web
design and hosting by 1and1.com
HIGH-SPEED
SURFERS: CLICK HERE TO GO TO OUR DYNAMIC
SITE
WHERE ARE
ALL THE MALE REPORTERS AND
ANCHORS?
FOR 33 YEARS, WE'VE BEEN GETTING
JOBS
FOR PEOPLE IN TV NEWS
Our average wait time from
completion of new reel to first nibble
is now just three weeks.
TALENT: We consider
EVERYONE, but choose few.
We are always looking for
great people, so look at ALL links and
dvd's, so feel free to send!
If you are a
doctor or lawyer looking to do more TV,
click
here.
Too green to have an agent? Never!
Some of our best and most successful
clients came to us straight out of
school or from their first jobs.
- We get jobs for
TV Anchors, Reporters,
Meteorologists and Sports types.
- We place 90% of
our clients within four months of
starting a search.
- WE make a resume,
dvd and web page (with streaming
video) for you. We don't
outsource these duties to a third
party costing you extra
bucks. WE do it.
- The only time we
don't answer our phone is when we
are sleeping, eating or
exercising.
Persons
interested in representation should
send us a link to an on-line video
clip. Send to inquiries@davidcrane.com.
Or, send the old school way: reel,
resume and short cover letter to our
office in North Carolina (DVD, DVCPRO,
DVCAM):
Steve
Swienckowski
DCA
124 Ammons Drive
Raleigh, NC 27615-6501
We are not
like other agencies out there who
represent TV news pros. We are
not lawyers based in New York or
Hollywood. We are experienced
news people who have been there.
The DCA
client base is nationwide and in
markets of all sizes. The agency has
a total of about 100 clients, and
about a third are currently seeking
new positions.
please read our DCA FAQ
(frequently asked questions).
(Every time someone asks
us a question, we answer it here).
MORE KUDOS FROM MANAGERS REGARDING OUR
DVD PACKAGES:
"YOU HAVE THE BEST PACKAGING
OF ANY AGENCY I'VE EVER SEEN. ABSOLUTE
GENIUS!"
--Joan Roth, Hearst-Argyle Headquarters, New
York City
"Steve:
Have I mentioned to you how much I like the
way you guys package your DVD’s these days?
Very sharp.
Cheers,
Forrest Carr
former News Director
KGUN-TV, Tucson"
"From:
Kathy.Williams (ND at WTLV,
Jacksonville)
Subject: May I
just say ?
To: steve@DCA
That of all the
agencies, yours has the best packaging
of everyone! Nice envelopes---well
done!"
MANAGERS:
See instant videos
and resumes on your desktop of qualified
TV news talent
Don't drag your
feet!
If you're near the
end of a contract or facing unemployment,
and you're thinking about signing with an
agency (even if it's not us), do it now!
Why? Because time's a wastin'.
We often get tapes
from people who are near the end of their
ropes. By the time they sign, we have
little or no time to improve their look or
on-air performance.
Lesson learned:
It's much easier to find a job while
you're already working. Don't wait until
the last second. Those last few months or
weeks on a job can help us tremendously as
we work to improve your skills and get you
a better situation.
It is our experience that our
clients sign with DCA for one or more of
several reasons:
- Most people
don't have time to look for a job
(finding a job is nearly a full-time
job in itself).
- Most people
don't know how to properly assemble a
good tape and resume.
- Most people
don't have the contacts and
connections we do ("It's not what
you know...")
- Most people
don't feel comfortable representing
themselves in a negotiation situation.
- Most people
don't know the difference between a
good contract and a bad one.
- Most people
don't have a friend who's been through
this before and will be there to help
when they need it.
We understand that
some agents do not produce a master tape
for you---they actually have their clients
make the master! For all DCA
clients, a DVD master is produced using
all-digital, non-linear editing
technology. A small color photo is
also added to each client's paper resume,
and a photo/label is place on each DVD, to
enhance their effectiveness. We also
stream your video to news managers direct
to their desktops and we produce a web
page for you (click
here to see an example).
During a panel
discussion of job search techniques at
NorCal RTNDA, a news director from San
Francisco displayed one of our tapes as
the best example of how a resume tape
should be packaged.
DCA likes to say it offers
the Three C's:
Coaching, Connections, and Contract
Savvy.
COACHING
Our teaching experience,
on-air success and award-winning
performance skills translate into
meaningful and insightful critiques for
you.
