TV News: How To Get Ahead…

BiB Contributor | Anonymous News Director

Who says News Directors don’t have a little whimsy? BiB’s Anonymous News Director certainly does! Our resident expert shares tips by parable in this post:

The Tortoise and the Hare

You can call it the tale of two storytellers.
Both were hired in entry level positions (off-air).
Both aspired to be on air.
The latter had more natural talent than the former.
But the former ended up being promoted to a reporting position while the other is no longer an employee.

Why?

It’s a modern day example of the classic story about the tortoise and the hare.

The hare, in this example, assumed he would get the job.
The tortoise worked on it and won over everyone in the process.

The tortoise did everything that was asked of him. He wrote and re-wrote scripts. He cut stand-ups and crafted reports on his own time. Without pestering the News Director, the “tortoise” steadily improved and showed he deserved the chance. The producer, on the other hand, asked to be on air without going through any of the preparatory work. When he was asked to provide a demo tape, he didn’t rise to the challenge. He instead fumed and fussed about what an opportunity the News Director was missing. He was wrong.

The “tortoise” showed he has what it takes to be in this business; he embodies the desire and the passion every News Director wants. The “hare,” on the other hand exuded the preliminary signs of a prima donna. That’s not exactly where you want to be.