Top Twenty

[Life on Filter 4]

I would like to hear some of your thoughts...
What top twenty market is great to work in? I would love to work in Chicago maybe after awhile...but then I wonder if cost of living is too high...or is it too hard to get a job there? I know big markets don't usually post jobs all around because there are many people they know that can fill them. And I'm SURE top ten markets are a hassle to get in.
Thanks for your thoughts!

[newz2me]

A lot of the bigger markets have a small core staff of photogs. They use freelance day hires and stringers to fill the rest of their coverage. When a position does open they will usually offer the staff job to one of their day hires.
Freelancing can make you a decent buck if you're willing to hustle and find another way to afford health insurance on your own. Eventually if you're good you might one day land a staff position.
Chicago, NYC, L.A., Washington, San Fran and such are all expensive places to live. Plan accordingly.

[Vidman]

I know a guy in Chicago, he freelanced as a daily hire and vacation relief for seven years before he landed a staff job, but it is a union position and pays well, especially if you get on the schedule each week - some times you only get a few days, or go weeks without working.

[Chicago Dog]

As far as the job acquisition goes, the responses above are right. High level markets are difficult to get into because -- unfortunately -- it becomes less dependent on your resume and tape and more dependent on who you know. Chicago's difficult to get into unless you know someone who can help you get your foot in the door. Even then, there's a lot of work to be done keeping your name out there.

It is somewhat of a "hassle" getting into a top-ten market, but -- in my opinion -- the payoff is worth it. I'm pretty sure most of the top-tens are union, which pay significantly better than non-union shops (ever read any threads on those "sunshine pay" stations in the southern United States (http://www.b-roll.net/forum/showthread.php?t=20163&highlight=sunshine+pay)?). You'll have a one-time initiation fee (which you can make in payments) and a monthly dues fee.

When moving to a new region, it's always somewhat difficult to predict what the new cost of living will be. I suggest checking out a couple "cost of living" calculators online. I found one at CNN Money (http://cgi.money.cnn.com/tools/costofliving/costofliving.html) that seems to be pretty accurate.

For housing, do some research at apartments.com (http://www.apartments.com). Apartment prices will almost always rise the closer you get to the downtown region. Make sure you understand what utilities you'll be paying for. In Chicago, my electricity bill gets as high as $65 a month during the summer. In my last (and lower) market, my electricity bill ran an average of $150 a month for an apartment about the same size!

Do your research, and you should be okay. You might be surprised; some cities aren't nearly as expensive as you'd think.

[sixtycyclehum]

Is working at CLTV a way to get your foot in the door or something one should avoid at all costs?

[f11vid]

Allot of shooters migrate from CLTV to the stations.Of course, there are no guarantees and the pay is not great there,but probably better than where you are.

[Chicago Dog]

Is working at CLTV a way to get your foot in the door or something one should avoid at all costs?

I don't want to burst anyone's bubble, but Chicago's a very difficult market to break into. Shooters from Illinois have a distinct advantage over most everyone else, especially shooters originating from Chicago.

CLTV's a 24-hour cable station, so don't expect a lot from it. Pay obviously sucks, equipment's not all that great. You might feel like you're "paying your dues" all over again, depending where you're coming from.

You'll have to network with guys from other shops in the field. You might hit upon someone who's willing to help you out, as long as you're personable and show an ability to get the job done well. Don't come in with an ego, don't come in thinking you know everything. High-level markets work a lot differently than the majority of other markets out there. It's much, much easier to crash and burn with no hope of redemption.

CLTV often uses stations in smaller, nearby markets as feeders to itself. A lot of guys go to CLTV from Rockford, Illinois, for example. Then, those who make it from CLTV are usually there for a few years before making the move elsewhere. Even then, you'll be leaving a cable station for a daily hire spot. Hours are, of course, not guaranteed.

It's a step-by-step process, and it can get difficult. That's what this market's all about, though.

[AlexLucas]

Don't come in with an ego, don't come in thinking you know everything. High-level markets work a lot differently than the majority of other markets out there. It's much, much easier to crash and burn with no hope of redemption.


Translation: Watch your relationships with your reporters, producers, and brass. Mostly reporters.

Watch out for hotshot, full of crap reporters, or self-centered pageant girls. They're the most likely suspect for the Burn-O-Matic.
Also, don't step on a village elder's toes. That's the two dangers. The ones that can't be satisfied, and the ones that can't be fired.