CONNECTIONS
Although we do subscribe to
all the major trade publications and
on-line job listings, the best job leads
inevitably come to us directly from
managers. Many times a news director
will tell us about an opening weeks
before it is ever listed elsewhere.
Sometimes a job opening is never listed
(or listed after it is filled),
so the only persons who may ever know
about it are the agency and its clients.
CONTRACT SAVVY
When it comes time to
negotiate, only experience will lead to
a deal that's best for you. Steve has
been negotiating contracts on behalf of
clients since the 80's.
PLUS!
We are available! We hear
complaints all the time about how people
can't reach their reps. We like to joke
that the only time you won't get us is
when we're eating dinner OR when we're
sleeping. We invite our clients to call
us ANY time: after midnight, on
weekends---you name it. We'll be there
for you.
The David Crane Agency was
founded in San Francisco in 1980.
Prior to that time, David Crane had been a
founding partner of Entertainment Response
Analysts (ERA), a television news consulting
firm. One of David's partners at that
time was the legendary Don
Fitzpatrick. In 1979, ERA merged with
another company to form a new research and
consulting firm called Audience Research and
Development (AR&D). Soon afterward,
David sold his interest in the firm and
started the David Crane Agency, specializing
in placement of broadcast news talent.
He and his wife, Barbara, retired in
2005. David passed away in February of
2012 after battling a form of bone cancer.
Steve Swienckowski joined DCA
in 1999. He started his own
job-finding and coaching agency in 1989
after hearing complaints about other
agents from news directors and talent
alike. Steve's TV career includes
stops at CNN, the Cartoon Network, San
Francisco, Kansas City, Sacramento and
Raleigh. His broadcast career began
in 1977 in radio as an on-air
personality. He last worked on-air
in Los Angeles radio before making the
move to television. Steve also served as
Chief Instructor for The Broadcast
Workshop, a private post-secondary
broadcasting school in Southern
California. He worked as a Weather
Anchor, a Feature Reporter and a Sports
Anchor before returning to college at the
University of Kansas to pursue
meteorology. In 1999, Steve won the
top prize at the International Festival De
Meteo (Weather Festival) held in Quebec
City. (Click
here for photos and more information
about the festival.)
Sun Pak joined the agency in
1999. Sun is a Certified Public
Accountant with a background in auditing,
corporate financial analysis and systems
implementation. She has worked for
several major corporations and Duke
University. She collects the money!
CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR CLIENTS!
THERESE O'SHEA to Reporter/Anchor
at WINK-TV in
Ft. Myers (from KKCO, Grand
Junction).
STEVE TEELING to
Morning Anchor at WTEN/WXXA-TV,
Albany.
WENDY SUARES to
Morning Anchor at KOKH in
Oklahoma City.
Meteorologist ALBERT RAMON, Mornings at
KVUE in Austin.
Meteorologist
STEPHANIE ORTMANN moves to weekends at KOAA in
the Pueblo-Colorado
Springs market.
CHARLO
GREENE moves to WOWK in
Charleston, WV, as Weekend
Anchor (from WJHL, Tri-Cities).
Meteorologist CHRIS
GILSON to weekends at KRQE in
Albuquerque (from WHBF,
Davenport-Rock Island-Moline).
CHRIS STANFORD moves
to Weekend Anchor at KMOV in St.
Louis (from Reporter at WCCO in
the Twin Cities).
Meteorologist KYLE
GRAVLIN to Weekends at KETV in
Omaha.
DAVE FRASER, Chief
Meteorologist, KDVR/KWGN,
Denver.
DEBORAH LINZ joins
WKEF in Dayton as Primary
Co-Anchor.
IAN PARKER moves
home to Portland, Oregon, as
Special Projects Producer at KATU.
LUKE NOTESTINE moves
to Weekend Sports Anchor and
reporter at WLOS, Asheville
(from WKEF, Dayton).
TREY PAUL to Morning
Anchor and Reporter, WHBQ, Memphis.
RODNEY
HARRIS, Staff Meteorologist,
WGCL, Atlanta.
CLICK HERE TO
GO BACK TO TOP OF PAGE
Our Philosophy (some of it)
NO SUCH
THING AS A "STEALTHY" SEARCH
I got a call from a client once who was
upset.
"That guy who is interested in me is
calling all my co-workers! Why can't
he just call the references on my
resume?!"
Every manager operates differently.
Some call the names on your resume.
Others will NEVER call the names on your
resume (because, they figure, those folks
are naturally going to say good things
about you). And still others will
call your competition, your co-workers---
anyone they damned well please.
