Jobs in this funny old sector

[Larry the Loafer]

I was having a chat with my Dad about new career avenues to go down having been "between jobs" for longer than I care to admit. He knows I'm passionate about TV and media and all the nerdy stuff us lot like to talk about, and after watching ITV's documentary on Morecambe and Wise last night, I said to him I'd happily take a job in a big archive full of old reels and just revel in the history. It took a bit of explaining that we're located nowhere near the "big" archives such as ITV's archive in Leeds and god knows how many in London.

But it got me thinking about what jobs technically exist for someone who, for want of a better term, frequents TV Live Forum. Besides the obvious route of going down the route of production, it just crossed my mind what kind of positions exist for those who take an interest in the more "niche" side of television.

So whether it's something you've done yourself, or a job role you've come across in the past, what sort of positions are you aware of that would give us TV nerds a(nother) purpose in life?

[Neil Jones]

Can you not get a new gig with your old mate buddy pal Nick Frisbee?

[all new Phil]

I was having a chat with my Dad about new career avenues to go down having been "between jobs" for longer than I care to admit. He knows I'm passionate about TV and media and all the nerdy stuff us lot like to talk about, and after watching ITV's documentary on Morecambe and Wise last night, I said to him I'd happily take a job in a big archive full of old reels and just revel in the history. It took a bit of explaining that we're located nowhere near the "big" archives such as ITV's archive in Leeds and god knows how many in London.

But it got me thinking about what jobs technically exist for someone who, for want of a better term, frequents TV Live Forum. Besides the obvious route of going down the route of production, it just crossed my mind what kind of positions exist for those who take an interest in the more "niche" side of television.

So whether it's something you've done yourself, or a job role you've come across in the past, what sort of positions are you aware of that would give us TV nerds a(nother) purpose in life?

I write rotas in my job. I can see that appealing to many here.

[Steve in Pudsey]

I had every intention of going into a career in broadcasting, after doing a very hands on GNVQ (remember them?) In Media Communications and Production that included running an RSL radio station for three weeks, then going to uni for a multimedia degree that wasn't really right for me (I think I was blinkered by the admissions tutor gushing about the VHS showreel video I'd brought along unsolicited [I'd really made it for another uni but he said some flattering things about it - I think his exact words were "best presentation I've ever seen from an undergraduate" although I know know that's a low bar!] and him neglecting to explain that the course was really a computing degree with a few modules swapped out rather than what I was expecting).

However I genuinely think it's for the better that I didn't end up in broadcasting, not least because the kinds of role I was interested are the ones that are either automated now or largely self op (eg desktop editing replacing craft editors)

I've just passed the 20 year mark working in another department of the same uni predominantly as a learning technologist, a role that I've been able to mould and make my own to a certain extent, and with considerably more job security than I could have expected in broadcasting.

So I still get to play with video editing, podcasts etc, and I've managed to evolve a requirement to babysit the technology at public lectures into more of a producing/stage managing role. Marketing want a promo video from the Geography field trip but there's no budget to get the usual agency in? Sure, I'll have a day out in the Lakes with my camera. Moving public lectures online because of Covid? Of course I added a bit of TV grammar to proceedings, including a BBC Schools style "follows shortly" holding slide and a Temporary Fault slide (unused!)... Even vision mixed one live through OBS.

The point of that ramble is that now every company is doing it's own media production on social media etc, there are some great opportunities without having to work "in the media", where you'll often have more creative control and opportunity to do a wider range of stuff while it's a fun diversion from the day job rather than being the daily grind.

[LukeHarrison]

Moving public lectures online because of Covid? Of course I added a bit of TV grammar to proceedings, including a BBC Schools style "follows shortly" holding slide and a Temporary Fault slide (unused!)... Even vision mixed one live through OBS.

I got to do a fair bit of that in my job too. Couldn't do anything with lessons that were happening on Google Meet, but when it came time to put together the virtual assemblies...well...

All 'inspired' by BBC presentation of the day.

First lockdown we went back to the 80s.



And the clock.



Then for the second we went to the 90s.



And its clock.



Biggest problem is that it obviously didn't resonate with any of the pupils, but it brightened my days at least.

[Steve in Pudsey]

Loving your work! I know what you mean about it being wasted on the kids, but good design is good design! I don't know why more webinars don't use a Follows Shortly style sequence, it's so much better than the usual "we'll just wait a few more minutes for people to arrive" sketch, plus some music so punters know their sound works.

[LukeHarrison]

Loving your work! I know what you mean about it being wasted on the kids, but good design is good design! I don't know why more webinars don't use a Follows Shortly style sequence, it's so much better than the usual "we'll just wait a few more minutes for people to arrive" sketch, plus some music so punters know their sound works.

Cheers mate, glad to know someone appreciates it at least! I'm surprised that non of the webinar platforms (as far as I know) have the facility for holding slides and things. It'd be a dream come true for those of us who dreamt of being pres designers when we were younger.

[valley]

Loving your work! I know what you mean about it being wasted on the kids, but good design is good design! I don't know why more webinars don't use a Follows Shortly style sequence, it's so much better than the usual "we'll just wait a few more minutes for people to arrive" sketch, plus some music so punters know their sound works.

Cheers mate, glad to know someone appreciates it at least! I'm surprised that non of the webinar platforms (as far as I know) have the facility for holding slides and things. It'd be a dream come true for those of us who dreamt of being pres designers when we were younger.

When we (or rather my colleagues at the place I worked at the time) built a webinar platform back in 2018 we incorporated similar functionality - one useful trick was that it would automatically switch to a fault slide if it received a certain set of colour bars for more than 3 seconds during the booking length, and we even built a BNCS integration so that the director or TS could control the status of the stream without needing to use another computer interface.
I also find it baffling how some of the more established platforms still haven't realised that frame stores are helpful!

[LukeHarrison]

When we (or rather my colleagues at the place I worked at the time) built a webinar platform back in 2018 we incorporated similar functionality - one useful trick was that it would automatically switch to a fault slide if it received a certain set of colour bars for more than 3 seconds during the booking length, and we even built a BNCS integration so that the director or TS could control the status of the stream without needing to use another computer interface.
I also find it baffling how some of the more established platforms still haven't realised that frame stores are helpful!

That's what happens when people care about their work! Was it a commercially available platform you worked on or was it something internal?

[valley]

When we (or rather my colleagues at the place I worked at the time) built a webinar platform back in 2018 we incorporated similar functionality - one useful trick was that it would automatically switch to a fault slide if it received a certain set of colour bars for more than 3 seconds during the booking length, and we even built a BNCS integration so that the director or TS could control the status of the stream without needing to use another computer interface.
I also find it baffling how some of the more established platforms still haven't realised that frame stores are helpful!

That's what happens when people care about their work! Was it a commercially available platform you worked on or was it something internal?

Yup! Initially it was just internal but the underlying platform can be licensed now I believe.