In 2016 I had a News Director in a Top 10 DMA share that their hiring strategy was "we get 'em young, hot, and cheap" That call solidified my belief that there had to be a better way for this industry seemingly stuck in a "Mad Men" time warp.

Listen, being young and hot is a gift from God, your gene pool, and the calendar, but being cheap is a choice. Despite the challenges within an industry in the midst of extreme disruption, there is always opportunity for differentiation.

The 47 year old News Anchor trying desperately to hold off the never ending drumbeat of time with age inappropriate clothing, makeup or hair is embracing an imposter syndrome and actually speeding up their career time out.

The 25 year old Weather/Traffic Reporter embodying the part on-camera and retweeting or reposting social media hacks with handles like 'NewsGirl' 'TrafficGirl' or even 'WeatherGirl' are ensuring that their brand will perpetually be 'young. hot, and cheap'.

Seriously, who is going to win the race to be the youngest, hottest, and cheapest? The external validation and comparison process alone ensures you will be miserable because it's a thief of all joy and career satisfaction.

Ok, I acknowledge that you can't change the industry alone. We might not even be able to change it in our career lifetime even if we are working together. But, what you CAN change is YOUR brand and how you differentiate yourself.

So, what's next? I've attempted to address this differentiation in a chapter of my book "Your Struggle is Reel" titled 'If I Were An MMJ Today....' This weekend only, I have posted the chapter on the free content section of the TalentBlvd.com blog at: https://www.talentblvd.com/blog/

Come check us out and consider joining TalentBlvd.com (it's where all the cool kids hang out).

Please follow TalentBlvd and never be just "Young, Hot, or Cheap"

If I Were An MMJ Today ....

Regardless of the industry, for the past 50 years the goal of young talent has always been to move 'up market', seeking positions with greater responsibilities in terms of (market) size and scope (of position). This was the driving force in TV news media careers for good reason.

There have always been two objectives behind chasing roles in larger markets. Although money is nearly never the primary objective for taking a position, it does play a significant role in early careers. A move from DMA 90 to DMA 40 literally translates in a change in menu from Ramen to proteins and fresh fruit/vegetables.  It’s a BIG deal to go from $35k to $50k. Market size can definitely drive the size of the paycheck. The second, exposure which translates into image which fuels and builds personal brands. The bigger the brand, the greater the chance to move up. Move up, more money. The equation was simple (personal brand equity + market size = salary and incentives).

Today however, the typical career path is being blown up by a bunch of young upstarts that are not waiting for their turn. I will come back to that topic in a moment. First, it is important to understand the drivers behind the impending change. The primary focus of this article will be multimedia outlets and in particular, TV broadcast news. However, you will see parallels in many other cyclical industries as well.

What's driving change? There are trends and technology that have been very disruptive to the status quo. They include:

·      Decline in audience and clients because of rapidly changing distribution models. In the TV news business, audiences are using online and over-the-top networks for their news consumption. In retail, Amazon is slowly obliterating the big box retailers and many other mass market merchants.

·      Social media has given talent direct access to their audiences without the burden of censorship (until very recently) or scope of bandwidth. It is instant global access. Your reach is not driven by watts or ratings, you can create your own audience and following via streaming media. Many times, the content can be in direct conflict with company policy and procedure. Management looks the other way in many circumstances because it is nearly impossible to enforce. Again, there are many parallels to retail, financial planning/investing, and automotive to name just a few.

·      Salary ranges are getting flatter and flatter not fatter and fatter for talent. Payroll reporting agencies help talent acquisition and people strategy managers make much more intelligent decisions regarding compensation. This has a significant impact on the leverage agents used to have in the negotiating process. Negotiating from a position of fact (strength) levels the playing field, and the field is tipping in favor of the hiring manager.

·      Recruiting was nearly 100% dependent upon relationships, like dinner and drinks kinda relationships. Today, job boards and social media have almost negated the advantage of relationship. The power of relationship today is in the value adds and reputation driven by convenience and results. For example, I try very hard to deliver clients that have seen the contract or employment agreement before getting to the altar. My reputation is that I'll get deals done without a tremendous amount of back-and-forth. That said, my clients have the EXACT same access to hiring managers that I, or an agent might have.

·      There is not enough focus put on retention. Proof? Why do we continuing write 2-year contracts and employment agreements? Yes, I understand in terms of hiring freelancers or contractors that IRS policy drives much of the churn but why continue this practice with our top employee recruits. Literally 1/3 of the time under contract the talent is spending trying to renegotiate, move up and out, or flat out break contract.

