3 Myths of TV

I work in TV. And I realise that I’m very lucky as it’s a job I love (most of the time). There seems to be a false preconception that working in TV is A.) glamorous B.) well paid and C.) full of Guardian-reading, middle class media studies Graduates.

Well, it’s certainly not A.) – any Runner who has still been in the production office at midnight clearing up Producers’ coffee cups will tell you that.

B.) – you pay peanuts, you get peanuts. Except in TV, where it seems you pay peanuts and you get thousands of bright young University graduates clamouring for the opportunity to get their converse-clad foot on the TV ladder. All desperate to avoid the conventional route of grad scheme, temp or worst of all – debt-ridden and living back at home with Mum, reminiscing about the good times in student Ville when beer was cheap and lie-ins until 3pm weren’t frowned upon. Trying to work in an industry where jobs are poorly paid and hard to come by seems a viable option when you’re young, ambitious and haven’t endured too many knock-backs. It’s appealing if you have an insatiable appetite for telly-watching, you dread the idea of working in a dull, soulless industry where money is supposed to motivate you and corporate Christmas parties with your David Brent boss the highlight of your working year.

Oh and finally, C.) - personality essential, degree optional. In fact, a media degree is a sure fire way to put off employers. They seem to dread the know-it-all, media savvy grads who arrogantly put 'Producer' on their CV - referring to a low budget student film shot on PD 150 as part of their course. The middle-class myth comes from the fact that most wannabe-Runners get financial support from the bank of Mum and Dad whilst they do illegal 'work experience' and allow production companies to take the piss out as they work unpaid for the privelage. And let's face it, most of us can't afford to work unpaid in London, especially with 3 years of debt on our conscious. So maybe degree isn't the best option after all... But it sure is fun.