Task 4 Job Roles in the Creative Sector - Publishing

For this task I will be researching the different types of jobs in the publishing industry. People who work in this industry have a range of transferable skills, vacancies include editorial, design, production, sales and marketing and also professional roles like accountant or lawyer.

Commissioning Editor

This job consists of identifying books or media products to publish in order to build up a publisher's list. They are responsible for finding authors, responding to book proposals, ensure authors deliver typescripts to specification and on time. This role is mostly associated with book publishing, in magazine publishing Commission Editors commission writers to produce articles and features. This occupation is a mid to senior level post that requires suitable experience and ability, someone wanting to get into this type of job is likely to be recruited into a more junior position, like an Editorial Assistant, this may lead to a career as a Commissioning Editor.

Roles and Responsibilities

Commissioning Editors are involved with every stage of a project, they are the key link between the proposal for a book or product and the published work. In order to develop their publisher's list they research their field, this helps them learn about trends and gaps in the market, they do this by:

• Building up a publisher's list of titles for a specific genre
• Managing the list in the current market as well as identifying future markets and new products/titles with commercial potential
• Researching developing market trends on a national and international level
• Identifying, developing and supporting projects and authors
• Meeting with other Commissioning Editors and Senior Editors to discuss new proposals
• Reading and evaluating book proposals and manuscripts offered by authors and agents, as well as assessing their suitability for the list
• Negotiating contract terms with authors and agents
• Meeting with authors and reviewers throughout the production
• Maintaining a book publishing programme and monitoring progress throughout the publication process
• Organising book launches and signings
• Working with administration, finance, budgets and strategy
• Providing data and contributing to marketing and sales activities
• Managing the 'back-list' (titles already published) and making decisions on whether to reprint, revise, make a new edition or put out to print
• It may also include some repetitive tasks, especially in junior positions.

Salary

The average salary for an Editorial Assistant is around £18,500, this is normally the entry-level position for people wanting to become a Commissioning Editor. They can earn around £26,500 and the average salary for a senior role of Publisher is £35,000 - £50,000, this depends on the particular publishing sector

 Contract/Hours

• For this type of job you would be required to work extra hours, although weekend work is rare except when travelling or attending meetings or conferences
• Work is normally office-based but visits to authors and to conferences or book fairs are needed
• For people that have experience and contacts in publishing, self-employment or freelance work is sometimes possible
• Most opportunities can be found in London and the South East of England
• Overseas work or travel may be required by some publishers

Skills/Qualifications

The skills you will need include:

• excellent spoken and written communication skills
• negotiating skills
• planning and organisational skills
• financial management skills
• the ability to work to deadlines and within budget
• project management skills
• administration and IT skills

In academic and professional publishing, you could become a Commissioning Editor if you have a high level of specialist subject knowledge. For some areas, such as scientific or medical publishing, employers may prefer you to have a degree. You can also take a degree or postgraduate qualification in publishing, this will help you develop your knowledge and skills. The competition is strong, so you could try job shadowing or gaining work experience before applying, it's also a good way to develop contacts as not many jobs are advertised.

Progression Routes

In order to become a Commissioning Editor you will need to start in a junior position in a publishing company, this could mean starting as an editorial assistant, then progressing to Copy Editor and then onto Commissioning Editor.

Book Seller

This career involves the retail of books, they have a sound knowledge of their stock and of the wider book market, helping customers locate particular books and to offer information and advice about the different books available. Booksellers may can work for large retailers or small independent bookshops, and may specialise in a particular kind of book selling, such as children's books.

Roles and Responsibilities

Depending on whether you work for a large chain or a small independent shop, the responsibilities of a bookseller may be different. However, tasks often involve:

• Serving customers
• Dealing with enquiries and customer needs
• Offering advice and recommending books
• Maintaining up-to-date knowledge of current titles
• Dealing with customers orders, book reservations, mail order, email and web-based orders - this only applies in certain businesses
• Cash and credit card handling, using book tokens/vouchers
• Buying from catalogues and publishers' representatives - this varies a great deal from shop to shop
• Negotiating prices with sellers
• Paying and processing invoices
• Processing book deliveries/returns
• Stock-checking book
• Creating in-store and window displays
• Maintaining commercial awareness including identifying business and promotional opportunities
• Helping with book events, including organising talks or reading groups
• Talking with external account holders, for example schools, councils and companies
• Reviewing sales performance and meeting sales targets
• Undertaking general housekeeping duties, such as unpacking, stock replenishment and tidying

Salary

A bookseller can earn between £12,000 to £16,000 a year and managers of larger bookshops can earn between £20,000 and £40,000. Some companies operate bonus schemes based upon sales figures but are intended as a guideline only.