A guy who truly knows the ins and outs of a market after thirty years doesn't want someone slagging his lighting and judging him on a single day. I've heard people I've known for years get slagged by the new hotshot that has been in the shop for three months. What comes out of his mouth is so obviously ignorant, that it bounces off my forehead with a wet thud sound.

DON'T BE THAT PERSON!
Handy tip: Are you in your twenties? Then repeat after me, "Not everything is their fault. I'm not perfect. Talent is consistently beaten by experience and patience. I am capable of making mistakes, and I am not a superstar."
(BTW: This was a terrible lesson for me to learn. But then again, it was a terrible lesson for a whole bunch of us to learn!)

Dog speaks the truth.

Starting today, if you want clean transitions to new markets, you must watch, and avoid, any reporter that might badmouth you at any time if you ever want to move anywhere. That means if someone is smoking you behind your back, you ignore it, turn up the radio, and never talk about others. Especially if it is a 'gossip' driven shop. You know the one that's doing it. Mr. or Ms. Bigshot. The one with something to prove, that constantly talks about the trophies like they're actually something important. The one that is thinking of tattoing little Emmys on his shoulder like bomber emblems. You can be burned for years by people like this, and trust me, you'll never know it. Bingo. Done. If you can't stand someone, and they're a real industry baseball player that calls their friends anywhere at any time to another station, like a lot of reporters do, well, don't send a tape to that station. It's not going to do you any good. You must do your best to keep EVERYTHING professional, and only hold back the personal stuff until some time passes, and you know you can trust someone.
(Once again, this was a big lesson for me... one that I CONSTANTLY break. One that makes me slap my forehead like an idiot when I hear someone else in conversation parrot back to me a month later something I didn't really mean to say, perfectly, with correct inflection. Ouch.)

That is the definition that I like to use of 'crash and burn.'

Crashing and burning out your career is possible anywhere you work, of course, this is a subjective business, and as you know, a lot of NDs are notorious for playing favorites to the point where you just want to scream. That's a pitfall too. Just remember, the higher you go, the less it looks like a business, and the more it looks like a tournament. In a tournament, just making it to the next round is considered an achievement. Each step is harder, and progressively longer in paying dues.

Like here in Nashville, not even a big market, I've seen people on weekends for over seven years, easy.

You're going to be chillin' with shooters that have been there for thirty years or more. It takes time before they even talk to you. And why would they? You're the blip on the radar, and they're having a conversation about their kids to an old friend.

If you make it there, good for you. Just keep in mind, some of the best times in your career will come from your "Live by five, drunk by six," moments in the smaller markets. You know, cute reporters, lots of slack. Chillin' at the bars at night.

Enjoy your time in the 60's and the 90's and such. You'll have so much fun there. There is less, well, 'fun' in the bigger markets, because less people show up there in a young, just out of college, bar-hopping, fresh-faced way. You can't pull half the office out after the ten for pizza and beer in Chicago.

[Freddie Mercury]

Best top-twenty markets to work in? That depends...best for what?

As far as I can tell Dallas is the biggest market that still has some stations that do quality photography more than occassionally. After that are Atlanta and Houston. Then Seattle, Minneapolis and Denver. Moneywise, I don't think any of these markets pay like the top-ten markets I didn't mention. Most of these are non-union, and aside from Denver they don't require as much dues-paying to get into. You just need to be a good shooter and have some experience.

[Land Rover]

Dallas is a great market as far as quality of work, equipment, pay, cost of living and other things. But, like its already been said, its hard to get into this market unless you've been freelancing, have an incredible tape and/or know someone that will help move your name to the top of the list.

[NEWSSHOOTER3]

Atlanta is an awful "photojournalist" market. WXIA, hands down, the best shop for quality shooters. They have a few really talented guys. And, I think our shop has some guys with good eyes. After that, its really shocking how bad TV news is in Atlanta. However, I consider the money to be acceptable. Pair that with loving what you do, and it still beats working for a living! :)

[Freddie Mercury]

I guess my impression of Atlanta is from a by-gone era. I have seen some outstanding stories from WXIA, and WAGA at least used to do some really cool series created by the news department.

[NEWSSHOOTER3]

There are still some great stories assembled here, but not daily...