How to Quotbreak Intoquot Television
You don't necessarily need a special degree. Television stations and media outlets want experience and fresh ideas. If you want to get into the television business, it is not that hard. The first thing you need to do is start at the bottom and work your way up. If a tv station is hiring a freelancer, jump on it. I know many people that have started off as freelancers and gotten full time positions in a matter of weeks. In order to get that freelance position, it would be ideal if you could get some clips. The first thing you should do is get something published. If you know someone at a newspaper or tv station, ask them if they need help logging tapes (for tv) or researching facts. If you work hard enough on a project, you can get a byline and your first clip.
Another way to get something published is to scour your local newspapers and magazines. Don't aim for The New York Times first. Find a local paper, maybe one that's free in your area. Read it. Find out what they write about and study their style. Read what the freelancers are writing. The way to find out who the freelancers are is by reading the bylines (who the article is written by). If you see a name that is not part of the staff, that person may be a freelance writer. That's a good way to determine if the paper accepts freelance writers.
The next thing you need is a pitch. If you have a good idea that you think they would like, first see if it's already been written about (the best way to do this is search on Google). No editor wants a pitch for a story that's already been written a million times. They want something fresh. Find out who the editor is, email them a short paragraph of your idea, who you would talk to, who would be interested in it, why it's a good idea. If they like it, they may tell you to give them 100 words on it. Then you have your foot in the door!