Contract/Hours

A full-time bookseller normally works between 37 or 38 hours a week, from 9 am to 5 pm, this includes Saturdays. It is likely that they work evenings, in order to meet customer needs. Overtime and part-time work is often available, and the work can be physically demanding, as it involves standing for long periods of time and occasional heavy lifting.

Skills/Qualifications

Qualifications for this job include GCSEs in English and maths, some employers may expect you to even have a HND or degree. The skills that are required to be a bookseller include:

• an interest in retail and books
• good customer service and communication skills
• a smart appearance
• be able to talk about books
• the ability to plan and organise events (i.e. book signings)
• the ability to sell, promote and market the products in the shop
• be able to use computers
• the ability to work unsupervised or as part of a team.

Publishing Rights Manager

A Rights Manager develops and oversees publishing rights for books and products related to books, they make sure that a publishing company make the best profit. They are responsible for arranging foreign rights, as well as the sale of rights to book clubs or for reprint paperbacks, serials and extracts, audio and electronic formats, and translations. Rights Managers coordinate the whole process, from initiating the sale of a publication to new contacts, through to ensuring that the particular publication is produced on schedule. Their work involves liaison with editors and other publishers.

 

Roles/Responsibilities
 

This type of work varies according to the type of publication that is being worked on. For example, illustrated books need more of a technical and structured approach than selling rights in fiction. However, typical work activities are focused on increasing the profitability of a company's publications and they have to:

• manage a small team
• liaising with publishers, editors and production teams - face-to-face, over the phone and/or by email
• agree rights for foreign editions
• negotiate translation rights
• to maintain positive working relationships with publishers
• share information and opinions with contacts about a company's range of books
• keep contacts informed about new publications
• develop new links with UK-based and overseas publishers
• write 'pitch' letters to new contacts and 'soft selling' publications
• undertake negotiations with partners regarding complex legal agreements and contracts
• identify new publication opportunities and initiating contact
• submit proposals for new publications to the editorial team, using market knowledge
• prepare for and attend trade events, such as book fairs, to make new contacts and sell publications
• ensure that the publication of specific books are on schedule
• travel overseas to attend meetings and develop new contacts
• assess the financial viability of agreements
• oversee invoicing systems and monitor payments
• keep accurate and up-to-date records
• set departmental targets and ensure they are met

 

Salary

An entry-level Rights Assistant would start on a salary of around £17,500, this can be less depending how small/big the company is. A typical salary for a Publishing Rights Manager is between £22,000 and £35,000, people with a lot of experience may earn more than this.

 

Contract/Hours

This type of job is largely office-based, but you may need to travel to meet with contacts and authors for rights negotiations. Attending book fairs and conferences are also common, but this may depend on seniority (more experienced managers may get to travel). Freelance work as a Rights Manager in publishing can be possible for those who already have established contacts.

 

Skills/Qualifications
 Someone wanting this career will need:

• excellent oral and written communication skills
• commercial awareness
• negotiation skills
• excellent sales technique
• the ability to identify and exploit opportunities
• enthusiasm
• administrative and organisational skills
• the ability to prioritise and manage your own workload
• teamworking skills
• time management skills and experience of working to deadlines
• a meticulous and methodical approach
• the ability to persuade and influence people

Progression Routes

Rights Managers begin their career in Rights Assistant roles and can then progress on to Rights Executive positions, before becoming Rights Managers. This means that you could work for about five years in the publishing business before you secure a role as a Rights Manager.

Copy Editor

Roles/Responsibilities

A Copy Editors' job is to make sure that material is clear/consistent, complete/credible and that text is written correctly. They work on a range of publications, including books, journals, newspapers and websites. In his type of work you may be needed to correct and spelling mistakes, check grammar and layout (proofreading) or content and reword or rewrite (copy editing). The work depends on experience and whether you work in-house or freelance. Duties may include:

• working with IT-based publishing systems and databases, as well as via the internet or from paper manuscripts
• liaising with authors and publishers by phone and email
• checking that authors have provided all the required materials and paperwork
• resolving queries with the author, e.g. style and text inconsistencies
• correcting spelling mistakes and grammatical errors
• coding manuscripts for design features, such as hierarchy of headings, to instruct the production team
• creating artwork briefs to detail the content of illustrations
• ensuring that illustrations are correctly captioned and referred to in the text
• producing or working to a style checklist to ensure consistency in capitalisation, formatting of references, etc
• sub-editing text written by a number of authors to ensure a consistent style
• maintaining awareness of new words or phrases coming into popular usage with a view to ensuring they're appropriate for the readership
• discussing and resolving any potentially libellous sections with the commissioning editor and author
• retrieving articles from archives and rearranging within publications
• preparing preliminary pages for the title, contents and preface of a publication
• overseeing the work of indexers, typesetters and designers
• (increasingly for freelancers) typesetting and designing layout
• ensuring that publications are prepared on budget and to schedule
• (self-employed) managing marketing and business activities

Salary

Freelance Copy Editors negotiate their own fees, SfEP (The Society for Editors and Proofreaders) recommends a minimum rate of £20 an hour for copy editoring on paper and £21.50 an hour for on-screen work. Salaries for emplyed Copy Editors may start at around £16,000, but with experience this may rise to £25,000.

Contract/Hours

There are a lot of Copy Editors that do freelance work so the hours are flexible, but they may be required to work long hours to meet deadlines and part-time work is common. If they are not freelance then you can expect to work normal office hours, but may need to wok overtime as print times approach.

Skills/Qualifications

To be a Copy Editor you must have:

• excellent written English (this includes good spelling and grammer)
• a meticulous approach to their work and an eye for detail
• the ability to maintain high-quality work while meeting tight deadlines
• an inquisitive mind
• good concentration (be able to focus on texts that may be lengthy or dull)
• judgement in applying house style
• a tactful approach when dealing with authors
• the ability to retain the authors 'voice' after editing (be able to sound like the authors)

Progression Routes

Copy Editors are employed buy publishing firms, newspapers and magazines, as the competition is strong it would be very helpful to look at work experience with an employer. It can be very difficult to find freelance work as commisions are built on a good track record and having contacts. Most Copy Editors start off in a junior role, for example it is possible to join a publishing firm as an Editorial Assistant and progress to a Copy Editor.

Magazine Journalist

A Magazine journalists job is to research and write news articles and features for a wide variety of periodicals, including consumer titles, business journals and trade publications. Magazines tend to focus on a specialist area or interest and Magazine Journalists can cover a range of disciplines, such as writing, sub-editing, and designing, they are also being produced for other media, for example the internet.

Roles/Responsibilities

The nature of a journalist's work varies depending on the size of the company and the subject matter covered by the publication. Typical activities can include:

• researching a subject and story
• writing and editing news stories and features in the publication’s house style
• ensuring work is well written, accurate and submitted to deadline
• conducting interviews, either in person, over the phone or by email
• attending seminars, conferences and fairs
• generating ideas for stories
• sourcing images to accompany written pieces
• meeting with colleagues to plan the content of the issue and the character of the publication
• keeping up to date with trends and developments relating to the magazine’s subject matter

Freelance journalists spend most of their time networking and building up relationships with publications, self-employed freelancers have to negotiate their own rates and be self-motivated.

Salary

Starting salaries for this type of work can be between £18,000 and £25,000, the more experience you have means the more you can earn.

Contract/Hours

With this type of work you would need ot be flexible about the hours you work, a normal working day can be between 9 am and 6 pm but overtime is essential if there is a deadline that needs to be met.

Skills/Qualifications

To become a magazine journalist, you will need to have some, if not all, of these skills:

• excellent writing skills
• be good at listening and asking questioning
• an enquiring mind and a lively interest in people, places and events
• good research skills
• a keen interest in the magazine’s target audience and content
• self-confidence, and the ability to make people feel relaxed
• the ability to learn quickly
• the ability to write in a style that is interesting and easy to understand
• determination and persistence
• keyboard and IT skills.

Most new magazine journalists have an HND, degree or equivalent qualifications. Gaining practical experience and building up examples of your published work in a portfolio could improve your career prospects.

Progression Routes

To become a Magazine Journalist you could gain a journalism qualification or degree before looking for work. This will help you to learn about the magazine industry and develop the skills needed to be a journalist. There is strong competition for jobs in the industry, especially with the better-known magazines so it may be easier to get started on a specialist, trade or business publication. You would also need to build up a network of contacts as many journalist jobs are not advertised.

Newspaper Journalist

A Newspaper journalist researchs and writes stories for the national, regional or local press, they focus on many subjects from news, politics,  sports, arts and culture, science and business. A newspaper jounalist also covers national and local events, entertainment and human interest stories, when working for a smaller newspaper, many journalists have to multitask; they may work on layout, photography and sub-editing as well as the stories.

