I've been working for 3 years as a researcher/investigator on human rights and criminal cases. Any advice on moving into TV/film/radio?
I've worked on all sorts of fascinating international cases as an investigator, and my research has been as diverse as intervewing the families of convicted terrorists, researching modern witchcraft practices in Nigeria and conducting archival research about the Indian Workers Association and civil rights movement in the 1960s. The part of my work I love the most is finding people to interview and hearing their amazing stories. I'm generally fascinated by people and have always felt I would excel in a career more focussed on storytelling. I'm very interested in documentaries and would love to use my skills towards the documentary making process.
Is there any way for me to do this without taking a career step backwards and becoming a runner? I don't mean to undemine runners, but I feel I have many valuable skills to offer which I wouldnt be able to use in a runner position. Would love to hear of any companies who are willing to invest in training for the right applicants? Or any courses
Replies4
- Thanks @Chabs Lawrence, really interesting and super insightful input here! Have come back to this post a few times because its so rich in useful tips and information - thanks so much for the time and effort you put in to this advice. Would love to connect with you so I will send you a message.Best wishes,Sarah
- Hi,I think you have an amazing set of skills and would be a great addition to any team as either a researcher or casting researcher - and could easily work in both development and production. I don’t think it’s necessary for everyone to have experience as a runner, especially with such a strong core set of skills. I was never a runner, but I had other skills which made me a valuable researcher, so it’s about knowing how to market your skills and definitely don’t undersell yourself.TV is one of those industries where few roles are ever advertised, so I'd recommend reaching out directly to companies you might be interested in working with. Off the top of my head I’d recommend companies like TwoFour (who are actively looking for Development Researchers), Curve Media (who are looking for researchers) and Dragonfly (who do a lot of character based storytelling - which sounds right up your street).Also, Production Base is a bit of a rip off - no offence to those who recommend it - as you’ll find many of the jobs advertised there, also advertised elsewhere. I highly recommend getting on the Talent Manager, Talent Bases and checking out postings on The Unit List - all of which are free. I have worked continuously in TV for 8 years and these are definitely where you find the bulk of the few jobs advertised. However, your first point of call should for sure, be reaching out to those companies whose work you admire. It’s all about timing and your CV may arrive on someone’s desk at the right time.On the topic of timing, you also need to be ready to work immediately. Most TV jobs crew up in under 2 weeks. It’s not unusual for someone to shout out in the office “I need a researcher to start tomorrow - does anyone know anyone” - and the Production Manager will rely on the word of the people there. So get your CV in front of as many people as possible.Finally, check out the TV Watercooler website. It has an extensive list of company contacts and other job sites, and a good blog about getting into TV.Hope that helps and feel free to send me your CV. I am an experienced Development Producer but always keen to get fresh minds in TV.All the best,Chabs
- Hi Tom,Thanks so much for this generous response!Totally agree about the runner skills, I probably need to give that a bit more thought as I think that I am looking more towards development, however i am attracted to the idea of having a thorough, practical foundation of production knowledge. I can see how that would be a big bonus for a researcher.Glad to hear your 2 cents anytime! It’s given me a lot of food for thought, and really helped me get a bit of clarity on where to invest my time moving forwards.Thank you!Sarah
- HiJust my two cents, but your skills as an investigator sound super interesting.Identify what kind of roles you’d like to get into. The value of getting runner’s or assistants experience is that you get a practical, hands on feel for working on set or on location, getting to know each department, their roles, standard technical shooting practices, terminology and ideally make some good contacts for the future so I’d say is pretty invaluable if you wanted to get into a role in any ‘on set’ team crew (sound, camera, art dept etc). Even for researchers this knowledge is important as you’ll need to be envisaging how stories can be brought to life effectively on camera.That said, if you’re thinking something more in the development realm I think your best bet, given your experience, would be to look into independent documentary companies that might be developing new ideas for production.I’d look into the kinds of documentaries you admire, and find out the production company and then get directly in touch with them (try finding the exec producers email address if possible - hunter.io is a good resource). You’d be surprised how many people will be willing to give advice, have a chat, maybe even get you in. If you want to make a big impact, you might even go in with some documentary ideas of your own based on your experience (which sounds pretty compelling to me) and almost pitch it to them? Might not get off the ground but a good impression and will give you a little exposure.Finally, I think you could do some research into some smaller, maybe independent documentary film-makers and see if there are researcher roles around as I think that that’s where your experience would probably get you in through the door. I say smaller as they tend to have greater latitude within roles, so you’d be able to go on shoots, recce’s etc as well as use your already-existing skills.Practically, there's a good facebook group called 'People who know people who work in TV' which'd be worth joining, as well as productionbase.Hope that helps!Tom
You must sign up or log in before you
add a comment.