The Uncharted Freelancer| The Power Of LinkedIn & Additional Career Advice| Issue 8| August 2024 Edition
Laura Masters
WFTV Award Winner| Soho Editors trained 2nd Assistant Editor| HETV and Features| Assistant Editor| Junior Editor| Un/Scripted| Available Now| Founder of The Uncharted Freelancer| #Editing #Assistant Editor #Avid#Adobe
Hello everyone, and welcome to Issue 8 of The Uncharted Freelancer. Last month's article Issue 7: Graduated? Kickstart Your TV Career focused on areas of my own experience getting a foot in the door, struggles as a freelancer, dealing with unemployment, importance of savings, getting your first TV job, Facebook groups that advertise jobs, FREE courses/traineeships, job websites, networking events, apprenticeships, FREE/paid memberships to join, CV/cover email advice, business card and website portfolio advice, and being yourself. Therefore, I thought it would be a great idea to share some of my tips and experiences starting out working in television.
For August, I have had a busy unexpected month. With some sunshine, I was able to enjoy some snorkelling in the sea which was great and thoroughly enjoyed it. I had an interview for a permanent position at a post house back home, but unfortunately didn't get the position. However, I ended up with an unexpected freelance opportunity working as Assistant Editor/Senior Editor on Coronation Street with ITV. I was very chuffed to get this and to be hired by them after winning The Elouise Carden Rising Star Award in Post Production from Women in Film and TV. Coronation Street is a very iconic show and has been such an amazing experience to have.
LinkedIn: Your Digital CV
This is very true - LinkedIn is your digital CV. I tell everyone that I meet at networking events, courses and jobs - create yourself a FREE LinkedIn account. LinkedIn has been very beneficial for me career wise and I'd be lost without it. I have gained incredible advice from industry practitioners, connected with potential employers and gained employment. You can do courses in your career field when you upgrade your account to Premium. I usually do this once or twice a year. You can also find jobs on LinkedIn and contact hiring/recruitment staff as well to introduce yourself and find out a bit more about the company and required job role.
TIP: On your LinkedIn profile, include your education, skills, portfolio, certificates and award(s) on here. Don't miss anything out. You need to stand out from the competition.
LinkedIn: Cold Contacting & Gaining Connections
If you have just created a LinkedIn profile, congratulations! This is the first step of building up your profile, connecting with future colleagues, employers and applying for jobs. Here are my following steps that has worked for me;
TIP: I like to endorse people's skills on their profile so other connections can see their strengths and to be recognised for that.
LinkedIn: Reaching Out To Potential Employers
As mentioned, LinkedIn is beneficial for your career and you may gain employment. I have cold messaged many people on here and I have had the most incredible advice off of industry practitioners on here. There has been many occasions they have taken my CV, and successfully gained employment from them. As my Dad always says: 'Shy kids don't get sweets'. You have to be confident and put yourself out there. If someone rejects you, you move on and find the next person to contact to send your CV to.
TIPS:
1- Always greet them introducing yourself.
2- If you like their show, mention this and what you liked about it.
3- If near by, ask them to meet for a coffee at some point (don't forget your business card).
LinkedIn Premium Benefits
I use Premium twice a year as I get 50% off the payments due to being a member for 11 years. As you all know, I love a bargain and like getting a good deal on products.
Here some of the features of Premium;
LinkedIn: Building Contacts For Freelance Work
This is VITAL if working as a freelancer in the Creative Industries - especially television. You need as many contacts as possible to get enough work. I still have gaps of unemployment as I'm also trying to build more contacts. To build contacts on LinkedIn, you have to reach out to people first and send them a connection invitation. Generally, people are very good at accepting your connection request. Some people won't accept you if they don't know you. This happens to me from time to time but don't take it to heart. Once someone accepts you, make a point of contact by sending them a message introducing yourself and thanking them for accepting your connection invitation. From there, you can ask a bit about their job role/career and tell them what you do or what you're trying to get into. As you get the conversation following, you could ask them to keep you in mind if they hear of work coming. This is what I do over time.
