© Millennium Media Entertainment, Inc.
MME Television Services Asia
I was recently talking with an early 30s anchor-reporter, who is still in a small market. I was amazed at how little this person knew about the business or what is enforceable/negotiable in any contract/deal.
This sad story is a very familiar one to me.I have seen honest ignorance hurt or kill several careers, during my 30+ years in this business.
Some people unknowingly set their careers on fire. Some learn, recover and move on, while some don’t.
This can be a tough, unforgiving business, if you don’t know what you are playing for, off air.
This can be a tough, unforgiving business, if you don’t know what you are playing for, off air.
My friend’s story is particularly unfortunate because management got rid of this person, who was still under contract, doing basically a one month buy out.
In my opinion, with seven months left on the contract, my new friend should have gotten paid for at least three months, preferably in a lump sum.
I also think that the non compete should have been waved. If management disliked the work that much, why would they care if this person worked for a market competitor?
I haven't had the heart to tell my new friend any of this. What’s done is done.
I haven't had the heart to tell my new friend any of this. What’s done is done.
This kind of thing happens more than people know and talent loses out usually because they don’t know the business or how to stay out of trouble with their managements.
Too many people make things about them and not enough about IT. 
They forget that at the end of the day, that this a business.
And, no Agent, no matter how skilled they are, can keep you out of trouble forever.
They forget that at the end of the day, that this a business. And, no Agent, no matter how skilled they are, can keep you out of trouble forever.
When I was consulting Westinghouse and subsequently CBS Stations, it really was hard to know whose side some Agents were on. If they had a position, it was clearly one that helped them most.
Other Agents represented and protected their clients’ interests admirably well. So, when hiring an Agent, get the right one. There are many very good ones to choose from.
In any event, I’m not sure if this person understood that the News Director might think he is usually (Or always) right. Debating or worse, disobeying these guys, usually ends badly.
Unfortunately, too much of not taking direction will put some ND’s on a witch hunt, with the intent of getting rid of you. This can be an unnecessary career killer, especially for those in The Smalls.
Generally speaking, station news, marketing and general management types are all trying to execute a news brand.
I have been involved with branding nearly 50 news organizations and I can tell you a new News Brand is not easy to implement or maintain.
Producers, directors and talent have to be brought up to speed about what the new brand is about. Promotion people have to adapt to support the new format. Pardon my French, but this is a bitch.
And, anyone not cooperating with the brand effort, will find themselves on thin ice, putting their careers in jeopardy.
I have seen too many people fall on their swords, by not cooperating or quarreling with management over some new brand. Why do this? Life is short.
Which brings me to my point; you need to know how this all works, to protect and advance your career…not accidentally killing it.
Talent has to be able to do great anchoring and reporting, regardless of the format’s brand. Also, it is a good idea to play ball with management.
If the station has switched to a straight, high story count format, they will not like lengthy crosses by the talent. If they want packages formatted a certain way………….do it.
Why not? Besides, you are not the boss. Repeatedly breaking their designated format and your job security is doomed sooner or later.
Could be a career killing move and you may get a reputation for not taking direction, well. That is definitely a career killer.
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That’s too bad, because after the May book is when most stations are hiring (Or firing) and it is the best time of the year, to be looking. This works far better, when you have a job, and are good to go.
If you are looking to move up, all of this needs to be organized at least three months ahead of time.(My friend wasn’t) Don’t be playing catch up in the 11th hour, as this person is.
A potential employer will not call your ND, if you are employed, but may if you just left.
Sometimes this can be clumsy and other times doesn’t matter what some former ND thinks. Frankly, that will depend how your former ND is viewed by his/her peers.
Be able to explain objectively and clearly, without appearing injured or mad, what happened. Above all, don’t make excuses.
Some will like it that you are immediately available to work for them. But, they will still want to know what happened.
Some will like it that you are immediately available to work for them. But, they will still want to know what happened.
I have seen this many times over the years and made me wonder how many careers get wrecked by the aforementioned.Many people unwittingly kill job opportunities to move up, maintain current job security and ruin changes of being promoted, where they work.
They simply do things that negatively affect their Television News or Entertainment careers because they don’t understand how the business works or how to organize a job search. Both of these issues can kill a career.
So where does all this go next? Here are some things I bet most people (Tenured or New) don’t know about that can affect job security/advancement, can hinder or maybe kill your career.
- Stations like to think their news has a brand, which they believe (Hope) is manifested in their news products.
- These brands vary from friendly, with longer reporter talk backs, to high story count, straight news brands. Both work.
- I have been involved with rebranding over 50 local station news formats.
- It is hard to execute a new brand with talent, producers, and directors and station managements.
