Is it possible to work in the media without 'playing the game'?

[monkeytrousers]

I went to a media do on Friday and it was so depressing. Really can you have a fulfilling job in the media without being a tosser or having to work with tossers at least?

Maybe it's just all the normal ones don't got to the media do's cos they're all at home with their families! (I was there with DP too actually).

I've got to get out of the door today, I've been trying for half an hour now!! I will get there..!

Top banana! What a saddo I am.

exactly = the nice normal people aren't out sleeping around, luvvying and sloshing back too much wine

Most of my friends work in 'the media' to some extent - writers, journalists, tv producers, PRs etc. I like them!

I work in the meeja. I believe I have worked on progs WMF's worked on, after he's finished with them

I suspect the tosser factor is higher in TV than in print (but I would say that, being a print journo). People on low quality entertainment shows take it all so dreadfully seriously and try to convince you that it has real meaning. (Favourite line - director of a reality TV show saying 'I'm a documentary maker, really, so I'll treat this very carefully' while encouraging the presenter to turn the tearful contributor towards the camera). Yeah, right, how long has it been since you made a documentary?

lol Edam. He's a community film maker Lockets, works mainly with disabled groups making politically stuff, exploring the social model, etc. It's all going to be shown on Sky sometime I think. Anyway, it's a far cry from the auteur wannabies trying to shoot film noir on video.

There was a great interview with Ricky Gervais in Media Guardian yesterday. Did anyone see it? Very inspiring!

I lurve Ricky Gervais. So clever and subversive.

I met the maddest TV producer when I was working in a young people's charity, who wanted to film inside a safe house for victims of domestic violence. She simply could not understand why we wouldn't allow it - "It will only be one reporter - with a tiny little camera - we won't identify the building - no-one will know where it is..." etc. etc.

She just couldn't understand that this was a question of the psychological safety of the young women in that house, not just the physical safety. So up her own arse about the needs of her programme - simply no understanding of the needs of the women she was supposed to be making the programme about.

"hello, i'm not a tosser, they're (mostly) in tv".

Ahem.

No Bundle, there's no tossers on Mumsnet!

(..Except me when I'm drunk )

I'm with you MonkeyTrousers.

I got out of acting becasue it just seemed after Drama School to loose all of its art. I felt like to act for art's sake was a luxury I would only get again if I became famous and could choose to do cool arty interestig stuff or if I joined an am dram group - to be honest neither of those appealed so I decided to be a bodypainter instead.

Acting was such a cattle market. I'm eternally glad I did get out as I think I'd rather remove my own teeth with tweezers than be famous! My idea of hell.

In my line of work I deal with a whole range of "media types" and I have to say its generally the more successful ones who are less lovey and up themselves. The ones who are well established and work for more successful companies tend to be more grounded - perhaps they have seen it all. I have found the ones who are less experienced and have not been in the business so long feel they have to lay on this thick media lovey thing which drives me bananas. There are obvious exceptions to this but generally.

My current worst lovey type was a creative director on a photo shoot for a multi- national advertising campaign. He was so up himself the team on the shoot were all sure it was to cover tha fact that he didn't have a creative bone in his body - he was completely unable to articulate himself and spent the entire time saying "I just don't feel it darling - I don't feel it - let me feel it" By the end of the day the make-up artist, the wardrobe guys, myself, the photographer and the project manager were all on the brink of killing him.

I think I was talking to the head of this organisation and was suddenly struck by the similarities he had to the Nathan Barley TV exec - the "did something amazing just happen?" one as he gets a pint thrown over his head?

I must add that magazines have their fair share of tossers too; I was absolutely crap at 'playing the game' and the day I went freelance was best of my working life!