Roles/Responsibilities

The role of a Journalist is to be able to seek out news and bring it to the publics attention as quickly as possible, they aim to present stories in a clear, engaging style. A Newspaper Journalist i sexpected to:

• interview people in different circumstances
• build contacts to maintain a flow of news, for example, police and emergency services, local council, community groups, health trusts, press officers from a variety of organisations and the general public
• seek out and investigate stories (using their contacts, press releases and other media)
• attend press conferences and be willing/able to ask questions
• attend a variety of events, such as council meetings, magistrates' court proceedings, football matches, talent contests, etc
• answer the phones on the news desk and react quickly to breaking news stories
• work closely with the news team, photographers and editors
• record interviews and meetings using technical equipment
• produce an accurate copy according to the newspaper's house style and to strict deadlines (daily newspapers may have several every day)
• write short 'fillers' to entertain, and research and write longer feature articles, sometimes for subsidiary publications and supplements
• create and upload news content for the newspapers website
• 'live' online reporting or real-time blogging when covering important events (a growing area of work, especially on national newspapers)

Salary

The starting salary for trainees is around £15,000, but with more experience comes a better salary, for example, it is possible for a senior journalist to earn up to £50,000 or more. Freelance journalists have to negotiate a set fee for each piece of work they complete, this can be done individually or in line with guidance provided by the NUJ.

Contract/Hours

Like many jobs in this sector you will need to be flexible with working hours, you may be required to work irregular hours. This includes evenings, weekends and public holidays, this is so you are able to follow up on stories, respond to breaking news and to meet deadlines.

Skills/Qualifications

The skills required for this career are :

• excellent writing skills
• be good at listening and asking questioning
• an enquiring mind and a lively interest in people, places and events
• an interest in current affairs at all levels
• good research skills
• self-confidence, and the ability to put people at ease 
• the ability to learn quickly
• a writing style that is easy to understand
• determination and persistence
• the abilitly to achieve shorthand speeds of 100 words per minute
• keyboard and IT skills

Progression Routes

Currently, there are two different types of routes that can help you to become a Newspaper Journalist:

• Pre-entry route - This is the most common way to enter the world of journalism, this is where you have to complete a course in journalism in order to find work as a trainee. Some of these courses will accept five GCSEs (including English and two A levels or the equivalent qualifications) where as others might expect you to have a degree.
• Direct entry route - To become a Newspaper Journalist by this route you will need to apply to the Editors of local and regional newspapers to be taken on as a trainee, For both entry routes most employers or course providers will expect you to have relevant experience.

To build up your experience you can:

• volunteer for student and community newspapers
• submit articles to websites or keep an online journal or blog
• have an online presence on sites such as Twitter
• work for local or student radio stations
• submit articles and reviews to local, free or specialist papers.

Publishing Account Executive

Publishing Accounts Executives can work within advertising or multi-service agencies, they act as a link between clients and the agency. They must understand clients' needs/objectives and work closely with them throughout campaigns, they also manage administrative and campaign work to ensure that advertising projects are complete, within the deadline and budget.

Roles/Responsibilities

Advertising Account Executives contribute to and develop advertising campaigns, their responsibilities normally include:

• meeting with clients to discuss and identify their advertising requirements
• working with agency colleagues to create an advertising campaign that meets the client's brief/budget
• presenting, alongside agency colleagues, the campaign ideas and budget to the client
• working with the account manager to brief media, creative and research staff, and assisting with marketing strategies
• acting as the link between the client and advertising agency by maintaining regular contact with both and making sure that communication flows effectively
• negotiating with clients and agency staff about the details of campaigns
• presenting creative work to clients that need to be approved or modified
• handling budgets, managing campaign costs and invoicing clients
• writing client reports
• monitoring the effectiveness of campaigns
• undertaking administration tasks
• arranging and attending meetings
• making 'pitches', along with other agency staff, to try to win new business for the agency

Salary



Contract/Hours



Skills/Qualifications



Progression Routes

Ethical and legal constraints

A constraint is basically a restriction or limitation that is placed on something to prevent certain things from happening, in the media industry, there are many limitations, laws and restrictions producers and editors must abide by.

Legal issues in the media –

·         Broadcasting Act 1990 (and later amendments) - introduced by Margaret Thatcher in the 90's, this law was put in place because the BBC had most of the television and radio channels, then a new channel was brought out, Channel 5. This was to encourage more independent production companies rather than companies such as BBC and ITV dominating the TV market, this forced the BBC to include at least 25 % of its broadcasts from independent production companies. Another impact was that three independent radio stations were allowed to be formed. The two companies which now regulate broadcasting are 'the independent television committee and 'Radio authority'. As a producer this would mean I have the right to create an independent television or radio broadcast.

