First TV contract…being paid to go to school

In my life, I've had 33 jobs (though that could swell to 40 by the time you finish reading this article).

I have dressed as a mascot, sold credit cards, taught English to high schoolers, and made calamari. Did you get married in Edmonton in the summer of 2012? Chances are, I bartended your wedding.

The 33rd was the charm. It was at CITY TV Edmonton. It was at home. In downtown. Reporting. Editing. Interviewing. Writing.

It was my first real TV contract, and it could not have possibly gone better. This summer felt like a scholarship…I was being paid to go to school.

How things came together was bizarre, which is a theme I don't really mind for my life right now. I was in Montréal in April, finishing up the semester and preparing for my only two final exams (biology and microeconomics; yes, in fact I do study journalism!).

I had no idea where I was going to be in the summer. Eight months away from home had left me pretty homesick. And my sister was getting married too. My heart was set on returning to Edmonton, in any capacity. I had worked a government job the previous summer and figured that if all else failed, I could go back to Canada Place.

Even though I was set on returning home, I'd applied to several positions all over the place. In the end, I had a few interviews. The two that went to the second interview, we're-serious-about-having-you stage were the New York Rangers and Sportsnet. 

Meanwhile, I received an email that a producer was looking for three reporters; two in Calgary and one in Edmonton. The series was called Alberta Roots, and would air nationally on the OMNI TV network. The episodes would be about cultural diversity and contributions of immigrants to Alberta. It sounded interesting, and far enough away from sports that I wanted to give it a shot.

I figured that instead of waiting on Sportsnet and the Rangers, I'd go all in on the Edmonton opportunity, all the while knowing I had to memorize supply and demand and the function of aortic pumps. My first step was to get together a demo reel; something that the producer could see of me and say, "That guy's aortic pumps belong in my series."

I went to Concordia's Loyola campus and, using Apple Final Cut Pro, cobbled together a demo reel of my work in the Journalism 221 class I'd just completed. Everything in that three minute reel was from school assignments. Some of them, I'd gotten A's in. Others were C's. I didn't want to invest hours putting a demo reel together (knowing it would account for 1/5 of my application package), so everything went in. I added a few transitions, and it was done.

I then sent my cover letter, resume, demo reel, and a couple of video features I'd submitted to the Sportsnet Recruited competition. Life continued, as I was studying economics and biology. I also began packing my things, knowing that summer would likely not be spent in Montréal.

A few days later (around April 23), I got an email from the producer. She wanted to chat! I quickly called her, and we talked for about an hour. I figured that, if she had me on the phone for that long, an offer was bound to come (either by the end of the call or the next morning). Sure enough, at the end of the conversation, an offer was made. She sent me the contract, and said I had two days to decide.

I sat, thinking for a few minutes. My cousins called from home, and we talked. I told my aunt and uncle about the big conversation that had literally just taken place. I then called my best friend back home.

While I was excited, I was also extremely overwhelmed. The producer talked about scripts…I'd never learned what a script was. She used code words and spoke about jump cuts and establishing shots. It seemed like I was in high school chemistry class at JP all over again. I called my mom, but she didn't pick up. I then posted a Facebook status and went out with some friends to Montréal's Latin Quarter.

The next morning, I was at Loyola and my mom called. I told her I was going to turn it down. My stomach was grumbling, I was extremely stressed, and didn't feel like being in over my head. She gently tried to persuade me (to no avail), and got her brother to call me. His tone was a bit more harsh. I explained what the job was, the salary, and how nervous I was. The only question he asked was if I would have to delay my degree by accepting it. The contract expired at the end of July, so no. He said to take it and book a one-way flight back to Edmonton as soon as I could. 

The flight was booked for April 28.

I then had two final exams to write, an apartment to sublease, a life to pack up, and friends to bid à la prochaine to, all in the span of four days. Somehow, it all worked out. I found someone to pick up my lease, passed both exams, and had a couple of great nights with awesome people.

On to Alberta…

I got to Edmonton at midnight, and took the next day off. The following day, I went to the CITY TV studio on 103 st and Jasper Ave, and got a tour of what would be my summer home. The station had just undergone a massive re-branding, with its flagship Breakfast TV being replaced with Dinner TV. I saw the edit suites, design studios, the celebrity kitchen, master control, the green room, and the studio itself.


