Television

Join our team at the BBC

So – how do you fancy coming to join our team at the BBC?

A rare opening has come up in the BBC Radio Cross Trails team – part of BBC Creative Marketing – and working on radio promotions across the BBC’s TV Channels and genres.

Please feel free to share with anyone you know who may be interested and suitably qualified.

Here are the details (from the BBC Job Ad).

Part time (3 days per week) – Part of a job share

We’re looking to appoint a Senior Producer to manage highly creative and effective radio cross promotional campaigns across the BBC’s national, regional and local stations. BBC Radio Cross Trails is the team that leads and produces radio campaigns for the BBC’s high profile marketing messages. The team is part of Creative Marketing and aims to have the highest standards in creativity and production.
Role

You’ll lead the creative process for promotional campaigns that will be heard on the BBC’s national analogue and digital radio networks and on local radio. You’ll lead the creative development of key genres and channels (primarily Drama and Entertainment and BBC1 campaigns) in respect of radio cross trails, working with the marketing client and advertising agencies to make sure the genre delivers its potential across the radio portfolio.

You’ll use digital editing systems to construct highly produced promotions in a self-operated environment, using studios to direct & produce talent and act as a consultant on sound production and how campaigns should sound on BBC’s networks. You’ll lead the cross trails relationship with key marketing teams along with BBC advertising agency teams, dealing with the BBC’s high profile talent and key stakeholders. You’ll also manage the budget allocated for the work portfolio at both a project and overall level.
Requirements

With significant experience in the field of presentation/radio promotions, you should be able to demonstrate a good working knowledge of the individual promotional styles of the different BBC national radio networks. You’ll have an excellent grasp of radio production techniques and be able to demonstrate a passion for radio. You’ll also have proven experience of sensitive stakeholder management and ‘creative resilience’ (i.e. not compromising creative ideas).

To apply, please complete the ‘Main Details’ and ‘Equal Opportunities’ sections and upload a CV to the ‘Additional Information Upload’ section. In addition, in the ‘Application Questions’ section please outline your interest in the role and feel free to elaborate further on how your experience fits the role requirments.

Please Note

A 3 minute mp3 demo should be e-mailed to Gordon Fudge (gordon.fudge@bbc.co.uk) on or before the closing date for the job. An accompanying text document should clearly show credits for each track and the extent of your involvement in each campaign.

Your demo should cover your experience in the field of presentation/radio promotions; a good working knowledge of the individual promotional styles of the different BBC national radio networks; and your grasp of radio production techniques and demonstrable passion for radio.

You can find out more and apply here

The Students are in town..

Image from Bradford City of Film

The Student Radio Association is hosting it’s 2012 conference in Bradford. I think I came to a student radio here when I was at Uni – indeed it may have been the one when I won my student radio award – back in 1992. Then again, it could have be en Hull – we went there too. Wherever it was, it wasn’t as big as this conference.

In fact, there’s very little I remember from that conference, apart from a talk from a record plugging company, a panel with Liz Kershaw (who presented the awards) and a load of drinking. And I think we borrowed a few traffic cones. But that could have been the conference at Hatfield Uni. Again – its blurry. And I’m sure they borrowed them back when the conference came to Canterbury..

The conference in Bradford is a whole world away from that one:
There’s a search for the voice of the awards (previous entrants have ended up being used as Radio 1 station voices). There’s Demo Factor – where students face a judging panel to give them real honest feedback. Plus panels from loads of industry professionals ranging from news to show production to engineering and of course marketing and promotions (10am on the Tuesday btw..)

What’s exciting from events like these is that people are still excited by a career in radio. Sure, some want to be on air but many want to get involved in producing radio too. And it’s great to see a whole host of former student radio people who now work in radio giving up time to contribute to panels and discussions. There’s a full list here

The most important thing you’ll learn at events like this is the power of networking. Talk to people. Listen to people. And remember that those people will sometimes know the people that you really want to get to know. Build relationships online with these people – you never know when they could be a doorway to the one introduction that gets you into the job that you really want.

And don’t steal the traffic cones.

A break from the Norm

How many times are you tempted to fall back on the same routines? How often do you approach creative challenges with the same, often predictable solution? I suggest that the answer it yes – on both counts – in many situations. This is totally understandable in many cases. We all have huge pressures on our time these days – and sometimes it’s easier just to get jobs out of the door. But don’t let that become the norm.

I’m working on a project that encompasses almost every part of the organisation I work for. It will involve programming on radio, on Tv and an equally large body of content that will live online. The creative brief was challenging – but the solution has been surprising – putting a contemporary filter over very traditional content. It’s taken bold decision-making to make it happen. And the challenge for me has been to try to make the radio part feel relevant – rather than overly traditional – but also accessible to a wide range of audiences – and to sound relevant to the station sound on a range of radio networks. The project delivers at the end of the week – and I’ll share he tv and radio creative (along with the story behind it) once its on air.

The problem with breaking creative boundaries is that you have to be brave and take risks.

I’ve been lucky enough over the years to work with Programme Directors who have been very creative – and loved to try new things. And I’ve worked with a couple who have not. Some ideas led to ratings success and were celebrated. Others led to audience indifference and were swiftly dropped. But whatever the outcome, they always needed someone with the balls to say yes.

It’s easy to push back on highly creative ideas. They may cost too much. They may be too risky. They may be challenging to your peers or the people you are trying to impress as you line yourself up for your next job. But sometimes, you need to go with a gut feeling.

If you aspire to work somewhere truly creative – you need to take creative risks once in a while. Are you brave enough to do that..?

Related articles

• College Internet Radio…Driven by Passion (thecollegeradiozone.com)
• The Last Bastions of Outlaw Radio (musiccopsresent.wordpress.com)