Making television can be a precarious occupation. Jobs are hard to land and rarely last longer than six months. Production staff are constantly looking for new positions and are often out of work. The creative rewards, though, can be immense for freelancers working in such a vibrant industry.

The latest RTS Futures event, "How to survive as a freelancer", assembled an expert group of talent managers and production staff to offer tips on networking, writing CVs, successful interviews and managing money.

Even the best-prepared freelancer will have to deal with rejection during their TV careers, particularly in the early years.

"At entry level, for every job we advertise, we get 40 to 50 applicants," warned RDF Head of Entertainment Development Neale Simpson, who introduced and co-produced the event.

Those who succeed, he added, "have grasped the idea that it's not about what we can do for you, but what you can do for us.

"We don't care about how passionate you are about television – we care about how much easier you can make our jobs – that's the reality."

Competition for jobs may be tough, but there are opportunities to get in, and on, in television. BBC Talent Executive Caroline Carter said that, in her area of factual programming, freelancers make up half the workforce. "Most of the hot talent is freelance," she revealed.

"The people who freelance are earning more, they're being promoted more quickly, they have a range of opportunities at different companies and they can choose the projects they work on. The in-house staff are trapped – they can only work on the commissions we're getting," added Carter.

Having landed their first jobs in the industry, there's no let up for the freelancer – keeping the work coming can be gruelling.

Production Manager Jude Winstanley argued that freelancers need good communication skills to win regular employment.

"You have to work hard to maintain relationships after you've finished a job," she said. "As a freelancer, because you're always moving around, you have to add [employers] to your social-media groups and make the effort to stay in touch."

"Attitude, personality and character are important," added Winstanley, who is also Director of The Unit List, a website that advertises broadcast-­TV vacancies. "TV is a people industry and, if you can't get on with people, it becomes very difficult.

"If you just turn up, do the jobs you're told to do and go home, nobody will be particularly interested in working with you. You're not giving anything."

Once they have begun to forge a career, argued Wall To Wall Factual Series and Executive Producer Kathryn Taylor, freelancers have to show discretion in voicing their opinions because news travels fast in the industry. "People are unaware of how small television is – don't go into a job and start slagging people off," she said.

Jude Winstanley (Credit: Paul Hampartsoumian)

"The freelance pool has a high turnover and everyone moves around. If you specialise, say, in history or drama, you're going to be coming up against the same people over and over again.

"Always be positive and respectful with the people you are working with, because you will meet them again," added Taylor, whose credits include Who Do You Think You Are?

The experts stressed that young freelancers should experiment before specialising. "Once you start going down the factual-entertainment alley, it's hard to switch to history or current affairs," said Carter. "At the beginning of your career, as a runner or researcher, take the opportunity to test the genres out for which ones appeal to you.

"Once you've worked on one or two shows, you will start to work out what your strengths are," argued Dawn Beresford, Creative Executive at the independent production company, CPL.

Not all production jobs, however, require genre-specific skills. "What we do as production managers and co-ordinators is pretty much the same for each job," explained Winstanley. "Even if I don't know anything about sport, I know we still need a schedule and need to know how to manage a budget."

After an initial, six-month, in-house job as a runner, Taylor has freelanced for her entire 15-year TV career. "You can constantly update and broaden your skills by moving from programme to programme," she said.

"If you're bored in a job, the chances are that it's only going to last another few months before you can move on and try something new.

"The massive advantage, for me, is that I'm always getting new experiences, whether that's in content or the production environment."

"People are unaware of how small television is – don't go into a job and start slagging people off"

Taylor's advice for would-be producers is not to specialise. "I never bothered," she said. "At series producer level, you tend to get hired more for your project-management skills than your expertise with content."

Gaps between jobs can quickly drain bank accounts. They are a recurring problem for less experienced workers.

"The earlier in your career you are, the shorter your contracts will be and the more lulls you will get," said Taylor. "If you are an assistant producer you might get hired for 10 to 12 weeks at a time. So, to pay your rent, you will need five hires in a year."

The more senior a job, however, the longer a contract is likely to last. "As a series producer, if you get on a big series, your contracts will be nine or 10 months, perhaps up to two years. Returnable formats are great," she added.

If workless periods become more frequent, it may be time for freelancers to reassess their approach.

"If you're a researcher or an assistant producer and you're not getting re-hires within two to three months, that might be a signal that you need to do things differently," suggested Taylor. "You might need to look at what you're not offering or whether you're targeting the wrong people. Sometimes, it takes a while to find your niche."

