Cut me open and you’ll see that I’m essentially a writer/producer/editor. Yes, I’ve been a manager and VP and liked all of that, but the creative process, from getting an assignment to finishing the creative, is intense, rewarding and extremely interesting to me. And that process is never more intense than during sweeps. Read the […]
Cut me open and you’ll see that I’m essentially a writer/producer/editor. Yes, I’ve been a manager and VP and liked all of that, but the creative process, from getting an assignment to finishing the creative, is intense, rewarding and extremely interesting to me. And that process is never more intense than during sweeps. Read the script to the news story (if you’re lucky enough to have a script) at 9 a.m. and have the spots ready to air at 4 p.m.
And there were many times, especially early in my career, when you have to create spots without news footage, sound bites or direction of any kind, just a “we’re doing on a story on dead-beat dads, can you have a promo done by tomorrow?”
So when I saw this post on LinkedIn by Jason Ruel, senior writer producer at the LIN’s CBS affiliate WPRI Providence, R.I., I thought it captured some essence of what it’s like for those on the front lines.
Here’s what Ruel says drove him to write the post:
“I wrote the post for many reasons. First and foremost I like to write about the things I think about. Right now we’re in the middle of sweeps and I was thinking about the pressures of delivering high quality and high quantity with limited time. Which led to talking about what I do in between sweeps periods to prepare myself and what I feel should be a new tactic for promoting these important pieces that drives viewers to a place they’re already starting to migrate to anyway.”
Click here to read his full post. And I’d like to hear from all you writer/producer/editors out there about your job, how you handle the pressure, what you like and don’t like about it.
Because when you cut us open, we’re all the same.
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