First, do bear in mind that this is one of the most fiercely competitive career choices to make. The media departments of colleges and universities annually turn onto the job market the equivalent in numbers to the whole capacity of the industry.
There are a lot of unemployed media graduates out there working in bars!
You must have something extra to stand a chance of making your way onto a television company’s short list. Invariably that means having practical experience of some aspect of the industry. Creativity and intelligence are taken as read. But if you want to get a job in television production you should also know the basics of editing, shooting, file creation and even graphics. A working knowledge of AVID and/or Final Cut Pro is a must, and if your media course hasn’t given you this vital practical experience then you need to fill this gap. The industry has become multi skilled. You won’t be a producer or director unless you know how to use the basic kit first.
It always was the case and always will be the case that a foot in the door is worth a dozen show-reels. So get some work experience. Do this by scanning all the employment sites and read the industry press to see who’s doing what, who are the big players, and who are the specialists. Don’t just look for the big glamorous companies. When you’re starting off the best place to stoke up some useful experience is far more likely to be with a small television production company. They carry no spare fat. You will learn more quickly there because they can’t afford to have you hanging around just making the coffee- they’ll be more likely to give you some real work to do.
Smaller TV companies are likely to be making corporate films...but don’t be sniffy. Nowadays you’ll find there’s very little difference between the film values of a corporate production and one for broadcast. A corporate TV company will give you just the same chance to learn camera techniques, directing skills and editing proficiency...and will give you the same film vocabulary and understanding that’s used in the broadcast TV world.