Ok, so that is a whole bunch of 'glass half empty' perspective on the marketplace. For the early and mid-career talent, or even the new/recent college grads, the future has never looked brighter if you begin to manage your career differently than those before you.

Here are some of the things I would be thinking about if I were in your shoes.

1.     Stop constantly thinking about moving up and start thinking about 'playing time'. Sitting on the bench in a big market or in a perpetual support role gets you nowhere. In fact, it might be setting you back in the long run. Playing time is critical for skill development and no one gets better sitting on the bench. You should be developing your current skills first and foremost!

2.     The gap between number 1 and number 4 in a market makes all the difference in the world. A market dog in DMA 10 can be drawing a smaller audience than the market leader in DMA 20. DMA 10 with a 10% share is 240k. DMA 20 with a 30% share is 400k, more than 50% larger. It's eyeballs and exposure that will help your career in the long run not the DMA number on your resume. Why you ask? Here's why …..

3.     Your future will be tied to your audience across multi-channels. Your Instagram audience could end up being twice the size of your television audience and it will have much higher retention and stickiness. As channels become blurred, it becomes a math exercise at some point. Think about the number of YouTube stars with 1 million followers/subscribers that have never been on broadcast television. Start balancing your energy between traditional outlets and new multimedia platforms.

4.     Early in my career I wouldn't spend my hard-earned money on an agent and rely on them for job placement. I would instead focus on a broader talent management relationship with a PR Agency or a Talent / Marketing Manager with a focus on two things: brand building (content development) and multi-channel placement. The process is super simple in structure, super hard in practice. Segment. Target. Position.

5.     Consider lateral moves when necessary. My most disgruntled clients are the ones sitting on the bench in markets that might be two-three years beyond their current development. A move laterally gives you a rare opportunity to reinvent yourself and step up your game without baggage. Let's face it, within the first 3-6 months of a new role, you are being sized up and cast. Also, it just might be the fact that there is a log jam in front of you in your current position. You need to find clean air because drafting is getting you nowhere quick.

6.     I would build a one- or two-page media/press kit immediately. You need a visual that is not a resume or a reel but a graphic introduction that you can repurpose for your resume, LinkedIn profile, or an industry bio for a speaking engagement. This can be a simple PDF. If you need an example, feel free to reach out.

7.     Stop trying to impress your friends and begin thinking about who's going to pay you and for what. Those swimsuit photos drinking with your girlfriends are great but we generally don't accept multimedia TV news clients with a constant stream of booze and bikini photos in their social media. Think about your future audience and the path to it. Now, if you are panning for a role as a bikini model or a spokesperson for White Claw, that is obviously a different story.

8.     I would spend at least 60 minutes each day looking at alternative distribution channels. What's coming, how to use it, when are the best times to post, etc etc etc. If you aren't getting the playing time, why aren't you developing your own channel of live content on Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, to name a few.

9.     NEVER put all your eggs in one social media basket. We all know of someone who lost access to their IG or Facebook account and they lost everything. Lost their content, lost their audience/followers. Think about a hub and spoke approach. Keep all your original content on a personal blog or website as a hub and central distribution point. Wordpress and Wix are great options. Use social media outlets like IG and Twitter as your spokes. Nothing changes other than you ALWAYS have a contingence plan.

In summary, and your BIG takeaway, channels are becoming blurred and you can't take a traditional path inside a business that is facing severe disruption. The key points are:

1.     If you are a MMJ/reporter and have less than 5 years’ experience, you should NEVER hire an agent. If you can't find work on your own, you have skill development opportunities, either presentation, image or interview issues. You need a coach or mentor, not an agent.

2.     You should ALWAYS have a 3-5 minute reel on hand, an updated resume, a LinkedIn profile, and a great elevator pitch on a moment’s notice regardless of audience.

3.     You should create a social media strategy and put in practice behavior that reflects your personal brand.  Brand is the convergence of your differentiators, passion/skills, and target audience.

4.     You should network on 3 levels - below you, at your peer level, and above. You should include influencers from all three levels.

5.     Be intentional with EVERYTHING. Live with intent and work toward a goal but always understand the next step.

6.     Enjoy the ride! You won't get many opportunities to relocate or reinvent yourself, so you need to enjoy each one! 

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