I even knew one manager who always tried
to talk with floor crew to see how they
were treated by anchor candidates.
Once you make the leap to look for a
better gig, the genie is out of the
bottle. Be prepared for the
possibility that EVERYONE will know you're
looking for a new job.
Our
Negotiation Only Services
Perhaps you don't
need any coaching or job search services.
Maybe you have an offer on the table and
you just don't feel comfortable
representing yourself. Call us about our
negotiation services: 919-870-9121. For a
one-time fee, we will attempt to secure
the best possible deal for you. The
one-time fee is 1% of the first year's
salary.
CLICK
HERE TO GO BACK TO TOP OF PAGE
DCA FAQ (frequently
asked questions)
Q: What's your
placement rate?
A: We place 90% of our clients within four
months. To do that, we need to be a bit
selective in whom we choose.
Q: Do you
specialize in Meteorologists?
A: No. Currently, about one fourth of our
clients are mets. We don't
specialize in any particular job category,
nor do we specialize in any particular
market size or location. We have clients
in large markets and small markets, from
Boston to Bakersfield.
Q: What do you look
for when considering an applicant?
A: We ask ourselves two things:
1) has this applicant reached their
ultimate level (or do they have the best
job possible for their skills), and
2) do we have anyone like this person on
our current client list?
Q: What is your
commission scale?
A: It can vary. The average is
between 4 and 5%. The numbers vary
depending on such things as your salary,
how long you've been with us, how long
you've been at a particular station,
etc. We never collect a commission
forever and ever indefinitely. And,
we do not take a full commission if you
send out a tape yourself and end up
getting a job from that mailing! If
you re-sign at a station and you've been
paying us a full commission, you pay us
just HALF on the renewal contract.
If you sign a third contract, you can
retain us for just 1% or say "good-bye"
forever.
Q: What if I
already have an offer and just want you to
rep me and negotiate the deal?
A: click here for the
answer
Q: Why do I need
someone to help me find a job?
A: click here
Q: Where do I send
my tape and resume?
A: click here
Q: Could you please
give me the names and numbers of a few
clients so that I may talk with them about
you and your services?
A: Absolutely. Email us and we'll send you
that info: click
here.
Q: Can you help me
with an idea I have for a TV show?
A: Yes. Although we do not handle show
"pitches" to network execs, we have a good
Hollywood connection for you. Click
here to send us an email and get his
info.
Q: Do you help find
work for models, actors or child models or
actors?
A: No.
Q: What are your
contacts like in the Midwest (or South, or
West, or where ever)?
A: We do not specialize in any particular
region. We have clients (and contacts) all
over the country, from Los Angeles to
Boston to Miami and all points in between.
Q: What if I send you a tape and you do
not want to represent me?
A: We send you an email saying so.
Q: What do you want
me to put on my tape to send to you?
A: Whatever you feel is a good
representation of who you are and what you
do. Or, if you've been sending out tapes
to others, let us see that.
Q: What if you get
me a job offer and I do not accept?
A: We keep trying.
Q: If you
get my tape, am I automatically in
contract with you for your services?
A: Huh? How
does sending us a tape imply a contract
between us? IF we sign an agreement
to rep you, THEN you are "in contract".
Q: When
you receive my tape, do you call me with
a critique? For charge? For free?
A: We shy away from
critiques of people we do not want to rep.
We have found many people do not
take well negative criticism.
Q: What is a
typical market increase for your clients.
For example: I am in market 199,
can you get me a job in market 50, if I
have the skills?
A: We
don't think in terms of market size: we
think in terms of money (or any other
parameters you have outlined for
us). An increase in market size
does not necessarily mean a like
increase in salary. We have placed
people in small markets for six figures,
and we have also placed people in top
ten markets for $40k (and vice-versa, of
course). Typical increase in
salary is thirty to forty percent.
Rarely does anyone double their salary,
but it can happen, especially if you're
making $40k or less.
Q: Is my work sent out with your other
clients on one big reel?
A: No. Never. You are the only
person on your dvd.
CLICK
HERE TO GO BACK TO TOP OF PAGE
We are not the best fit for doctors or
lawyers who do some TV now and want to do
more. Please do not contact us.
Our business is more "meat and potatoes":
Anchors, Reporters, Sports Talent and
Meteorologists.
CLICK
HERE TO GO BACK TO TOP OF PAGE
DCA
TV news talent agents job
placement employment agency
|
