The first year out of college is an exciting time in your career, especially for documentary filmmakers. While job hunting is stressful, it’s important to keep the big picture in mind. The industry is competitive, but it’s also incredibly fun, once you find the job that’s right for you. You have so much to look forward to!
As a video production company in Baltimore, Early Light Media is made up of a dedicated team of producers, animators, and creatives who navigated the process of finding a job in documentary filmmaking — from recent graduates to our three founders. You’ll see their graduation day photos sprinkled throughout this article. Here’s our advice to make yourself a strong job applicant for TV producer and documentary filmmaker roles.
1. Everything hinges on the portfolio: This is a creative job. A company’s trust in you depends almost entirely on what you’ve produced already. This is the hardest part of starting out. There is no shortcut to building a strong portfolio. It happens gradually, and no one is going to give it to you. Start by building relationships with other freelancers. You and your friends can hire each other for projects and share equipment as you build up your portfolios. Reach out to nonprofits who always need inexpensive storytelling and usually have great, human-driven stories to tell. Offer your services as cheap as you can. As you build a stronger portfolio, you can raise prices — but you need those early projects to do it.
2. Don’t be afraid to market yourself: Your website is your storefront. Start by marketing yourself as a freelancer. You’re just trying to get small jobs until you have some experience and a portfolio that you can eventually use to get hired by a video production company, or start your own, if that’s the direction you want to go. Keep a spreadsheet of production companies or other freelancers you’d like to work with, and potential clients, companies or organizations that may need your help. Do some basic social media with achievable goals. Can you post something once a week? I’ll be the first to admit that it’s hard to maintain when you’re working on projects. Being active on social media will keep you relevant to industry professionals, who might need your services.
3. Know your long-term goal, and act strategically: What is your goal as a video producer? It might be to create cool films, find a full-time job, succeed as a freelancer, or start your own company. Your goals will shape your career strategy. Building a business will require a more big picture approach. For example, if you want to start a company, you need to be strategic when partnering with your filmmaker friends. If you take a partner, you’ll want to have a different set of skills from theirs. You’ll also want to create a clear operating agreement for the partnership, outlining responsibilities and a plan if you decide to go separate ways. It’s best to make those decisions early, so it doesn’t affect your working relationship later on.
4. Price yourself strategically: Be as cheap as you can when starting out. The more successful projects you complete, the more you can charge in the future, but you need those early opportunities to prove yourself. In order to get those, you need to be as affordable as possible. Do what you can to keep your living expenses and production costs low, so you can spend those early months on a slightly lower income. Once you build a portfolio and gain client relationships and trust, you can raise your prices. But you need that starter portfolio first.
5. Embrace the opportunities in corporate work: Starting with corporate work can provide a solid foundation of income while building up documentary aspirations. Having an impressive portfolio, including trailers, can help attract clients. You can still have a ‘nonfiction’ career within the corporate landscape. It’s better paying and will give you stability. Once you have some recurring revenue, make time for that passion project. You need to create the work you want to be hired for. Corporate roles can help you do just that.
6. Hard work matters more than luck: While luck may play some role in success, hard work and dedication are crucial. Being good at what you do, making something that you’re proud of, and networking effectively are all key components for success in any field. We seem to get more and more lucky the harder we work. The more we improve as filmmakers, the more we seem to get better opportunities. Keep in mind that you don’t get what you don’t ask for. We used to be nervous about pitching networks or companies. Those days are gone. To succeed as a documentary filmmaker, you have to step outside your comfort zone.
7. Know when to compromise: It’s important to share your opinion and expertise — but be flexible. This doesn’t mean that you don’t have boundaries, or don’t speak up when there’s a concern. It means to be mindful of other perspectives. There might be something your colleagues or clients are seeing that you don’t — especially in the first few years of your working life. Be hungry for feedback. Be quick to proactively solve problems. We worked with a PA on a shoot in Tazmania who answered every one of our instructions with the words “too easy.” Their positive attitude was music to our ears. Your passion is infectious, and sharing it will make clients even more excited to work with you.
