Introducing myself to the Forum

beank0687

Member
My name is Kevin Bean and I currently work in graphic design at a newspaper.

I recently hit a 2 year anniversary there and it hit me that I would be celebrating another year (6 total) that I was not doing something that makes me happy.

I graduated from college in 2010 with a degree in Visual Communications Technology (and kick my self everyday for not switching to journalism). I was apart of BG24News and BGNews the campus news outlets, worked internships at ACB13 and WBGU-PBS, and went on to hold a job at WBGU-PBS and WTOL11 before I graduated.

After graduation I tried to get into any number of stations and heard nothing back. I eventually picked up freelance video work at The Courier in Findlay. That turned into a graphics job with promise of video work on a stable pay check. The paychecks came, but not the video work.

So now here I am 6 years later at 28 and looking for photographer positions....

My end goal is to work production for Nintendo, Wizards of the Coast, SNL, or Riot/Blizzard....

This is not me asking for work, just saying who I am, where I've been, and where I hope to someday be.
 

BluesCam

Well-known member
Welcome to the site. The production industry has become so competitive and it continues to evolve, and not necessarily for the better. There used to be only a few production houses in my town. Now a new one pops up almost every week it seems.
Jobs, however, somehow do not increase and more and more the jobs that do pop up do not pay well, and they want you not only to shoot and edit, but do Photoshop or AE or be proficient with a certain NLE. Good luck in your job quest.
 

beank0687

Member
"not necessarily for the better" is something that I have been fearing for a while now....

I remember being told that I should have become reporter while I was in college and now i kind of regret not doing so.... Stations are more likely to pick a reporter with low camera skills over a photographer with low reporting skills....

Bur in the end, im hoping to advance my portfolio to a point where I can move out of news and into an editor position with one of the companies I mentioned....

What is considered low pay?
 
"not necessarily for the better" is something that I have been fearing for a while now....

I remember being told that I should have become reporter while I was in college and now i kind of regret not doing so.... Stations are more likely to pick a reporter with low camera skills over a photographer with low reporting skills....

Bur in the end, im hoping to advance my portfolio to a point where I can move out of news and into an editor position with one of the companies I mentioned....

What is considered low pay?
It really just depends on your career track. For station jobs that is true but reporters are almost unemployable in the greater production world unless they become producers and it is just as common for a good photographer to move over to producing their own work. While a good mid market news cameraman, usually knows the skills to work as a sound person, camera or camera assistant, DIT and editor, at least in the basic capacities. That is not to discount the more advanced things more experienced people can do in those positions but don't sell the knowledge short as for the mid level and up type jobs experience, equipment and skills become a lot more important.

The bigger problem is where you are career wise as there is a bit of a catch 22 involved in getting into production and higher level work.

As for the low pay question please elaborate do you mean for a staff type position or freelance. And what part of the industry as different types of shooting jobs pay different.
 
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