We spend a ton of time here at the aptly named Portfolio Center ranting and raving about getting your Body of Work in order for your portfolio. But what does that mean?
For some of our students the idea of the portfolio is fairly well established: Photographers are looking to get their print book put together, Filmmakers are putting together their reels, Broadcast Journalists are working on their resume tapes, but what about our other majors?
What the &$#@&! can the Portfolio Center do for you?
Well…as it turns out a lot, but as with all things in life first you have to know what you need. Our services come two-fold, of course we handle an assortment of production services, but your first step into our office should be educational. We want our students to be empowered and knowledgeable, savvy and prepared for the industry they are looking to make a living in.
To that end we have cobbled together a sketch here; an overview of what your portfolio might include and some guidelines to collecting materials to that end and finally a brief overview as to what else we can do to help.
We are a visual culture. We often take for granted our other senses, but the world of radio is an art form all it’s own. As much theater and acting as it is technical know-how. Radio majors need to (intentional bad demo pun warning) demonstrate their craft as much as the next guy and in many ways have to keep up on trends constantly.
Radio students are either on-air talent or more production focused. The market place is ever shifting and ultimately students find their work showing up in the form of Airchecks. These demos are intended to show off the talent of an announcer or radio programmer to a prospective employer. The Airchecks are frequently changed to make sure they don’t become stale and can be housed as a CD and more and more on the DJ’s website.
So what does this all mean, this blur of words? Well a few things. If you are still confused it is ok, we are here to help. Please look at our Student Quick Guide and start with your Creative Industry Liaison. We want to help and if we don’t know the answer we will make something up that sounds good, or, introduce you to one of our many industry experts whom can further illuminate the in-and-outs of your industry. We also have events all semester long where we bring in experts from you field for one-on-one meetings (Show Offs) or class based presentations (Sessions). All this with the hope that the more familiar you are with what is expected of you the more honed your Body Of Work will be. Ultimately our services are here to help you present yourself as both professional and confident. The time you invest now will pay off in dividends as your career unfolds.
We promise!