·         Official Secrets Act 1989 - this act makes it a criminal offence to obtain / publish  information from a serving, or former, member of the security and intelligence services, from certain categories of civil servants or public contractors where disclosure would be damaging. An example of this law being breached would be the news of the world's phone hacking scandal, in 2006 journalists of a newspaper hacked over 4000 phones. This was breaching the official secrets act because they hacked MP’s phones, causing controversy that the news of the world was completely shut down.

·         Obscene Publications Act 1959 (and later amendments) - this act was brought in to stop anyone publishing obscene material to the public. For something to be classed as obscene it needs to be taken to court and evaluated, this could include; extreme violence, pornography, controversy, etc. The first time this happened was when the writer William Dugdale’s books were seen as pornographic and as a result he was prosecuted. A producer would need to be aware of this so they do not to offend the public; this is difficult because what some people see as obscene others may not, there are now strict guidelines as to what is classed as obscene.

·         Privacy law - this gives people the right to not have information about their personal lives published, this includes information like their name, address or family life. Many people who work in the media industry have to be careful of this law while producing anything. For instance, any media production that includes administration such as call sheets need to be careful as these usually contain peoples personal details, they would normally include the name of each crew member and there contact details. If this information wasn’t confidential the production company would be breaching privacy law, this is because it could be potentially harmful to them. Another sector which has to be aware of this law is publishing, if a newspaper releases any personal information about someone like contact details this would also be breaching the law. One example of the privacy law being breached involved Simon Cowell, an X Factor judge, this is where a tracking device was allegedly found on his Rolls Royce. He threatened to prosecute the press because tracking devices are illegal.

·         Copyright and intellectual property law – this is a big issue the media faces, legal protection is advised so that original material can’t be used in somebody else’s name. However, copyright can only be applied on the application of the idea, not with the idea itself. 

·         Liable law - this is the defamation of someone’s character through writing, it is a lot like slander but spoken rather than written. Many sectors of the creative media industry have to be careful of this law especially in publishing; newspapers have to be careful when reporting an article about somebody. If they wrongfully portray of someone’s character (or company / business) then they are breaking the libel law and can be prosecuted. An example of libel law being broken would be that which involved Jonathan Ross, Russell Howard and Andrew Sachs. This was known as 'Sachs Gate' and was a controversial BBC radio Broadcast, during the show they made a call to actor Andrew Sachs, some abusive messages were left and aired. Not only was this saw as obscene but it was also considered slander. Due to the defamation of Andrew Sachs's character, Russell Brand lost his job and Jonathan Ross was then suspended without pay.

Ethical constraints in the media – Ethics depends on your morals, they are the moral principles that show how a person or group acts.

There are many ethical issues that TV producers are affected by including:

• Taste and decency; offend or insult - TV producers need to be aware of and respect that their audiences' have different views on what will cause offence.

• Truth/Accuracy – for example, if a producer was to make a documentary they must make sure they don’t mislead their audience’s. They must also take into consideration not to alter or change any facts as this will undermine the audience’s trust in their content.

• Privacy – this is important in the media industry, producers must make sure that they do not interfere with people’s personal lives and do not broadcast any material that they know the persons do not approve of.

• Issues of fair representation - for example, when a reporter works on a story they will have to make sure not to be bias or one sided towards that story, they must gather both sides and be open minded, they have to show both for and against that particular story in order to gain a fair sided report.

• Protecting children and vulnerable people - TV producers have a responsibility to protect these people from unsuitable content as wetheir rights of freedom of expression and freedom to recieve information.

 Constraints Producers Work With

Reality TV show (Toddlers & Tiaras) - this is a reality television show on TLC that showcases the world of child pageantry. This involves small girls getting dressed up and competing in pageants to win trophies and cash prizes. The girls, and their parents, go to extreme measures to win these competitions, for example, a contestant on the show goes through three hours of preparation to get ready for just one competition and it costs more than $3,000 to enter a show, this includes outfits, accessories, and entry fees.

  Toddlers & Tiaras mother sparks outrage after allowing four-year-old daughter to hold cigarette on stage

 Drama -



Comedy Show -

The Structure and Ownership in the Creative Media Sectors

Over the past 30 years, there have been some dramatic changes to the creative media industries ownership and structure.

