This summer I did an internship working as a video-journalist for the sports news. The experience was great as I really like to edit videos and I love the sports. It was great also to go to some events and meet players and share time with other journalists.
However, I realised that if I kept in doing that for ages it wouldn’t be intellectually challenging. Basically you obey orders, and it is not up to your actual criteria, but the editor’s . I really admired the editor role, the person in that position is in charge of take the decisions, he/she decides what is on and what is not. Editor chooses different strategies to reach the wished audience levels. Consequently, editor is actually the responsible of the quality and veracity of all the content.
Also, at the moment of broadcasting the editor is in the control cabin running everything, that huge responsibility in live is so attractive to me.
So, I have been researching about it. I have found on the Internet some of the essential skills. I specially like the following two lines, as a summary of the editors essence.
‘Editors need critical thinking, reading comprehension, speaking and writing skills. They also use complex problem solving skills. Creativity, the ability to work well with others and organizational skills are important for all TV news editors. Broadcast news analysts and other TV news editors need social perceptiveness and knowledge of law and government.’ (Available athttp://education-portal.com/articles/TV_News_Editor_Job_Description_and_Requirements.html
That’s why, in relation to a possible career in the sports media I decided to get in touch with the person that was in charge of this role while I was an intern there: Jorge Vicente.
Contact details
Jorge Vicente
Jvicente@snoticias.tv
+34670513230
I contact him by mobile phone to ask for his help but then the questions related to my research were answered by e-mail as it was easier for him.
Here you are some screen shots of the e-mailing moment ( I decided to did it in spanish because everyone feels more comfortable and is more spontaneous in their native tongue).
Jorge Vicente Revuelta
What skills are required to work in the Television Industry nowadays?
Talking about personal skills you must be hard-working, be able to sacrifice yourself and above all be patient. Related to knowledge, obviously you must know the topic you are talking about, but to be honest there is enough time to prepare yourself, so people can talk and give an opinion about things that they do not really know.
And specifically in the sports world?
I believe you cannot work in the sports field if you don’t have an important background. You must know what happened 5, 10 or 20 years ago. It is essential to really know what you are talking about. You must be aware of everything, read and listen to everything. You must have the ability of turning your duty into a hobby, so that you will enjoy doing your duty. Most of people choose this profession because it is actually their hobby, but that’s a mistake; if you do not really love it as a job you won’t be happy doing this for a living.
How do you develop or improve those skills?
To me, it is not about developing or improving skills. You cannot study the finals of Champions or the history of Levante Football Club. You must have lived all those things. You must love this to know what are you talking about. You can always watch videos and go over those moments, but it is not the same.
Do you think there are other educational requirements apart from the degree in Journalism or Media Production?
Everything else is needed. At least in Spain, the courses are just a filter. It is not about acquaring knowledge, it is just a way of splitting up who really want to do this career that initially could seem easy but then when you start to live it daily you realize it is something really different.
Which professional networks I should engage in to be part of this industry?
This is a closed world. I mean, the sports world. The most important thing is to know people. When you are covering events you must try to speak with the maximum people as possible. That is the key. You have to make contacts, to make friends both inside the media companies and inside the teams. When you start it is quite complicated to become friend of the best players, you must start from over, you must start with Young players and wait for them to grow up.
How do you break into the television industry?
To success in TV you must be chosen by your boss. If I have learnt something during these 6 years working in TV is that this is just a profession. If they give you time, and they are patient with you, everybody is able to learn and at the end gets this job done properly. I know people who were really bad at it in the beginning and end up learning, it was just a matter of time.
What are the specific skills of the editor?
You are responsible of everything but you have merit of nothing at all. If something goes wrong, it is your blame. If the anchorman makes a mistake it is your responsibility. If you miss something that happened, it is your fault. If a videojournalist doesn’t make properly a video, your responsibility is to go over it. It is that easy. Being editor is such a pain.
How do you get into the editor career?
I had never thought about being an editor. I have been it for 3 years for the live football broadcasting in Spain, through la Sexta. It came without thinking about it or applying for it. There was a medical leave and they thought of me. I guess I had the capacity to organise people. I think that is my strength, that and my ability to work hard. I think you cannot ask anybody to do more than you do. That is why you must give example with your own acts; at least, that is my point of view.
A MIX OF MEDIA AND PHOTOGRAPHY 