Hi I’m Sam Atkinson and you will probably guess it from my
pitch but I am pitching myself as a freelancer to potential employers as a promotional
tool. As a freelancer I’m looking for directing jobs in television,
particularly factual programming.
At uni I have had loads of opportunities and chances to gain
experience directing television by creating documentaries, short films, dramas
and even a magazine style show. Examples of these can be found on my website, http://samatkinson1993.wix.com/samatkinson-media
From directing these projects I have been able to gain a ton
of skills, that I wouldn’t have if it weren’t for uni. These include, how to
get the best out of people, organisation, coping under pressure, arguably most
important and frustrating is how to work with actors.
So why would I want to work in the media industry? Well I’ve
wanted to be a part of the media for a long time, when I was little I would
spend hours looking at the special features on DVD’s to see behind the scenes
footage, just so I could see how they made the programme. Then later on in life
I realised this was my dream after watching the film man on wire; this is a
film about a Frenchman who realises his dream of tightrope walking. After
watching the film I realised that I wanted to create something that would
inspire others like it inspired me.
So who’s the target? Well I’m targeting large organisations
such as the BBC and BskyB. These are two companies that I have done work for
over my university course and I have contacts within each of them. I have kept
in contact with them through social networking and email conversations since
then. I think large organisations are great because of the training
opportunities they offer to their employees. Although I would have to become a
part of their political agenda.
Unfortunately there are also a large number of freelancers,
like me, who are going for the little media jobs there are, so it looks like
I’ll have to convince you why I stand out from the rest. Over my university
course I have gained a large amount of technical skills such as creative
camerawork, sound, lighting and editing (But don’t forget about the directing
skills I mentioned earlier). I also have a number of contacts such as Trudy
Coleman in the BBC, Steve Li in North One Television (an independent television
company) and Glenn Bestic at BskyB. You can find them on my linked in, http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/sam-atkinson/66/446/841
These contacts are great and very important because they can
assist me in getting work after my degree has finished through advice or
letting me know about interviews. The experience that I have gained from these
placements is also a big asset because I now understand the way that the media
industry works by seeing it first hand. I understand that other freelancers
would also have a similar set of skills, qualifications and contacts as myself
so how can I differ myself from the rest of the pack? A great way to do this is
the way I show my CV to employers through my website that has my CV and also
the majority of the productions I have created whilst at university. I also
mentioned in the pitch that I write a blog where I discuss my feelings about
television and film in an academic sense. http://samblogginguphere.wordpress.com
I’m always looking for more experience to make me a better
employee, so in order to get more experience as I mentioned in the pitch that I
would direct short films and documentaries so that I can continue to develop my
portfolio. In order to do this I will need funding and I will be able to get
this from either a kickstarter campaign
or pitching the idea to small independent television companies. I have made
contacts in this area over my university course through placements such as
Colin Byrne at North One Television.
Another benefit of creating the short films is the chance it will give me to
network with other freelancers who I hire as my crew. I have met many other freelancers during my time at BCU such as Richard Macey. He is a potential competitor for jobs and collaborator on projects so he is a valuable contact. In order to keep in
contact I will use a social media strategy of following them on twitter or linkedin and keeping
them updated with when I post new articles on my blog. This will both keep me
in contact with other freelancers and advertise my blog at the same time.
When undertaking some market research on freelancer media
job websites such as production base and mandyI
found that many jobs were open to people with their own equipment so this could
be another area of budgeting that I need to consider. It would be a great idea
to make the most of the tech office while im at uni, however once I graduate I
will have to save a considerable amount of money from my wages or get a loan to
afford the equipment necessary for some jobs.
Other factors that employers are looking are experience on
location, being keen and evidence of work or a show reel, examples of all of
these are available on my website that
includes an updated CV. Some of the other blogs that have inspired me are David Hearts Blog in terms of information, because he posts interesting ways of networking and teaches us the advanced methods of using the tools available to us, such as twitter. I also like the style and presentation of Karen Strunks and how she has her blog set up in a friendly way that encourages you to get in touch with her.
Comments,
"Direct and informative, the pitch is positive and the humour is a welcome aspect which supports the overall video. You effectively communicate your point in a unique way" Richard Macey
"Good ways of standing out! It definitely caught my eye and was informative also" Dewi Roberts