My first shoots weren't for another two weeks, so I spent that time getting familiar with the studio and people. On that first day, one of the producers and I were talking. He said something that amounted to, "This isn't amateur hour. Have a high standard for yourself. Don't be late, show up ready, and act like you belong here."

Clad in a dress shirt and sweater, I took his words to heart. From then on out, it would be blazers and ties. Say who you are without saying a word, right? I also made sure to make small talk with every single person I met. A "good morning" or "want to grab a coffee" was the standard. If I was invited to do anything, I'd always say yes.

As badly as I wanted not to get fired (I was technically employed by the producer, not Rogers), I also wanted to make new friends. In that sense, I loved being at CITY TV. I met so many awesome people. We went for lunches, saw bands, and had crazy nights on Jasper Ave. I would have lived at the studio if I were allowed.

The shoots came and they went; 14 in all. We filmed at Street Performers, we filmed at mosques. We filmed at K Days, we filmed at soccer games. We filmed in Tofield, Devon, St. Albert, and Spruce Grove.

The contract ended on July 25. At one point, it became clear that there would be a need for another editor to package the series. I had casually mentioned interest to both my producer and CITY Edmonton's content manager; that I'd worked extensively with Apple Final Cut (as anyone at Concordia could attest) and was extremely eager to remain involved. From a business standpoint, it made sense that the show packager was someone intimately involved with the project and knew the producer very well. So hiring me was the logical course of action.

When the contract ended on the 25th, the manager approached me with an offer. I'd be working for Rogers as a freelancer. He threw out a dollar figure that equated to a nice raise from what I was making as a reporter. No need to negotiate; it was a quick and easy "I'll take it!" Truthfully, I was more excited about going to the studio for two more weeks than the actual editing.

What was initially a three month reporting contract grew into editing and show packaging, along with a new boss, title, and office. As an editor, the biggest change was that I was seeing my own reporting from the lenses of someone who had to cut the video. I saw where I was screwing up as a reporter, and what I was good at. I also saw the errors in my scripts, and how I had mis-timed and been too vague when writing them.

With Alberta Roots finally shot, written, edited, and fed, here's what professor Dr. Salim Valji--elbow patches, tweed jacket, beret, beard, and all--will be teaching his journalism students one day about what he learned on his first TV contract…

--Sometimes you have to ditch "please" and "thank you." In a shoot that's happening real-time, "may you please get a shot of ___," doesn't cut it. "I need __," and, "Get that ___," are better. People won't think you're a jerk for not using please and thank you.

--Bible rule. Follow it in any nightlife setting. 

--Invest in relationships. Hang out with coworkers. If you don't drink, have a pint of H20. You learn a lot through casual conversation. People gain an insight into who you are and the type of person you are. Plus, making new friends is fun.

--Shoot, shoot, shoot, shoot, and shoot. This was my biggest weakness as a reporter. You can never have enough B Roll. 300 seconds of a woman dancing is COMPLETELY different than 60 five-second shots of different groups dancing. Both time out the same, but one is FAR more useful than the other.

--Ask, ask ask! Two weeks into the contract, the Edmonton Oilers were holding a press conference to announce Todd McLellan as their new head coach. That morning, I asked the content manager if I could accompany the Dinner Television crew to the conference, which was being held at the Hotel MacDonald a few blocks away. I emphasized that I'd be completely professional. Even though I was wearing a dress shirt and jacket, I had brought a suit, just in case he thought I was dressed too casual. 

After a few suspenseful minutes (mostly him calling the crew and asking what time they'd be headed to the hotel), I got the green light. I awkwardly but proudly carried that tripod four blocks to the hotel, and attended my first National Hockey League press conference. It was surreal.

--Dress well. People notice.

--Plan out the shoot with the cameraman. It's like in football; the quarterback and coach have to be on the same page. The cameraman should know as much about the story as you do. Everything from its length, to the general storyline, to potential interviews, etc. The drive to the shoot is an excellent time to hash out ideas and implement a gameplan.  I loved those rides to shoots.

--Force yourself to write scripts as soon as you see footage. Don't delay.

--Verbal = visual. Always. Don't write a voiceover for visuals that aren't there.

--Repeat 100 times, "Streeters are fun, exciting, and informative. I love them like Daryl Katz loves number one picks." If you repeat this often enough, you may eventually believe it.

--NEVER edit off the server; always edit off the hard drive!

--Understand the business side of the industry. Know numbers. 

--On that note, know the CRTC and how it affects your job and the industry as a whole. Where does funding come from?

Any questions, class?