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Details of a dream job

 

When it comes to answering the question, “What’s your dream job?” I usually take a brief pause to think about who is asking and why they want to know.

 

Over the years I’ve kept the specifics about my ideal dream job close to my chest. Naysayers have a way of trickling doubt into the strongest imaginary minds. So, I’ve learned to keep my mouth sealed while I worked on my craft as a Visual Digital Journalist.

 

I’ve Got Skills

 

Building my skills as a VDJ took time, energy, money and a lot of work. The skill-building process started more than 10 years ago, in the early 2000s. And since then, I look at each and every skill I gained as an investment that will help me thrive in my dream job. 

 

The first thing an executive producer or hiring manager asks me is, “Can you write?” After working with several editors throughout my career, I learned that everyone has a preferred style of writing they like. Some editors like my writing and some of them don’t. And that’s ok with me. Point is, I am confident in my writing. 

 

I’m also confident in:

 

  • Adobe Premiere Video Editing

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  • Authenticity*

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  • Content Strategy

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  • Enterprise Producing

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  • Field Producing

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  • Financial Journalism

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  • Final Cut Pro Video Editing

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  • Interviewing

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  • Lighting

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  • Long/Short-Form Writing

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  • Pitching Stories

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  • Photography

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  • Podcast Producing

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  • Public Speaking

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  • Reporting

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  • Research

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  • Social Media

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  • Storytelling

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  • Teambuilding

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  • Videography

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  • Visual Storytelling 

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  • Writing for Broadcast

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  • Writing Feature Pieces

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  • Writing for Online

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  • Writing for Print

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If there’s a skill I’m not good at, I will proudly own up to it. Faking it until you make it can only get you so far. The best thing about self-improvement is that I’m always willing to invest my time in learning a new skill I can add to my digital toolbox.

 

 

What Does my Dream Job Look Like?

 

In 2019, I went on a quest to find out what fruitful opportunities were up for grabs in the Video Digital Journalism world. When I say fruitful, I’m talking about compensation, salary, money. If I’m being truthful, those fruitful opportunities are hard to find. 

 

Some people told me I’m way ahead of my time because news organizations haven’t figured out how to make a profit on digital platforms. Others have said with my years of experience, skills, and knowledge of how the industry works, there are opportunities out there. I just have to be creative in how I go about landing the perfect role for me.

 

The biggest lesson I’ve learned about pursuing my dream job is that I had to figure out exactly what it looks like. After researching the resumes of people who have my ideal dream job, I came up with the following.

 

Tamika Cody's Dream Job

 

Type of Company

 

  • National/International Television Network 

 

Location

 

1st - New York City Tristate Area

2nd - Washington D.C.

3rd - Philadelphia 

4th - London, England/Europe

 

Role

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  • Digital & Visual Storyteller

  • Coordinating Producer

 

Learning Opportunities 

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  • Agriculture 

  • Culture

  • Cuisine

  • Economics/Finance 

  • Environment 

  • Music

  • PEOPLE 

  • Technology 

 

Salary

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I've built up the courage to negotiate my desired salary because, in previous jobs, I've left a lot of money on the table. 

 

Qualification

 

  • Specialize in multimedia content creation with 12+ years of media experience.

 

Teamwork makes the job more fulfilling 

 

  • Report and produce original digital videos for a television network.

 

  • Build an original video unit for a national news outlet. 

 

  • Host and produce live streams for a national/international television network.

 

  • Create, host, anchor series, including live stream show and interactive show. 

 

  • Experiment frequently with new technology for storytelling (FB Lives, 360, VR, vertical videos). Write for the website.

 

  • Produce breaking news and documentaries. 

 

  • Cover underreported topics in investigative series, featured on OTT platforms and Hulu along with other Network Digital Features. 

 

  • Produce shows for Facebook Watch, IG, YouTube.

 

  • Report and produce for Network’s Digital across all media platforms for news and lifestyle content. 

 

  • Use innovative methods to create visual stories for digital audiences. 

 

  • Host, present, anchor, pitch, write, shoot and edit videos. 

 

  • Create and produce video franchises and series. 

 

  • Develop and execute a strategy for editorial content. 

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  • Assist with breaking news.

 

  • Manage and supervise development and production to establish a presence and expand coverage.

 

  • Correspondent across platforms for segments and taped pieces. 

 

  • Have access to innovative tools that can add to storytelling techniques.

 

  • Report on-air live hits and special reports.

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Summing-up

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So there you have it. My dream job straight to the point in detail. 

 

If you’ve read this far, and you’re a Hiring Manager, a Human Resource Business Partner, or the Vice President of News of a major network, I would love to speak with you.

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You can send a note through the contact form, which is located at the top of the page. Or you can send a message through my social media DMs. 

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