An overview of 6 Free television, film and media jobs board vacancy websites to add to your weekly employment search and tips for increasing visibility and staying ahead of the job search game.
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Jobs in TV and Film
It's not just the actors and directors who make the magic happen. Behind the scenes, many talented individuals work tirelessly to bring the stories we love to life. From cutting-edge visual effects wizards to meticulous set designers, the industry is filled with hot and in-demand jobs that are driving the entertainment world forward.
Whether you're a cinematographer, a set designer, a sound engineer, or interested in storytelling, visual effects, or sound design, these websites below will help you find jobs roles with companies seeking people just like you.
Searching the Web for Media Job Roles
You'll find yourself inundated with numerous responses when searching Google for jobs in TV and film websites. At the top of the response list, you'll atypically find Backstage Casting, Mandy.com, Production Hub and Creative Pool, and many of the websites you find will charge you a fee to apply, which isn't always ideal, especially in a gig economy and if you’re just starting out in your career!
Regardless of paid or unpaid, it’s advisable to still sign up for their free job alerts and newsletters, as it’s a great way to track and be alerted to new productions and job opportunities. When possible, it’s also worth uploading your CV and/or creating a profile so that you create an online presence and become visible to employers searching for your particular skill sets.
Tip: Plenty of well-established groups on Facebook and LinkedIn advertise jobs in media and film and allow you to apply and network for free.
Remember, before applying for any roles, it's vital to ensure your cover letters and CVs are completed to a high standard, are tailored to match the job description and showcase your most appropriate skills.
Out of the myriad of job websites available, I’ve included six that are free to join and have a wide variety of production job opportunities.
*Please note that all descriptions and details are taken directly from the company's website, and you are advised to use your due diligence before joining any. No endorsement is intended or should be inferred from being listed below.*
1. The CallSheet
Cost: All basic accounts are free, and they don’t charge new entrants to the industry. Pro members can choose to subscribe to the Chase List, Jobs Board, an Online Diary and appear at the top of crew searches for £14.99+VAT per month, with a 7-day free trial. The rest of the site is free.
Description: "A website designed for Freelancers but makes it easy for production companies. We provide a range of services to help you find work, for work to find you and to operate in a smarter, more cost-effective way and over 4000 members, including OSCAR & BAFTA winning talent and a glossary and a database of over 50,000 people, productions and companies."
Features:
Chase List (pro members only)
Jobs Board
Online Diary Service
Company Directory
Crew Search
Downloads
Discounts
Articles
Interviews
Blogs
Reflections Thoughts: While this isn't technically fully free, it's a great website even as a free member. You don’t need to pay to sign up for the newsletter, and you can create a free profile page, search for crew and companies, read the articles, message people and be contacted all with a free account.
They also offer premium subscription discounts to full members of selected organisations, such as WFTV, Directors UK and the National Association of Screen Makeup Artists and Hairdressers. The CallSheet is a great source for applying and tracking the latest production jobs.
Related Post: TV and Media: Job Roles on a Film Set - Film Director
2. Grapevinejobs
Cost: Grapevinejobs is free to use, view and apply for jobs.
Description: "Since our launch in 2001, our focus has been on quality rather than quantity. We ensure our jobs are well-presented, relevant, and genuine - and we publish them without irritating advertising banners, Google Ads, or any other distractions. As a result, we attract many impressive advertisers – companies that care how their brand is presented – and many high calibre candidates"
Features: You can narrow the job search down by company, location, sector, salary and even tenure, and sign up for free job alerts.
Reflections Thoughts: I love this website. It's easy to use and filter down to specific roles and companies. The ads are in the form of feature jobs, and there are no random popups! They don’t have as many jobs as some other websites, but they say that’s because they are super selective about what appears on their site; it sounds like quality over quantity, and I think that can never be bad.
3. BBC Careers
Cost: Free
Description: "The BBC offers a unique breadth of opportunity… You’ll be involved with content seen by millions of people around the world… We look for positive people who live our Values and ensure our culture remains inclusive and full of opportunity. We value difference. People who are self-aware and enthusiastic, and deliver world-class content and operational excellence. We look for potential over polish and give you the opportunity to put your transferable strengths and experience to work in different ways."
Features: Work experience, T-levels, traineeships, apprenticeships, new talent schemes, apprentice hub, and experience of what working at the BBC is actually like through employee vlogs.
Reflections Thoughts: BBC Careers is a great site for those just starting, those who have more experience and career changers. With a huge range of production category options and work available in 70 countries, this site will suit the majority of people seeking TV and film production work.
4. Arts Jobs
Cost: Free
Description: "Arts Jobs shares adverts for a range of opportunities within the arts sector, including positions that require specialist knowledge and skills, and unskilled positions at arts organisations - which help organisations to run effectively and deliver creativity and culture. You can use Arts Events to announce arts-related events and exhibitions."
Features: The site has a variety of jobs, industry events, volunteering options, resources, internships and links to further careers and training.
Reflections Thoughts: I decided to include this site due to the fact it has not only a jobs board but also includes the latest industry events and training opportunities. The job opportunities cover a wide range, from crafts, charities, design, museums, education and film, and it also covers remote work.
5. Media Beans
Cost: Free
Description: "Your daily list of new jobs in writing, journalism, social media and more. UK and remote. Subscribe to the newsletter. Join 7,000 + subscribers that get new posts every day, saving you hours of mindless job searching."
Features: Weekly newsletter.
Reflections Thoughts: Media Beans is a simple, no-frills website with a weekly newsletter released on Monday each week containing the latest jobs and opportunities available in the UK, internationally and remote working.
6. The Dots
Cost: Free
Description: "The Dots is a community of no-collar professionals, including creators, entrepreneurs, freelancers and teams. Anyone can create a free profile to post their work (as projects) and credit teammates they worked with. With hundreds of thousands of projects on the site, The Dots is a vast source of inspiration for work from across the creative industries. Promoting diversity is at the heart of what we do, so we use our platform to spotlight underrepresented groups. We believe that the creative industry should be accessible and equal for all.”
Features:
Access to thousands of jobs
Job Alerts
Be discovered by recruiters
Fresh jobs are added every day
Networking
Training
Ask the community
Reflections Thoughts: Networking is the key to longevity in any industry you work in, and combining that with the online community and daily job alerts sounds great. I’m unable to comment on how interactive the community section is, but the jobs board offers a variety of jobs, and you can also see who in The Dots community has worked with the company advertising the job. Like LinkedIn, The Dots helps you find a connection that could help give advice when applying for a specific job.
Labour Market Information
Lastly, whilst job websites can be invaluable, in order to stay ahead of the game, it’s important to build your networks and stay on top of email introductions.
In the career industry, we use something called LMI to help identify regions of employment growth and track where the next potential jobs may be. You can also do this by signing up for the newsletter of websites like 'The Knowledge Online', which shares details on upcoming and in-development productions in London, Manchester, Leeds and other major cities. In doing some minor recon, you can use this to reach out to companies that will need local talent in the near future ahead of any crew callouts they might release.
As always, it's great to hear recommendations from other people. If you know of any other free TV and film job website directories that you have found useful, please leave your suggestions in the comments box below.
If you want to connect or stay updated with the latest industry news and job opportunities, make sure to follow me on LinkedIn or sign up for my monthly newsletter, which also includes receiving updates on when a new blog post goes live.
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