Film - The film industry is one of the most successful types of entertainment, the six main subsectors are; development, production, facilities, distribution, exhibition and export, these roles are filled with both small and large companies. Production companies are often set up and then close down when the production is complete, there are around 400 'permanent' (registered) companies in the film industry but this varies depending on how many productions are being worked on. This industry alone contributed £4.3 billion towards the UK economy in 2006, which was a massive increase from 2004 being £3.1 billion, while there is money to be made in film the amount of illegal downloads and copying of films have reduced the industry by £404 million in 2007.

There are around 27,800 people that work in film, which makes up for 5% of the creative industries workforce, with 91% of the film production workforce being freelance or self-employed. Film production crew earn an average gross income of £33,762, but film work often only forms part of their income as it is common to have other jobs when not in production. For people who are looking to work in film, they often look for the companies that produce box-office hits reviews; these top film production companies are high earners, producing work people want to see. Some of the top production companies include;

·     Fox Entertainment – founded in 1035 and based in Los Angeles, California, this company has many well-known subsidiaries, such as 20^th Century Fox, Fox Search Light Pictures and Fox Atomic; these produce a wide range of programs and feature length films. 20^th Century Fox have produced such franchises as ‘Star Wars’, ‘X-Men’, ‘The Simpsons’, ‘Batman’, ‘Die Hard’ as well as many others.

·     Paramount Motion Pictures Group – this is the oldest production company that’s still making films in America, they have seven subsidiaries and won many awards for films. In 2005, Paramount purchased DreamWorks, but it did not include DreamWorks Animation SKG, however they do distribute the DreamWorks animations. Paramount has produced shows such as ‘Superman’ and ‘Popeye’; they also own rights to most of the Cannon Films Library, New World Pictures Library, Carolco Pictures and CBS Television.

·     DreamWorks Animation SKG –This part of the DreamWorks company is probably the most prominent, including productions such as ‘Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron’ and ‘The Road to El Dorado’. DreamWorks has partnered with Aardman Animations producing ‘Chicken Run’ and also released the ‘Shrek’ films. This company has produced and distributed over ten films that have had box-office totals of $100 million or more.

·     Walt Disney Motion Pictures Group – This company was established in 1953, it was formed under the name of Buena Vista Distribution, this part of the company handles the distribution of films produced by Walt Disney Studios and Marvel Studios (as of 2012). Some of the most popular films produced by this company include; ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides’ -‘Dead Man’s Chest’, ‘Alice in Wonderland’, ‘The Avengers’, ‘Toy Story 3’ and many more. Disney is the only top Hollywood production studio that made more than four films reaching the $1 billion mark in worldwide grosses, two of them being in one year alone. Since the company works with children’s television, movies and animations, sixteen of the twenty highest grossing films had a PG rating. They also distribute films by Pixar Animation, ESPN Films, Touchstone Pictures, Studio Ghibli and more.

·     Time Warner – Including Warner Bros. Entertainment, Home Box Office, Time Inc. and Turner Broadcasting System, the divisions of this company are well known, Time Warner focuses on growth through initiatives such as Warner Bro’s Studio 2.0 and KidsWB.com. This film company produces videogames, including ‘LEGO Harry Potter’ and ‘Batman Arkham Asylum’.

Radio - The radio industry is hard to define now let alone in the future as audio content can now be distributed through many platforms as media and telecommunications are being merged across the board. Companies who broadcast through radio have a regulator, known as OFCOM, they do regular checks to make sure that what they are broadcasting is not offensive or abusive to anyone. Over 22,800 people are employed in the radio industry in a wide range of occupations, which is more than terrestrial TV, this makes up for about 5% of the entire creative industries workforce that has around 350 organizations.

Radio has a highly skilled and well qualified workforce, of which almost two thirds are graduates and a quarter are freelance or employed on contracts of less than a year. The average income received by the radio workforce is low at £29,200, compared with the creative industries workforce as a whole, £32,200. Permanent employees in the radio industry have a much higher average income than those working as freelancers (averages of £31,800 and £20,500).  Employers in this industry vary in size, from the BBC and larger commercial radio companies to non-profit community radio stations (run mainly by volunteers), there are three main sectors;

·         Publicly funded - this type of broadcasting receives funding from the public (such as TV license fees, public and commercial financing and from individual contributions) this includes radio, TV (the BBC) and other electronic media outlets. this consists of radio stations like Radio 1 and the BBC, the biggest single employer in the industry with almost 11,000 people, these consist of 11 national UK services, the World Service and a range of more local stations. BBC investment in its UK radio services was over £430 million in 2006 / 2007, they have a current share of over half all listening hours, this is mainly of listening to national networks (80%) rather than local services (20%). This sector is funded by taxes and also the lottery and employs around 48% of the radio industry.

