TV Production career advice

[segagamer12]

Alright so I will be quick. I currently work for a local TV news station. My official title is Video Editor, I am essentially an Assistant Producer, I edit videos for news stories, create graphics for the shows, pull videos from national sources and trim/edit them for the show, etc. Currently I am working part-time. The dilemma is I love editing I want to be a producer or cinematographer someday. I also currently fill-in as studio camera operator and I have trained on sound board. This is all good and I love what I do but the hours suck, the pay sucks, I can't exactly move without getting some money saved up and I can't even really afford to pay my bills.


Here is my question, there is a full-time position open at my TV station that I would qualify for and would really enjoy, Master Control Operator. This is a full-time job with benefits and good pay, much batter than what I am doing now. But if I take a Master Control position will that stunt my ability to move up the ladder to a bigger market as an editor? I am still in college so working for a TV station now gives me an edge over having to do the internship route so I am happy with my job but I am struggling to pay bills.

Does anyone who works in TV know if taking a master control job will benefit me or not? Once I finish college I plan on sending my reel out to bigger stations but if I walk away from the video editor position I lose the benefit of working directly as an editor. The trade off is better pay *now* but uncertainty if this will lead to the type of job I want. I understand Master Control is pretty much an entry level type position as it is so I am worried that despite better hours, and better pay it will be a step down from what I am doing.

Aside from my primary duties as news AP, I also edit a full 30 minute pre-taped delayed aired program that we run on weekends and on the web. This is a great program for my resume because I edit the entire 30 minute program including inserting all the lower thirds, graphics, name supers, all directly into the video feeds manually so I do a lot of real editing verses the news editing which is well mostly just trimming for time and leveling the audio.

I love editing videos and I really enjoy filling in on studio cameras because I am in the studio working cameras with the anchors, its a great job but the pay and the hours suck. My other option is to take up a part-time job elsewhere but the local job market sucks my choices are typical manual labor, customer service, cashier type jobs, or working for a factory.


I am just looking for some pointers from people in the business. I am really worried that if I move into MC position I will be running into a dead-end but I am just wondering if maybe that isn't really the case if it is an entry level position. I know people at our station who started in MC but they moved into traffic, not much of a difference and certainly not the hands on editing that I want to do. I can still do videos on the side and while in college to build my resume plus I am always looking for freelance jobs online too so maybe I am worried for nothing. Sorry for long rant I don't belong to many forums and this is the closest place to getting answers I could go to.

[UK_fan_05]

Maybe not the advice you are looking for but why not keep your current job and do some editing on the side? If you can use a camera you can do filming and editing on the side. A birthday party, weddings, things like that and you can film it, edit it, and make some cash like that.

Also if sports is big in your area, kids love having some highlight tapes done and you can make some good money from that. I have a buddy who strictly does that and he makes good. This way, you stick with the editing job in the business and you help build up your resume by having this work on the side and continue to stay strictly with editing. Keep copies of your A + material for reference.

[CtrlCtrlFast]

Being in a similar position that you are and working in local TV and being a MCO, myself, I say go for it. I don't think it will help anything but it won't hurt either. You'll be making more money and have benefits and better hours.

In my experience, getting full time, in this business is a big deal, it tok me about five years. I went through hell to earn that and was only given that because two other people where moved up a classification so me being full time was needed.

While an MCO position is entry level, it is probably the most difficult as there a load of responisbilites involved with it. As with any career, nothing will be handed to you, you'll need to earn it by picking up as many skills as you can get and being a hard and good worker.

So take the MCO position, keep editing on the side and when the oppurtunity comes to move on, take it!

[segagamer12]

Thank you guys for your advice, especially from an MCO in the same position very helpful. Before getting on at the station I did work for a wedding company but I can't work for them now because the show I edit is done on Weekends and weddings are, well on weekends. The Master Control position is well not just full time its all over the place but Saturdays are specifically mentioned in the posting so that still prevents me from doing weddings. But I am still in charge of archiving all the sports videos from tape to digital, a project I personally took on at the blessing of the sports director, as you said to make myself invaluable to the company and to stay connected to the people who matter. I think if they offer me it I will take it and do whatever editing I can on the side as it sounds like that would be best for now.


What sucks is they already gave me a full time assistant producer job to prep me for producer and because of school and life I stepped down. I am in a different place now so I am ready to go back to full time but I wonder what kind of signal it sends them if I step down from one and apply for another a few months latter.

[CtrlCtrlFast]

Originally Posted by segagamer12

What sucks is they already gave me a full time assistant producer job to prep me for producer and because of school and life I stepped down. I am in a different place now so I am ready to go back to full time but I wonder what kind of signal it sends them if I step down from one and apply for another a few months latter.

Assuming that you have management that gives a damn about their employees, they should understand that it wasn't right for you at the time but this MCO is avalible for you, at the right time.

I am of the mindset that, I need to be making as much money as possible so I need to put in as much time at work as I can. So make the extra money now, save it, continue editing on the side, and when you reach your savings goal, start looking for jobs that you want and will enjoy doing.

If I may offer two pieces of advice, if you plan on staying in this business:
1 - NETWORK, often times, it is not what you know or how much experience you have or how good you are but it just comes down to whom you know!
2 - TECHNICAL DIRECT, again, if you want to stay in this business, doing behind the scenes stuff, learn how to do this and learn it well. With the way that the business is going, it will be invalible to you.