- Once all this is in motion, there is no deviating from management’s plan, if you want to work there.
- They will not think your way is better than theirs and so it is dangerous to
buck them. - As we say in the Marines, adapt and improvise within your environment.
- Arguing with the Powers that Be, will end badly.
- Give them what they want.
- If you disagree with the news programming format, look immediately for another job, hoping management would like you to move on.
Let’s assume you know all this and would like to move up to a bigger market or network, assuming you have outs or your contract will end in six months.
- Getting another job takes time usually.
- Expect your search to take anywhere from four to six months.
- So, you need to have your demo and materials ready, ahead of time.
- Be prepared to add and subtract elements as you go along, with your current job.
- I had a client who had applied for over 80 jobs and was getting very disillusioned. Then a major network called and subsequently hired her, at the age of 24. You never know in this business.
- The worst time to look is between the November Book and March. Stations do look at people during March and April, but stop completely during the May Book.
- However there is a hiring frenzy from June into September.*Top Tens and Networks hire year round.
- Use the down time to your advantage. Use this time, when they don’t usually hire, to get your act together.
- Begin checking the major Group and O&O Websites frequently for job opportunities. If you don’t know who they are, find out.
If You Are Looking For Whatever Reason:
- Most importantly, don’t sit around over this. A leisurely approach is another career killer move.
- Keep track of job openings and who you have contacted.
- Keep in mind that most Agents are deal guys and nothing else.
- Consider an Agent or News Consultant or Talent Coach. (I'm all three.)
I hope you found this useful. If you would like to know more about me and what I provide, please read below.
Millennium Media Entertainment
Now Offering Career and Performance Consultation Services
Now Offering Career and Performance Consultation Services
We are now offering Television Talent Career and Performance Consultation Services. I have been in the business for over 30 years, mostly as a News Consultant.
I was the Chief News Consultant for Group W and later the CBS O&O’s after Westinghouse bought CBS. I reported directly to the Station Group President of both companies.
We believe so strongly about this new service, that we offering a free get acquainted sample critiques.
Please send me a link of your most recent work and I would be happy critique it free. What do you have to lose?
My Background
My time was divided between budgets, branding news products, content development and working with talent. Working with talent and producers took up about half my time.
I was usually handed a list of on people to work with, each time I went to one of the stations. I often felt that I was doing things the News Directors would like to do, but didn’t have the time.
The tenured on air staff expected time during each visit, to go over things. My work with the newer talent was more performance development oriented.
The tenured on air staff expected time during each visit, to go over things. My work with the newer talent was more performance development oriented.
My approach to working with the main anchors and reporters was far different, than with the less experienced ones. One thing I always made sure of was, that I was not doing anything that might cover up who they were as people, on air.
It is very important to your career that your personality isn’t covered up. Who you are and how you do things on air is your brand or signature.
It is very important to your career that your personality isn’t covered up. Who you are and how you do things on air is your brand or signature.
Viewers feel they know the successful people in our business and trust them. Viewers take comfort during breaking news and emergencies, from these people. This is where you want to be career wise and that will take you far.
The Service Concept
- The audience will not get to know what is unique and interesting about you or be able to recognize your work, if you are adhering to some boiler plate or formula presentation style.
- This is why your own personal presentation brand needs to consistently come through on air.
- The other reason for building your presentation style around who you are is because it is easier for you to do. In other words, executing some generic presentation style gives you extra work.
- It is also very distracting. Your mind is divided between what you are doing and also how you are doing it. No one can do this and it is a confidence killer.
- Therefore, the logical thing to do is be yourself and all this gets easier. You will provide the viewers with a far better presentation, since you will be only focusing on what you are reporting or reading.
- You can fit your own style into whatever news brand or philosophy being used by you’re your station, whether it’s a high story count, straight news format or a friendlier brand with more lengthier debriefs and talk backs.
- Being able to fit your presentation style into any news format/brand will make you more attractive to your current station or to a potential employer.
- What is key is being comfortable with your work as you are doing Lives or building packages. I believe the first thing to do for a client is identifying their strengths and what they already are doing well.
- Anyone can tell you what is wrong, which isn't helpful. I am initially interested with what people are doing right and going from there.
- You need to know what your current strengths are and build from them.
- Also, building your presentation style around your personality will boost your confidence.
- Then this get’s easier because you will be doing one thing instead of two.
- Once that is known and underway, then we will improve your presentation in any area needing strengthening.
- That could be anything…pacing, voice, vocal tonality, regional accent correction, posture (Yes…some people slouch and don’t know it.), voice overs, delivery, writing, look, wardrobe, makeup, and hair.
