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Topic: TV Producer to Copywriter/Freelance Writer
| Author | Message |
| nicswan | Posted – 10/15/2007 11:56:09 PM | show profile | email poster I have nearly 4 years experience as a Supervising Producer in television and want to make a career transition into copy and freelance writing. Any advice? |
| ManhattanMatt | Posted – 10/16/2007 2:58:29 PM | show profile Can you write? Seriously. In my experience, MOST producers can't write. You're going to need clips or some sort of writing samples for your portfolio. |
| Louisewasnothalfbad | Posted – 10/17/2007 4:21:49 PM | show profile I don't know anything about copywriting, but moving into freelance writing wasn't all that hard for me. I started pitching pieces for which my TV experience had a direct relationship to the content (what to expect if you're on a home makeover show, stuff like that). I got some clips, pitched more, lather rinse repeat. Pitching an editor is like pitching a segment idea, I think. Catchy hook, short synopsis, what's the take away. Process and how-to pieces were very easy for me to sell, as I'd been breaking demonstrations down into easy to follow steps for a while. Interviews and Q &As were also pretty easy to pitch, for the same reasons: I'd been doing the same sort of thing for TV. Of course, the downside is that as a writer, I have to actually write the piece, rather than handing over the field tapes to an editor and walking away. |
| nicswan | Posted – 10/18/2007 4:15:42 PM | show profile Actual Talent I should be more clear- I produce for home shopping television, which is an entirely different animal. I live in a perpetual Saturday Night Live skit.... My job includes authoring scripts, on-air graphics, web narratives, mailers, design tips, etc. I can actually write and do day-to-day. I'm looking for advice on where to get that first experience outside of television? Where is a good starting point? |
| ideefixe | Posted – 10/19/2007 12:46:33 AM | show profile Your expertise is in consumer goods. Why not pitch stories on cool gift ideas, how to buy the perfect wedding gift, etc.? Or take the other end and pitch stories about how to get your home jewelry business (or salsa recipe or organic air freshner or whatever) marketed to the masses, The pitch isn't always about the subject matter but you bring to that subject. You know about marketing, consumer trends, etc. Play that up. |