·         Commercial - the revenue that comes from advertisements is used to fund this sector and employs around 43% of the radio industry, he majority of local and regional commercial radio stations are in group ownership, some groups focusing on one part of the country and others on particular formats while the two largest groups have a different range of services  across most of the UK.

·         Community and voluntary - this sector of the radio industry primarily provides local services for the good of the public, or particular communities. The people that provide this service do not make any financial profit and uses any profit that is produced for securing or improving the service given.

Games - The computer gaming industry has recently experienced a massive growth in its audience and incredible advantages in technology and creative possibilities. 8,850 people are employed in this industry, which makes up for 2% of the whole creative industries, there are around 220 businesses; 115 being game development companies, 30 games publishing companies and 35 games support companies, but 8% of the workforce is either freelance or self-employed. With 68% of the workforce having a degree, 27% of the degrees held by employees in the games industry are media related.

The average income received by this sector is £37,364, which is higher than the average received by the creative industries workforce as a whole being £32,200, generally salaries of women are higher than men due to a higher proportion of the female workforce being involved in marketing and management posts.

Animation – The animation industry stretched across many of the creative industries, animated content can be found on television, in feature films, advertisements, websites and computer or video games. It can generally be divided into four sections;

·    Stop frame -Stop frame or stop motion animation uses models, puppets or other 3D objects. The model is photographed, then moved a fraction by the animator and photographed again. When the photographs (or frames) are played at normal speed, the images appear to move.

·    2D drawn or traditional - 2D drawn animation consists of a series of images which the animator draws on special paper. Each image represents one stage of a movement, for example, of a character walking or smiling. Traditionally the images are traced onto film and coloured. Scenery is then added by layering sheets of film. Increasingly, however, the images are scanned into a computer and coloured using specialist software. When viewed at speed and in sequence the images appear to move.

·    2D computer generated - the animator works with a specialist software package which is used to create and animate characters, and add scenery and a soundtrack.

·    3D computer generated (CG) -3D CG animation uses specialist software to create animations. This technique is often used in feature films and computer games.

Although some animators create their own characters and stories, others follow a brief from a director, animation director or key animator. Often they work with established characters and layouts. The starting salary for a newly-qualified animator may be from around £19,440 a year. UK animation companies employ around 4,700 people with a further 1,100 employed in key animation roles in other creative industries, 38% of the people are freelance or self-employed and 92% of people working in animation are graduates and 48% of these hold postgraduate qualifications.

In total, the global market for all forms of animation is currently estimated to be worth £50 billion p.a. In order to be a competitor and secure the greatest profit from the international market for animation, the UK's animation businesses will increasingly rely on a highly skilled and specialized workforce that understands the market.

Publishing - The publishing industry is made up of different sub‐sectors, these include: books, journals (including electronic journals), newspapers, news agencies, magazines and business media, directories and databases, newsletters and reports. Newspapers, covering both national and local, are the biggest sub‐sector, employing over 60,000 people, which makes up around 30% of the sector.

The smallest sub‐sector is News Agencies, which has around 24,000 employees. There are over 200,000 people employed in the publishing industry and it generates a turnover of £8.3 billion Gross Value Added, which makes this industry one of the biggest earners for the UK creative media industries.

Interactive Media - Interactive media industry is quickly changing and, much like the radio industry, it is defining it can be difficult. It broadly refers to digital media with which the user actively interacts in order to change or affect their experience, and which can only be experienced through interaction. Interactive media products include web sites, multimedia catalogues, Digital Advertiser Locations and other red-button interactive television destinations, and computer games.

These products are distributed to devices either via a network or on physical media (such as mobile phones, televisions, kiosks). The industry is divided into: web and internet; offline multimedia; companies specializing in mobile content; and interactive TV. This industry is worth several billion pounds, but it’s products support a far larger economy.

Advertising / Marketing – Companies in this industry create advertising campaigns, implement public relations campaigns, and engage in media buying, among other advertising services. Major companies include Interpublic and Omnicom, (both headquartered in the US), Dentsu and Hakuhodo DY Holdings (both based in Japan), Publicis (France) and WPP (Ireland). This industry is intended to persuade their audience (viewers, readers or listeners) to take some action, this usually means for them to purchase or consume a product or service. This is also another sector (like radio and interactive media) that crosses multiple platforms like broadcast, print, billboards and online, this industry leads the way with the cross-platform innovation as campaigns cross boundaries between TV, radio, print, billboards and interactive media.