- As I said earlier, I don’t have some format to stamp onto clients. Everything I do is designed around you.
- You need to have a compelling montage on your demo. A manufactured presentation style won’t cut it.
- It has to be unique and for that to happen, the montage has to display who you are via your work. The first 45-60 seconds potential employers watch, drives if they will view more. Actually, many decide in under 30 seconds, whether or not to keep watching.
- A strong, versatile montage will show that you are fresh, different and unique. There is an abundance of the same old thing out there, which News Managers generally avoid.
- They are looking for new, fresh and genuine. I can help you with this, as well as the demo itself.
No two people are the same. I tailor the consulting to fit the needs of the individual. It’s is given that you know how to do television news.
What I do is help people develop their overall personal package or brand, while strengthening/correcting any weaknesses. It is a simple concept, but it takes time, dedication and work.
Please keep in mind that this is a personal service, exclusively between you and me. Career development and supporting job acquisition marketing strategies are part of the service.
Below is a sampling of the various service elements I provide as part of a consulting package:
- Anchoring and field reporting performance consultation
- Appearance... i.e.…Clothing, Colors, Makeup and Hair
- Health/dietary programs to improve overall health, look and increase performance energy
- Vocal performance
- Producing, writing and packaging
- Performance Training that fits with station or network brands and industry trends.
- Demo reel development and consultation.
- Provide Marketing Material Templates...i.e. Stationary, Generic Cover Letters and Bios.
- Consultation Pertaining to New Employment Opportunities
- Access to select O&O’s and major groups that I have relationships with.
- Advice for Negotiating New Employment Deals and Contracts, if self representing.
- Then you can self represent the new and improved you or get a great agent.Your call.
- Suggested Tax Write Offs...Such as personal computers and all Costs Associated with MME Services.
- MME will provide receipts for payment for Tax Purposes
Service Process
- I am flexible about how services can be provided.Regularly seeing your work is very important to track progress and maintaining growth momentum.
- This can be done daily. You can send me links from your stations web site and I will email back a critique.
- Or you could make a weekly composite and put it on YouTube, marking it private, so only people you want to see the material are able to. Again, each days work will be critiqued.
- What is best if you would put 20 minutes of your work on YouTube again marked private, so I can study you and your work.
- I will put together a plan in writing and we could over this on the phone.
- Then, I will track/critique your presentation, performance, look etc. daily or weekly.
- Frequent follow up is key to this working for you.I feel this is a team sport and I work closely with people. I enjoy helping clients win.
You should know that I have never had more than a dozen clients at any given time. I want to focus on a few at a time, so my clients get the most from this service. In other words, I am not running a mass production line here.
Right now, we are re-starting this service and getting our first clients. When I hit 12, will stop taking any more.
Fees
- Critiques $5 each*(*Minimum order of 10) You may want to start with daily or weekly critiques.
- This might be a good way to get acquainted and establish a working relationship.
You may be interested in a longer term, more comprehensive service that would include:
- Initial in depth evaluation of your work.
- This would involve my having access to 25-30 minutes of your work. You could put your previous work on YouTube, checked private.
- I would provide you with a detailed summary with recommendations.
- We could use this as the foundation for supporting on going critiques, as described herein.
For this to work for you, you have to make the service part of your routine. I can work as hard as you can.
I realize some people are not looking to move to new markets. This is still a valuable tool for those wishing to stay put and grow at their current station.
The Philippines, Palawan and Me
I live on Palawan, in the Western Philippines. My home is in Puerto Princesa (Population 250,000) and our crime rate here is 0.08%, with 94% of the population employed. I have posted a few Blogs here about Puerto Princesa.
We have the same modern technology that the US has, which allows me to be able to work from here. The Philippines is not lagging in technologies.
You may not know this but, The Philippines is the 12th largest country on Earth and the most literate country in Asia. It is also the third largest Roman Catholic Country, on Earth.
It is the number one call service center provider in the world, due to an abundance of educated Filipinos, who are all English proficient.
It’s basically a Western Country after 400 years of the Spanish, plus nearly 100 as an American Territory. It just happens be on the Eastern edge of Asia.
I was here before first as a Marine, later doing stuff for CBS here, when I lived on Guam. (All in my Bio) I decided to come back a few years ago. I like the slower pace here on Palawan, the ocean, forests and the people, as well as the culture.
So, that is everything in a nutshell. If you have any doubt about the value of my expertise, send me a link to your most recent work and I would be happy to do a sample critique for you.
This blog is located at:
The general blog address is in my contact information below:
John Sheehan
Millennium Media Entertainment
214-628-6236 (Can be accessed from The Philippines)
214-628-6236 (Can be accessed from The Philippines)
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