after putting in the time doing research, fact checking and copyediting, but the chance for advancement is much higher and quicker.

Many writers also take jobs as editors, either starting out (such as editorial assistants at magazines) or after their work has earned acclaim (editor at a major book publishing house). Freelancing for prestigious publications is difficult for an unestablished writer. Submitting to small, regional papers and magazines (for free) is a good way to get published. In order to get a story published in a newspaper or magazine as a freelancer, a writer must either be an expert on the topic, or conduct extensive research and interviews. Writers need to be adroit salespeople to pitch their services. Rejection is par for the course, and can take a toll on a writer's sense of worth.

Survey says

There is no "magic formula" for making it as a writer, whether as a journalist or as a poet. Most aspiring novelists would have a better chance of transmuting base metals into gold than of signing a book deal. Others write bestsellers their first time out. In general, though, it takes a long time, ("sometimes years and years and - you get the picture," says one contact) to make a living as a writer, whether your milieu is "science or science fiction." An English or journalism degree "doesn't mean you can write," insiders point out, and many authors worked in other industries before they began writing.

Some writers must "force themselves to set aside writing time," which takes an "enormous amount of dedication." An old clichÉ says that a writer should "write only what s/he knows," which is true only to the extent that anyone who wants to write needs to have a "cache of personal experiences and a way of making the world microcosmic." In other words, traveling, reading, talking and listening to other peoples' stories strengthens a writer's ability to "illuminate, educate and entertain." The job can be stressful, if only because of the "emotional difficulty," the "bouts of self-doubt and rejection," and "deadline pressure from slave driving editors." However, the payoff for persevering through draft after draft and one "ding" letter (trade speak for a rejection) after another, is "a little piece of posterity - your name in print."

If you decide to work as a writer in a salaried job, things are looking up. Most writing departments have "relaxed dress code" and reasonable hours. Working at an office also means that you're surrounded by other writers. Says one copywriter, the best thing about his office is "collaborating with interesting, creative people."