Job roles in the media industry

Introduction

In the creative media industry there are various types of job roles which one can undertake. In this post I am going to be explaining each type of job and explain what each job involves.

Creative

A creative job role consists of the production and actual development of the product at hand. This can involve things such as designing the product or actually creating the work itself.  For instance a graphic designer would be a creative job role as you are actually creating the product. Likewise, if you were a researcher for a graphic design company this would not be referred to as a creative job role. This is due to the fact you are not creating the product but merely doing the steps necessary for the people in creative job roles to complete the design. However, the creative aspects of media production would not be possible if it was not for the other job roles such as administration or marketing. Therefore, non creative job roles are just as important as a creative one. An other example would be a photographer. This is due to the fact they are the one producing the product and making decisions on how it should look. In summary any job role consisting of the actual hands-on production of a product is a 'creative job-role.'

Technical

Technical job roles cover anything involving handling technology or digital products and sound. It is a vital part of the industry which ensured all products come out at the best quality possible. Many technical jobs are things such as lighting operator or camera operators. These roles oversea all of the technical aspects of production wit the creative media sector. An example of a technical job would be a sound assistant. They make sure that all of the sound in a film or television program is in check. In these sort of jobs you need to have a good understanding of the software and equipment used in the production process.

Editorial

A person in an editorial job role will normally oversea a publication before it is presented to the public. There are various types of editorial jobs such as copywriters or news editors. An example would be a copy-writer, the will check publications before they are sent out for a range of aspect. These will include things such as spelling mistakes, grammar mistake or legal and ethical issues. Having editorial roles is imperative in the publishing industry in order to make sure publication get out there at an acceptable standard. Of cause, editorial jobs are not limited to writing and newspapers. There are other roles within the editorial spectrum such as art editors. These will oversea the production of graphics and designs and organise the way they look and suggest improvements.


Marketing

Marketing is a very important part of any section of the media industry. They often will work closely with the press and ensure that the product is advertised to the right people. A huge part of the marketing industry in media are P.R'S or 'Public Relation.' These are people who will market the product through any means necessary  They often use social networking to there advantage with sites such as 'Twitter' and 'Reddit.' However, most of the time people do not appreciate advertisements getting thrown at them so they will not make it blatantly obvious. Public Relations workers will work closely within the public and make sure the product or brands identity is spread without making it to apparent.


Managerial

These are the people that are normally in charge of the employees or make the decisions in production. Although, managerial jobs are not limited to production. They can oversea other aspects such as public relations (which i mentioned previously.) They will basically have the final say in what happens and often direct the employees on what move to make next. For instance, an executive producer for a movie would be a managerial job. This is because the production cannot be finalised until the producer has confirmed it is okay. They can also decide on any changes which need to be made and often control the budget. However, as i have stated managerial position come into all types of roles in the media industry. But overall there job is to make sure production stays smoothly and everyone is working to there expected potential. Due to this it can be a very fast paced job role involving lots of decision making.

Administrative

Although this doesn't sound like a very exciting job role it is one of the most important aspects of the production process. By that I mean that without administrative workers there would be no production. As you may have guessed they will work through all the paper work and make sure everything is organised and in check. This can consist of things such as pre-production work and keeping the companies contacts in order. An example would be a pre-production team for a movie. They take care of all the ground work for the movie such as contact sheets, risk assessments and so forth. Overall, it is an important job role and very useful in ensuring the production moves smoothly and on-time. Another example would be a researcher who makes sure all of the research is correct so the production comes out valid, correct and aimed towards the target audience.

Legal


Legal job roles could be compared to a copywriter with the publishing industry. However, they focus solely on the legal aspects of production. This will include things such as copyright and any lawsuits or legal issues the organisation may run into. An example would be  legal editorial job for a newspaper (This can also come into an editorial job role.) They will make sure everything being publish remains with the legal terms of the countries it will be distributed too. They will also take care of any legal concerns the company may run into such as 'Libel' or 'Copyright.' A legal job role is important as a person in this role will have a broad understanding of the legal aspects within the media. This means that your product can be published or presented within the acceptable expectations of the general public and law.

Financial

This job role covers anything based on money and expenditure during a production. They will make sure that the production is remaining within the required budget and is going to gain a respectable profit margin. They work closely with the more theoretical and statistical side of production meaning good understanding of mathematics is essential. An example would be a production accountant  These will work out all of the productions expenditure and offer advice on how to save money and remain within budget. These roles are important as they make sure a company is not spending money unnecessary  This results in less money being spent and overall a higher profit margin.