Television Survival Tips (Part III)

By Debbie Mitchell

This morning I continue with television survival tips courtesy the professionals who have worked and succeeded in the challenging and sometimes crazy business of TV.   I profiled these professionals in my summer series "Tell Me...How Did You Get Into Television"?   They all answered this question.... What are your top three tips for television survival?

Director of Photography/Cameraman Mario Eugene Page www.supeshooter.com.

What are your top three tips for television survival?

1. Stay current on the technology
2. Network
3. Know more than one thing!

Executive Producer of  The Bill Cunningham Show, Kim Brechka, 

What are your top three tips for television survival?

Sleep when you can.

Be nice, but you better have thick skin.

Celebrate your successes.

Senior Producer for Yahoo! News, Charity Elder

What are your top three tips for television survival?

Be Better: It is important to work hard, but you need to go a step further and be better than your personal best. If you push yourself, you will always shine.

Volunteer: Don’t wait for anyone to assign you a story. Speak up and volunteer for the assignments that you want.

Cultivate Relationships: We all know the old saying-'it’s not what you know, but who you know.' Foster genuine relationships with your peers and especially those above you-the decision makers.

CBS This Morning Broadcast Writer,  Steve North  

What are your top three tips for television survival?

Be Flexible-the nature of the job is unexpected, so be flexible enough to deal with the unexpected on a daily basis.

Be Aware-be interested and aware of everything going on in the world. Know a little about everything and be an expert in a few topics.

Appreciate The Opportunity-Don't take the opportunity for granted. Realize that you are meeting fascinating people and doing interesting things. Your work maybe difficult, but it is more gratifying then other people’s jobs.  

Thanks to everyone for sharing your stories and tips this summer!  To read more about all our television professionals profiled, click on the links below.

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TV/Social Media Producer Debbie Mitchell is an Emmy nominated producer who is a member of the Producers Guild of America (PGA)  and  is currently a member of the James Beard Broadcast and New Media Awards Committee.  If you are a brand interested in blogger outreach campaigns, a blogger or personality interested in television placement follow Debbie Mitchell @TVProducerDeb or contact TheBloggerConnection.com.

More Ready4Air: (Summer Series)

Tell Me...How Did You Get Into Television?  (Senior Producer)

Tell Me...How Did You Get Into Television?  (Cameraman)

Tell Me...How Did You Get Into Television? (Video Editor)

Tell Me...How Did You Get Into Television? (Broadcast Writer)

Tell Me...How Did You Get Into Television? (Freelance Producer)

Tell Me...How Did You Get Into Television? (Executive Producer)

Tell Me...How Did You Get Into Television? (National and International Producer)