LinkedIn: Look After Your Followers & Connections
This is a MUST thing to do. ALWAYS look after your followers and connections on LinkedIn and engage with their posts. Your followers and connection may share/re-share job adverts where I have also found my work (and still do). If someone follows you, give them a follow back to show respect and interest in their job role. Sometimes this can lead to a connection request, then lead to a chat and you could be sending your CV to a potential employer. It's also nice to endorse your connection's skills also for them to be recognised. Sometimes they may do the same for you.
TIP: Be confident and put yourself out there. Don't let rejection defeat you from success.
LinkedIn: Courses To Enhance Your Skillset
If you're signed up on Premium on LinkedIn, you can also do a selection of courses based on your career. I'm quite keen on the business and marketing courses as well as additional training working with Avid Media Composer. Do as many courses as possible to help further your training and career goals through the Premium benefits. When you complete a course and receive a certificate, you can put this on your LinkedIn profile for potential employers to see.
Education VS Industry Experience
I have heard various opinions on this in Facebook groups I'm a member of. Some people would suggest you just get applying to companies for work, some would say you go to college/university first and try and get work. I can't tell you what to do, but I can tell you what I did.
My Education Experience
So at the age of seventeen, I went to college for three years from National Certificate (NC) to Higher National Diploma (HND) level. When I was twenty-years-old, I got accepted by three universities and went to University for two years, achieving a 1st Class Honours Degree in Bachelor of Arts. While studying, I had various jobs in retail and hospitality picking up day runner jobs with BBC and ITV on programmes of; X Factor, The Voice and Britain's Got Talent.
My Industry Experience
It took me three years after graduation to get freelance work in television. I did the sensible thing and stayed in my national minimum wage job working as a Sales Assistant until I started getting work. I had bills to contribute to helping my family and I was able to pay for my driving lessons and a car. My best advice to all graduates is stay in your student jobs until you start getting offered freelance work. If you have a good employer, use some of your holidays to do day runner work which can be advertised in the Facebook group: People in TV: Runners for; X Factor, The Voice and Britain's Got Talent etc. I have listed other Facebook groups further down in this newsletter.
You VS The Competition
This is a very competitive market. Everyone wants to be the one that gets hired, but sometimes you don't get hired. This isn't personal. Mostly, it's the difference between your skillset and someone else's. Most of the industry is made up of freelancers who work on various projects. So, how do you beat the competition? Well, that's not an easy one, but I can give you my advice on what's worked for me.
Additional Promotional Material
For sharing your work whether it's editing, camera, sound, photography, prop making or art, there are great sites out there to show your creative skills to potential employers. DON'T forget to design business cards.
Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/accounts/emailsignup/
LinkedIn - Sign Up | LinkedIn
Vimeo - https://vimeo.com/join
Film Bang - https://www.filmbang.com/sign-up
IMDB - https://www.imdb.com/
TIP: I don't use my Facebook profile and TV work together. Any TV work I use LinkedIn, my website, Vimeo or IMDB.
FREE Courses and Traineeships For Everyone
TIP: There are more out there but these are the ones that I am aware of.
Facebook Groups That Advertise Jobs
TIP: There are loads out there but these are the ones that I have found work on.
Professional Profiles
Do feel free to check out my portfolio if you have time: https://lauramasters.myportfolio.com/
You can also check me out on Film Bang: https://www.filmbang.com/listings/masters-laura
Click here to see my IMDB profile - https://www.imdb.com/name/nm11158228/
or
You can now find all my professional profiles of; my website/portfolio, email, newsletter, Film Bang and IMDB listings here on:
Thank you very much for taking the time to read this eighth edition of The Uncharted Freelancer. I do hope this gives a great insight into what to expect, know and watch out for embarking your career working in television. I hope you tune back in for the ninth edition which focuses on preparing for the winter as a freelancer.
If you would like to find out more, don't hesitate to contact me directly on here and REMEMBER to subscribe to my monthly newsletter if you haven't already. If you enjoy the articles, please share with your LinkedIn connections and fellow freelancers who can get involved with The Uncharted Freelancer. Thank you to those of you who have subscribed to the newsletter series.
Further and higher education lecturer in media, communication, film and television.
6 个月Daryna Pylypenko I think you will find this very useful re: the conversation we were having on Wednesday