The information on this page is an excerpt from the FabJob Guide to Become a Television Producer. It is only a small sample of the valuable information contained in the 157 page complete guide.

Ways to Get Experience

1. Cable TV and Public Access Stations

Your local public access cable TV station is made for people like you! Its purpose is to give citizens of the community the training and opportunity to produce their own programming and present it to the public. 

Derek Harvie, producer of MTV's The Tom Green Show, broke into the business by volunteering at a community cable station:

• "I went straight into producing-it was my first 'job' in television. I started out as a volunteer producer on community television and honed my skills there. I also learned all the technical aspects there since I never took any courses. It's the easiest way in because unlike college, after a few years, you've got a legitimate reel. In my situation, I had two years of material I'd already produced to impress people with."
   -Derek Harvie, Writer-Producer, 
      The Tom Green Show, MTV

There are usually restrictions on what type of programs can be run or what time of day they can be run, so make sure you call them and request their programming guidelines before spending valuable time on an idea. Run any program ideas by the manager of the channel. You'll find that they can usually provide some helpful suggestions regarding content and program structure.

Public Access shows that are most likely to be 'greenlighted' (approved for production) are those that focus on local events or people. This is because it helps the cable company fulfill their agreement with the municipality to offer local programming. Some suggestions are:

• A program about the town government

• Covering a local parade, festival or observance

• Covering a town council meeting or sporting event

• Magazine-style, local current events or "man on the street" type programs

• Involve local celebrities as hosts

• Use humor to introduce different segments

• Present the program in an unconventional way - but be careful not to offend people by being disrespectful or making fun of what you're covering.

1. What you hope to achieve or spotlight in the program.

2.  What part of the community you're gearing it toward. Is it aimed at students? The elderly? Voters?

3.  How you plan to set up your project. This written summary is called a program proposal for non-dramatic productions and referred to as a 'treatment' for dramatic productions. 

Sample Program Proposal
http://cybercollege.com/progprop.htm

• CATS (Community Access Television Services)
  http://www.catstv.net/ppform.html

  Rogers Television Program Proposal
  http://rogers.billboardtv.com/forms/proptor.html

The above is only a small sample of the information in the FabJob Guide to Become a Television Producer. The complete guide gives detailed information on how you can get hired as a television producer. Visit FabJob Guide to Become a Television Producer for more information.