The best freelancers are able to cement their reputation and make themselves indispensable to programme-makers

"You need to be meticulously organised, professional, stay in contact with all your production managers and producers and make an a good impression," said Beresford. "As they move on to their next production, if you have proved yourself, they will take you with them. If they can't take you, they will recommend you to other people."

It can involve a lot of effort and heartache, but, over time, the best freelancers are able to cement their reputation and make themselves indispensable to programme-makers.

"We've got freelancers who are like gold dust – we get them back time and time again," said RDF's Simpson.

The RTS Futures event 'How to survive as a freelancer' was held on 29 October at the Hallam Conference Centre in central London. The producers were Neale Simpson, Carrie Britton and Susie Worster.

---

The facts of freelance life

Outside the main broadcasters and larger indies, working in TV is a freelance occupation: people are hired to make a programme and released when it's finished.

'The majority of this industry is freelance – it's not going to change. You go from contract to contract, do your production and look for your next job,' explained CPL Creative Executive Dawn Beresford. 'Few production companies can afford to employ staff researchers or assistant producers, because they don't know how many commissions they will win,' she added.

Employment is precarious, but there are compensations, not least the pay, which has been rising in recent years. In fact, freelance rates are often higher than those paid by broadcasters.

Dawn Beresford (Credit: Paul Hampartsoumian)

'The BBC doesn't pay as well as many of the indies do. And we struggle, because we are not allowed, with our rate card, to offer as much as them – and then we lose top talent,' revealed BBC Talent Executive Caroline Carter.

Even at entry level, few runners and researchers seem to be ruthlessly exploited. 'There's much more awareness now, certainly at the proper independent production companies, about the minimum wage and the London living wage,' said Production Manager Jude Winstanley. 'There's more investment in young talent – I am seeing more paid internship schemes than ever before, although there's still not loads of them.'

Competition for these schemes is tough. 'You've got to be quite exceptional to get a year's internship. But if you do, companies will place you in different departments and on different productions, which gives you experience and access to contacts,' she added.

Beresford argued that entry-level jobs have to be paid, if TV is to become more diverse. 'It's of paramount importance – not just in terms of race and ethnicity, but also in terms of social class and background,' she argued.

She also stressed the role of work experience in increasing diversity: 'If you can get youngsters in at 16 and give them a week or two in television production, it shows them that this world is open to them, that it isn't a closed middle-class, Oxbridge world.'

---

Tips from industry veterans

Get your foot in the door 'It's a long game. Your first job in telly is unlikely to be in the genre or the kind of TV you want to make for ever. You need to make the most of any opportunity to get in and not be too choosy,' said Series Producer Martin Conway.

'If you can get on a six-month apprenticeship or intern scheme, it's your opportunity to make an amazing impression and get your foot in the door,' added CPL Creative Executive Dawn Beresford.

Gain technical skills 'Increasingly, being able to self-shoot is crucial,' said the BBC's Caroline Carter . 'In factual and documentary, and even entertainment now, editorial staff need to have technical skills,' added Production Manager Jude Winstanley.

Do your homework 'If it's a long-running series you are after, make sure you've watched a few episodes. YouTube is there so you can watch clips of every single show – there is no excuse.

'See if you can find out who is going to be heading up the creative or development team of the company that you're hoping to work for, and do your homework on them,' said freelance Executive Producer Kathryn Taylor.

When you're looking for work 'Don't take a scatter-gun approach and try to talk to everyone. Focus on what you want to achieve,' said Conway.

'Target those employers whose output you enjoy – there is no point in trying to deliver on a job if you're not interested in the programme you're making,' added Taylor.Martin Conway (Credit: Paul Hampartsoumian)

Take any help on offer 'There are lots of free or cheap events. Go along to anything that any of the broadcasters hold, because they will always have senior staff there from production and commissioning,' said Beresford.

'There are lots of people who are only too happy to mentor people. You have to approach them politely, watch their work before you approach them and be really professional,' said Carter.

Social media is a professional tool 'From my experience, talent managers use social-media platforms to look for people with specific experience, such as whether they can speak French or drive an HGV,' said Winstanley.

Take the initiative 'You need to be organised. Update your CV and get in contact with talent managers two months before a contract ends to line up a new job,' said Beresford.

And if work is thin on the ground 'Don't be afraid during a lull in work – it doesn't mean your career is over,' said Taylor.