
Using video editing software on your laptop won’t be as powerful as professional systems…but it can get pretty close
People with skills get the jobs…but what skills exactly?
Let’s handle the initial part of the statement first and answer why skills are what matter so much to employers.
Businesses today expect you to hit the ground running and the best way to do that is by hiring people that have the skill profile they need, rather than spend time and money training people with potential.
Pretty straightforward, right?
That said, it’s not exactly a good plan to learn the ukulele and consider that a skill. You have to match your education plan with what employers need. Although learning the ukulele does sound cool, it’s not going to help you get a job.
Three Skills you Should Learn to Break into the Entertainment Industry Click To TweetLet’s focus on three skills everyone can learn and benefit from:
Photoshop
Your first instinct is probably, ‘I’m not a designer why in the world would Photoshop help me?’ Well, almost 400 active jobs on our job board list Photoshop as a job requirement, and not just design jobs:
- Executive Assistant
- Digital Producer
- Production Assistant
- Video Editor
- Project Coordinator
- Copywriter
- Online Marketing
These are all job titles that aren’t specifically about design, but have elements of it as part of the job description.
For jobs related to social media and any types of content creation, Photoshop is a skill that plays a huge role because so much of what is created on those platforms are visual.
Learn Photoshop and you’ll find a whole world of opportunities that you are now qualified for.
Avid
Consider Avid a bucket term for any non-linear editing system – Quantel, Final Cut Pro, EVS, Adobe Premiere Pro – they all apply to this conversation.
Being able to edit and manipulate video fills an essential role in Television, Film and Digital Media – or even if you want to create professional looking videos on YouTube and social media.
These programs used to be hundreds of thousands of dollars, now they can be had on your laptop for a few hundred or less. And getting appropriate professional training is also easy to find online.
The great thing is, once you know one system, the others are similar enough you can pick them up quickly. No need to learn 5 different programs, learn the concepts and basic process of one and you’ll see your resume begin to stand out from the crowd.
Market Research
Those who hold sales jobs suffer from a flawed cultural perception that they are cold-calling pushy people. But on a truly professional level, not in a call center or the mall, sales jobs require a great deal of presentation skills, charisma and detailed research.
Lets focus on the last point there – successful sales people know market research, and providers like Scarborough, ComScore, MRI and Forrester are the pillars of the industry.
They are able to measure things like internet analytics, media usage across platforms, lifestyle trends and shopping patterns. Knowing how to read and analyze the data provided by these market research companies is how sales people make persuasive pitches to potential clients…and big commissions.
Final Thought
These are stand out skills, the perfect combination of what employers need, and what you can learn, without having to go back to school for another degree.
i am basically indian music expierienced 40 years of my life and i want to join western part of music with oriental and i am interested also with music therapy to cure patient like sinus problem pain relief and blood pressure
sounds like a good goal Subhas – good luck! – Brian
i want to update myself
So what you are saying is any MMJ has the ability to work in the entertainment industry. Is this a niche market for out-of-work journalists?
Hey Sharon, thanks for reading, but I’m not sure I understand your question. I do think Multimedia Journalists have the ability to work in the entertainment industry, especially if they have a diverse skill set like the ability to produce, shoot, edit, write, report and host. Does that answer your question? – Brian
Im editor and cameraman in tv chanel (iran)
i have 13 years experience
i am editing with edius premiere and finalcut
how can i work in another tv chanel in us or germany ?
Im editor and cameraman in tv chanel (pakistan) i have 10 years experience i am editing with edius premiere and finalcut how can i work in another tv chanelS in pakistan +923123012709
When employers ask for Photoshop, they’re looking at it also as a marker for patience and intelligence. It takes months and sometimes a year or more of frustrating practice to learn how to use Photoshop especially when it comes to layers and smart filters and effects. It also requires you to understand the way Adobe sets up its menus and functions.
In other words, if you’ve got a handle on Photoshop it shows that you’ve got some smarts and you’re not a quitter.
And, bonus, you can do some pretty sophisticated color correction as well as simple editing in Photoshop which you can then export via Adobe Media Encoder in formats all the way up to ProRes 4:4:4.
Right on Randy – couldn’t agree more. -Brian