Top 10 Pieces of Advice
Working at ATVN has been a gift the past couple of years, and I feel unbelievably fortunate to be able to contribute to a talented, professional, and driven group of journalists. There is no doubt, however, that producing has been the highlight of my time spent at ATVN. I have certainly learned more in this past semester than I have perhaps in my entire four years at USC. I would highly recommend this course to anyone that wishes for a future in broadcast news. You will succeed on some days and fail on others, but at the end of the semester, the rewards are great. Here are my top ten words of wisdom for future ATVN producers…
10. Assignment desk editors are your rock stars. Don’t forget about them. It is often workers at the assignment desk that secure some of the greatest interviews and add some of the best elements to the show. Though it is at the front of your mind to be in constant communication with your reporters, communication with the assignment desk is equally as important. Quickly brief every volunteer when they come in, and explain the priority calls for the day. Touch base with them every hour or so to see whether any progress has been made. Help them brainstorm new angles to try or a different contact to try to reach out to. Thank them for their help and acknowledge the work they have done.
9. Do not be scared of the afternoon rundown meeting. I will admit, at the beginning of the semester this portion of the day scared me. Explaining my logic in creating my rundown and scrutinizing my decisions made me anxious. But now I can say, do not let this happen to you! The rundown meeting is one of the best opportunities to learn throughout the day. You can step back from the work you have done, and see firsthand what formatting works, and what choices could be improved. Do not be afraid to speak up, voice your opinions, and explain why you made certain decisions. My advice would be to approach the meeting with confidence and a firm grasp on every element of the show.
8. Teamwork and communication is the name of the game. No matter the amount of effort you put into the newscast, if everyone is not on the same page the efforts are fruitless. You must be in constant communication with your teammates, as well as your reporters and MJ’s. Ask often what elements they have, what elements they still need, and what you can do to help. Remind them of the angle and what you are looking for, and brainstorm new ideas for how they can accomplish the story. Do not be afraid to delegate work to everyone in the newsroom. As the producer you have a lot of responsibility, but completing everything is not your job. Everyone is there to help; however, they cannot help without proper communication. Taking the time to explain a story thoroughly to a reporter or MJ will not only ensure you get the story you wanted, but also will make the individual feel more valued and important.
7. No matter how great of a memory you have, write everything down. I have always been told that I have a memory like an elephant. When it comes to producing, however, my brain just can’t hold all the information from the day. You will find yourself getting questions, requests, comments, and problems thrown at you right and left. If you do not jot them down, I promise you, you will not remember them later. My teammates and I devised a plan to create a Google Doc in the morning to record all of our notes for the day. We created a list of videos to order, graphics to make, and other important notes to share.
6. Plan with a mix of optimism and a positive attitude, but a dash of realism. In the beginning of the semester when I would fill out my rundown early in the morning, I found myself being not negative, but perhaps overly realistic. I would shy away from adding a sound bite or voice over into the rundown worrying, “but what if we don’t get it?” It took me a couple of weeks to realize that the simple correction to that issue was simply deleting a line from the rundown. Though by no means do I mean you should avoid thinking realistically, but think positively and aim high when planning what elements you will acquire throughout the day for the newscast. You will be surprised how successful you can be with a little persistence.
5. Think outside of the box and do not be afraid to take chances. Often times your first choice interview will be unavailable. Other times, stories will take place far away from Los Angeles, and you will not be able to get in direct contact with those involved. Remember to think creatively when determining who you can talk to, and where you can reach them. Reach out to every source you have and don’t shy away from trying a unique angle or perspective. Utilize twitter, facebook, foursquare, Skype and other social media sources to find witnesses and students that may be able to help you.
4. Treat your MJ’s like you would have liked to be treated as an MJ (or VJ or W/S/E for those of us that are old!) We’ve all had an experience as a multimedia journalist where we get sent out to a far away location to cover a story that is perhaps not so exciting, that ultimately gets floated from the show. As a producer, you will have to delegate these types of things to MJ’s and other reporters. Your attitude should mirror the way you hope they will react. Furthermore, it is simple to get so caught up in the stress and mayhem of the newsroom, that you forget how hard and quickly these volunteers are working to get work done for your show. Though we have been told the golden rule since kindergarten, treat others as you would like to be treated. Greet them with a smile and learn their names. Say hello and how are you before you shove a wire in their face. Help them learn to write and edit rather than simply changing work they do. And acknowledge their improvement and successes; a little encouragement and compliment goes a long way.
3. Stress happens. Use it to motivate and fuel yourself to work efficiently rather than get you down. We all know the challenges of journalism. Interviews will fall through. Signals for live shots will not be good enough. Stories will change at the very last minute. Reporters will be pressed for time to complete their packages. The list of possible setbacks is endless. But instead of wasting time worrying about what could happen, use this stress as a positive outlet. Use it to motivate yourself to work quickly to get to the studio so there is ample time to run through a live shot. Use it to come up with a solid back up plan in case something in your newscast just doesn’t come through it. Use it to think outside the box to find someone else to talk to when you can’t secure your first choice interview.
2. You set the tone and morale of the newsroom…set it high. As a producer, you are a leader in the newsroom. From the minute the morning meeting starts, to the minute the clock hits 6:29:30, everyone in the newsroom and studio crew is looking to you to lead the group. As a leader, everyone will mimic your attitude and react to your behavior. Particularly in the early mornings when everyone is tired, and late afternoons when the chaos begins, it is imperative that you set an enthusiastic, positive tone in the newsroom through leading by example.
1. You will get out of the class what you put into it. I had always looked forward to the opportunity to produce at ATVN since I figured out broadcast news was the future I wanted to pursue. It would be a lie to say that I was not nervous entering the course. The responsibility and role is daunting. The amount of work is great, and the pressure is greater. How could I possibly stay on top of all of the news, know what stories are important, how to format them in the newscast, and who to talk to? Looking back at the semester, I have learned more throughout this experience than any other in college. But I can say with confidence that the amount I learned and what I got out of this course was a direct result of the effort I put in. Yes, it is a lot of work, and yes, it is a lot of time. But at the end of every producing shift, there is an immense sense of pride in the show you worked so hard to create. And at the end of the semester, the feeling increases tenfold. Put every ounce of effort you have into every minute of every producing day, regardless of which chair you sit in that week. You will learn more, grow more, succeed more, and be more proud of everything you accomplish.
