Emma Freeman – Director

• Director
• On Offspring there are 5 directors and 4 of them are women; its encouraging to see more females in the media industry
• With a film, she can say something about how she sees the world
• Wasn’t a fan of networking – decided to take the approach to work and put her work out there and hope someone would see it

Chris Bendall – Producer

• Began producing The Today show and now calls the shots on The Project
• Graduate of RMIT after doing the journalism course
• Started with the Today show before he finished his degree (was in his final year). Commenced in an entry level job. Someone he had worked with on channel 31 informed him of openings for work on the Today show. After doing work experience they gave him a job
• News and Current Affairs – plety of opportunities in Melbourne and Sydney, but don’t restrict yourself to the capital cities: think of regional areas which will build up your experiences and allow you to have a better job when you return to the main cities
• Australian TV is a very small place: always leave on good terms if you switch networks etc coz you’ll probably end up back there
• I understand that networking is important, but I’m bad at network. If you try and push really hard to network, it can seem a little bit obvious, My experience has been: let your work network for you. When it comes to networking, if you purely are networking just to get a job, then make sure you’ve always got the answer to a problem so they know what you can do for them.
• Went from a network to a production company: they are different but similar. There are standard ways of doing things. The production company provides a bit more freedom.
• The Project provides a more entertaining aspect of news.
• Don’t be picky when you first look for a job: just accept anything.
• The difference between those who have a successful career and those who don’t end up doing anything are the ones who pick up more jobs – the persons that prepared to stand up and be willing to fill in. That’s when you get experience and get noticed.
• Freelancing is a lot more common now; starting your own company is possible.
• He never feels bound to stick to network or news television.
• If you’re asking someone to do a job, you need to know exactly what that job is. Don’t ask someone to do a job you cant or wouldn’t do yourself.
• From a TV news point of view, you really need to go somewhere where they are really under resourced. They will be producing two new stories a day, cutting on the way back to the office. There is an opportunity to do more. On shows like The Project you tend to get pigeonholed into a certain job. So there is more opportunities to do more in regional TV.
• RMIT Media degree students leave equipped to be Producers more than any other roll
• The majority of people who have great degrees are the ones who have looked at a situation and thought “I can’t really do that but I’ll give it a go, even if they fail.’

Peter Hitchener – Channel 9 News Legend

• All started back at school. Thought he was going to be an actor.
• Got a job in the newsroom due to his work on radio. Wrote and presented breakfast news. Didn’t really get appreciated for the work he did in his early years.
• When getting your first job, a good place to start is in the news library, because that gives you an entree to the news room, and you get to work with the librarian methodically on a news story. Its a great in way to a news room. Then you’ll probably need to head out to WIN, and the reporters there are so smart and good because they get to know who the good locals are. The idea of getting a job in a big city news room is pretty hard to do. There are jobs around, and if you’re lucky.
• Bad at networking.
• Called Instagram ‘Instrum’
• Any opportunity you have to find out whats going on, take it (i.e. visit a newsroom).
• All skills in radio were possible to transfer to TV. SYN is a great opportunity to get experience in radio. One of the highest paid people (Ross Stevenson) in radio started in community radio and is now at the top of his ground. The idea of being comfortable with an audience and add lip gives someone the skill and experiences.
• 40 years with the one network
• Any job is a good thing to have. Any company would have its challenges. You make your own waves. Its about getting on with people.
• The audience will always want to know what’s going on, what the stories are, what’s happening in the world. Whether its delivered on the iPhone or tablet, television, radio, online or blog, they will all be okay to work for as people will want to absorb the information in some way.
• Follows everyone back on twitter. Believes communication is a two way street.
• Once upon a time feedback was frowned upon in TV. Now its a regular thing.
• Developing breaking stories – channel 9 can cover live stuff well
• Free-to-air
• Television, whilst it is an old technology, it will still have a role to play in the future. Broadcast media is still alive.
• Once he started working in the industry, he now can’t see himself retiring.