This sector produces around £6.2 billion annually consisting of around 13,000 businesses. Demand for advertising and marketing services comes largely from businesses that sell consumer products, entertainment, financial services, technology, and telecommunications. The profitability of individual companies depends on creative skills and maintaining client relationships. Large companies benefit from being able to serve the varied needs of major customers. Small companies can compete by focusing on niche markets or by offering lower pricing.

Photo Imaging / Photography - The photo imaging industry includes:

• Image producers (including laboratories and minilabs)
• Photo retail
• Picture libraries and agencies
• Manufacturers
• Support services (such as equipment hire and repair).

There are around 44,000 people who are employed in this industry, with nearly 14,000 companies. The pace that technology is advancing means that businesses and freelancers in the industry must develop strong market awareness and demonstrate flexibility to adapt rapidly to new business opportunities. Wider internet access and the opportunity for image sharing across a number of platforms, makes an understanding of intellectual property rights and how to protect them increasingly important. The average income received by the photo imaging workforce is £20,450, which is low compared with the average income of the creative industries workforce as a whole, £32,200.

Structure of different sectors -

Public Sector - this type of broadcasting receives funding from the public (such as TV license fees, public and commercial financing and from individual contributions) this includes radio, TV (the BBC) and other electronic media outlets.

Private Sector - this type of broadcasting does not receive funding from the public or government but from private investors and is run by companies or individuals; this would include TV channels such as ITV.

Conglomerate - This is a combination of two or more corporations engaged in entirely different businesses together into one corporate structure, usually involving a parent company and several subsidiaries. A media conglomerate describes companies that own large numbers of companies in various mass media such as television, radio, publishing, films and the internet. The Walt Disney Company is one of the world's largest media conglomerates, along with others, including:

·         News Corporation - in 1980 Rupert Murdoch consolidated his US and Australian holdings into News Corporation, this global media conglomerate has a considerable market share in just about every type of media imaginable. It owns many broadcast television stations, television production companies, motion picture corporations, magazines, newspapers, satellite, cable, book publishing, advertising, digital broadcasting and MySpace.

·         Viacom – short for Video & Audio Communications, in June 1971 Viacom established itself as a public company, then in 1983 they formed a joint venture with Warner Communication Inc. and Warner Amex Cable Company. Today, this company is one of the world's largest media conglomerates, behind The Walt Disney Company and News Corporation, Viacom has revenue of $9.34 billion in the US alone and around 12,000 employees.

·         Time Warner - this is the world's fourth largest entertainment conglomerate, Warner Communications, Inc. and Time, Inc. (along with the assets of a third company, Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.) forms the current Time Warner.

·         Comcast - Comcast Cable was originally formed as American Cable Systems in 1963 and was founded by Ralph J. Roberts, the parent company for this conglomerate is NBC Universal, and this is the largest cable and television operator in the US and supplies around 9.34 million residential telephone lines. Comcast also has significant holding in several cable networks (including E! Entertainment Television, Style Network, G4, The Golf Channel and NBC Sports Network), distribution (The Platform), and related businesses.

·         AT&T - formed in 1983, this is one of the largest providers of local and long distance telephone services in the US, they have over 81.6 million wireless customers and more than 150 million total customers.

Merger - a merger is a tool used by companies for the purpose of expanding their operations, aiming for an increase of their long term profitability. Usually mergers occur in a consensual (occurring by mutual consent) setting where executives from the target company help those from the purchaser in a due diligence process to make sure that the deal is beneficial to both parties.

Vertical integration – this is the process in which numerous steps in the production and/or distribution of a product or service is controlled by a single company, in order to increase that company’s power in the marketplace. While you might recognize most products by their brand name printed on it, many companies are involved in developing that product, which mean that these companies are necessarily not part of the brand you see.

There are 3 types of Vertical Integration:

• Backward integration – Where a company tries to own an input product company. Like a car company owning a company which makes tires.
• Forward integration – Where a company tries to control the post production areas, like the distribution network. This would be like a mobile company opening its own Mobile retail chain.
• Balanced integration – This is a mix of forward and backward integration, a balanced strategy to take advantages of both.

Horizontal integration - (also known as lateral integration) this is a strategy to increase your market share by taking over a similar company. Horizontal Integration normally happens when mergers and acquisitions happen in order to increase the reach of an entity. An example of Horizontal Integration would be something like You Tube, which was taken over by Google mostly because it had a strong and loyal user base.