Breaking into Factual TV: Your Career Companion

Successfully entering the TV industry can be difficult to navigate. Breaking into Factual TV will guide you through the process from how to get your first job to how to make it at the top.

Written in a clear and accessible way, author Zenia Selby demystifies the TV industry for new entrants and covers all the key roles including runner, researcher, assistant producer, producer and director. Selby reveals what no one ever tells you when you start working at a TV production company - the chain of hierarchy, the most effective ways to network, and the best way to structure your work. The book will travel with you up your career ladder: as you progress from runner to researcher to producer to director, each section provides you with the blueprint you need to excel with every promotion and warns you of the pitfalls to avoid. Perspectives from industry professionals are provided throughout, with interviews with Mitchell Langcaster-James (The Only Way is Essex, QI, and Celebs Go Dating), Jeremy Turner (Edward Snowden: Whistleblower or Spy?, and Women in Prison), Alec Lindsell (Inside the Factory, and The One Show), and Sophie Smith (Albert: The Power Behind Victoria, and Digging for Britain) to offer insight into the reality of their roles.

The book is ideal for emerging professionals and graduates of television courses looking to take their first step in the TV industry.