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Questions about Local Television

Question:

Hi Beth, a few months ago I was wondering the same thing…..then I thought about doing a monthly cable talk show at my local cable company.  I asked some of my friends if they would be interested in helping me put  together a show about what’s going on in our kids’ schools.  I live in a small town with 5 schools – K thru 12th.  We talk about school,  sports and the arts.  Once a month we tape a show at the studio with guests and video footage and plug whatever is going on that month.  The show is called "Chalk Talk" and it is on every Monday night on the community channel here. It’s a great way to get experience in front of the camera and learn about what goes on behind the cameras also.  There was someone interested in doing a show on reviewing movies, like a Seiskel and Ebert kind of thing……there are a lot of possibilities!  Hope this helps…good luck. cinda – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I want to get involved in doing some local television work in order to beef up my resume but am at a loss on how to go about it. Does anybody have any suggestions.

Response:

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Now, on the other hand, if you are saying you want to try to get work on locally produced commericals–that is a separate issue. And a damn good way to get valuable experience. Depending on the size of your market you might want to: 1.  Large to Medium.  Get an agent and work with them to get your face out to the region’s casting directors and production companies. 2.  Small to Medium.  Make contacts with local advertising agencies, P.R. firms, coporate marketing directors (some do in-house training films), the advertising sales director at the local tv & radio stations, and of course any production companies. See what businesses are doing commercials and go to them and ask them to use you in their next shoot.

I used to do a lot of commercials around Tucson and got most of my gigs through and agencies and production firms. The production firms used ot like my professionalism: it made the filming or taping go that much faster. I remember one time the director said "action" and I stepped forward doing my speil about what a pest control company was doing for me when I heard the AD say, "Fantastic. We got someone who knows what he’s doing". No residuals, of course. Southern Arizonans may remember my classic commercial in the late 1970s where I drove the front left quarter of a red Pontiac Catalina around Tucson to promote carpooling. They had literally cut the car up, put a couple of dolly wheels on and towed me around town with an RV while the camera pointed out the back window. —     *                Daly City California:                *     *       where San Francisco meets The Peninsula       *     ******* and the San Andreas Fault meets the Sea *******

Response:

I want to get involved in doing some local television work in order to beef up my resume but am at a loss on how to go about it. Does anybody have any suggestions.

If  you’re talking about on-air things such as news, sports, weather, public affairs. My suggestion: Don’t!.  Put your effort and time in acting lessons, etc.  I started in broadcasting.  Major market television and radio, and, except for voice work, that background was somewhat a hindrance when I decided I wanted to act. Think about it this way.  Local television is really the antithesis of acting. It is about rigid control, setting on or stiffling your emotions, and posing and posturing.  Everything that, as an actor,  you want to dispose of. Now, on the other hand, if you are saying you want to try to get work on locally produced commericals–that is a separate issue.  And a damn good way to get valuable experience. Depending on the size of your market you might want to: 1.  Large to Medium.  Get an agent and work with them to get your face out to the region’s casting directors and production companies. 2.  Small to Medium.  Make contacts with local advertising agencies, P.R. firms, coporate marketing directors (some do in-house training films), the advertising sales director at the local tv & radio stations, and of course any production companies. See what businesses are doing commercials and go to them and ask them to use you in their next shoot. 3.  A settlement with a DX station, cafe and feed store and fifty windworn, woodframe, two-bedroom tract-houses.  Hitchhike or take the Trailways somewhere else!

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