Practicum Week 2: What The Job Really Looks Like.

Week one was jumping in. Week two is learning how to swim.

The job isn't just about writing ads but also the process that takes them from sales...to creative...to production..to on-air

Monday

I started by looking at my school schedule and planning for what is coming in March. I scheduled in the roles that I'll take on when I'm back at school. I can't forget that I have school to finish after this!

Then I continued learning the workflow of the job. I made carts and scheduled the spots. This time it was for the remotes that are happening on Saturday. It was similar to last week but now I was more hands on while Morgan and Steve stepped back a little bit.

Oh fun fact: Another one of my ads was approved and moved into productionI also started writing a few ads that will be produced and aired in March. ...and that is pretty cool.

I met with Steve to learn about his role as Creative Lead in Calgary. What stood out most was how his job is a lot of communication and organization. Writing is only part of it. A lot of what he does is making sure things move smoothly from sales to writing to production to on-air.

In the afternoon I was given another exercise to start working on. This time it was 5 different music beds to write ads with. It was interesting to start with the music bed instead of the idea for the ad.

Tuesday

began with an interview. Its separate from my practicum but still important to mention. Since I would be staying late to shadow the drive show, I started later at the station.

I worked on two exercises:

• Coming up with 15 questions I would ask a client in an initial meeting

• Continuing with the Music Bed exercise...which was a bit more difficult than I expected. Being put in a musical box can be helpful but also limiting,..but I persevered.

In the afternoon I met with Sean, the producer. Watching him work was impressive. His workflow is very fast and efficient. Lots of keyboard shortcuts and quick edits. He edited down two different vocal recordings in minutes. Then we reviewed my production demo. He offered some suggestions to tighten things up or change the effects of the voicing but also said that my music editing was good.

He also gave me some work to do. He wanted me to produce my own script before I listened to how he produced it. We will review that next week sometime.

Next i met with the Traffic person and learned how much coordination and communication her job needs. Everything comes together with her job. Everything she does is to make sure it all works smoothly and then help with any issues that come up on the schedule.

Then came the drive show on Wild. Watching Logan do her job felt very similar to what we do at SAIT...just with a few more listeners and a few more bells and whistles. I watched her breaks, edit and play audio clips, take and make calls, and keep everything flowing.

And then...she turned on my mic without much warning and asked me for my opinion on the Hot or Not song. After scrambling to get the mic in front of my face I agreed with her that hte artist's voice as too winey. It was a Not.

Later I did a planned break with some banter about the new Muppet special. It was encouraging to see the things I've been learning in school are how they are in the "real radio world". It being on the radio in a major market was pretty cool.

Want to hear me? You can right here.

Wednesday

I continued to work on the Music Bed exercise. Then I produced the ad that Sean asked me to do. I also revised my on-air demo so I could send it to a few people at the station for feedback.

We had a social hour in the afternoon. It was nice to feel included as part of the team and not just observing from the sidelines.

Morgan and I talked about writing PSAs and how the organizations are selected. Then we reviewed the ads I had written and she gave me some notes for refining them.

Thursday

began with me revisiting the Music Bed exercise. I had 4 of the 5 ads written but was still wrestling with an idea for the last one. Its good to have some challenging experiences to stretch me.

Later int he morning, I met with Doug, the Creative Lead for the company. We had spoken during my interview last week but this meeting was focused more on his role and the oversight he gives to many creative teams. He also mentioned that he's still working on setting up a followup interview meeting for me.

Some client feedback came in on two ads I'd written. One needed a full rethink with a new theme. The other just needed a minor adjustment. I took some time to roll the ideas around in my brain again and then was able to pivot. It was good practice to take in feedback and rework something without getting stuck on my original idea.

We wrapped up the day with a creative meeting where we watched some Super bowl commercials and talked about which ones worked and which ones didn't.

Friday

I finished the Music Bed exercise and then I moved on to another exercise. This time I was tasked to write a 60, 30, 15, and 10 second ad for the same client. Morgan gave me a list of three different clients to use in the exercise. It will be interesting to see what my little brain will come up with. Once the initial idea comes I will have fun making it more clear and concise.

Then Morgan and I went for lunch. Normally she takes her practicum student out on their last day but since it was her last day we took the opportunity to go out now.

She's off to a new adventure and so next week my adventure will shift. Steve will step in to guide me during the rest of my practicum starting Tuesday. My guess is that learning from two different creative writers will make this an even better practiucum than it was orginally going to be.

Week 1: Wooo Writing! Week 2: Oh, this is what the writing job looks like!

And next week? I guess we will have to wait and see.