What To Wear To Your First TV Gig

Hi everyone, 

So this blog is one I’ve wanted to write (and subsequently put off) since I first started the blog in 2017 (has it really been that long?)

Trying to figure out what to wear to make the right impression at your first runner/office researcher gig/ tv job interview was something that really freaked me out.

With years of conditioning from school career’s advisors that you need to be fully dressed up to be seen as professional, I really had to fight that instinct when I knew had to be dressed practically and comfortably to be a half-effective runner.

However I also didn’t want to show up and have everyone think I looked sloppy and didn’t care enough about the job to dress smartly, do you see my predicament? 

Luckily I had more experienced friends to turn to, and remember phoning Georgia Parkinson (then-Chair of RTS Futures NI and working TV researcher) the night before my first job (runner for BBC DigiCIties Belfast - Thanks Sarah McCaffrey!) and asking her if the outfit I’d planned was okay.

I also did some extensive googling and couldn’t find any resource that actually answered my question or was specific enough to the TV industry. So HERE IT IS, KIDS!

Below are my tips and sample outfits of what I would wear if I was in a runner, office researcher, or interview situation in the summertime!

Runner:

So the main things you need to remember when you’re deciding what to wear as a runner are:

-> Trainers

-> Practicality

-> Trainers

-> Comfortability

-> Trainers

-> Trainers

-> Trainers

Where/when/what you’re filming is also really important. This example outfit is suited to summertime shooting but if you know your work experience will have you up a mountain, at 2am in the dead of winter, you’re gonna wanna pile on the layers, waterproofs and consider wellies (okay maybe the best shoes aren’t ALWAYS trainers 😒).

Layers are always a good shout because, even if you’re shooting in July, you might be in an air-conditioned studio, the notoriously unreliable NI weather might suddenly get a lot colder, or you may also end up in a roasting studio that's being baked by the lights. 

The main thing is to make the decision around the info you have (i.e. whether you’re filming in a studio, up a mountain or the city streets) and make sure you feel comfortable.

Something I always get made fun of for on set is my trusted bumbag, and it’s worth all the teasing because I ALWAYS am the girl with a pen handy. What I keep in my bumbag on set is gonna be a whole other blog post just to emphasise how useful it is, if you’re a young runner/first AD/honestly ANYONE I seriously recommend investing in one. 🙌🏻🙌🏻🙌🏻

I’ve never ran on a production where I HAD to wear all black and I’ve never seen anyone be sent home for not wearing it, I just happen to wear a lot of black. I would try to avoid wearing the colour white if you’re running in a studio because it can work as an accidental reflector and there’s no way you can sneak through the background of the shot without lighting up like a beacon.

(please don't mind my expression, it's a screenshot from the video and I am also demonstrating the convenience of the bum-bag by showing I'm ✨hands-free✨)

This bumbag/trainers/floaty trousers/t-shirt ensemble is a really standard example of what I’d personally wear if I was running on a summertime shoot.

Office Researcher:

So every TV office (be it production, casting, or development) has always erred more on the casual side of smart-casual.

I know the ‘jeans-and-a-nice-top :)’ trope is really annoying and unhelpful but it’s honestly the best way to describe the general vibe/dress code of most TV offices (that I’ve worked in!)

Again, ignore your careers counsellor telling you to wear heels because jeans and trainers/boots are still grand!

You don’t have to be AS practically dressed for office work because you do spend a big portion of it at your desk (although sometimes you’ll be out running errands too!)

I was fully unaware of this more casual office dress code and, still conditioned by the ‘YOU NEED TO LOOK PROFESSIONAL AND DRESS UPPPP’ advice from my teachers and rocked up (not even once, this was my entire look for my first year of working in TV) in a blazer and proper trousers and generally just had MAD Sarah Palin vibes. 😂

(an actual photo of me on my first week as the Stellify Media summer intern, and an image of my obvious style inspo Sarah P., I'll let you all guess which is which 😂😭Xx)

But now with a few more year’s experience under my belt, I’ve chilled out a little and this outfit below is a better example of the kind of thing I’d wear to an office researcher job.

 (And below is 2020-Me seriously judging 2017-Young-Politician-Me)

TV Interview:

So this is definitely the most formal outfit of the three, and doesn't really differ from your standard interview attire except for the fact that for a TV job, you can be a bit more lenient.

I've a black cutout t-shirt dress on under a blazer with some heeled boots, and yes, I am aware that the dress is short but TV is a fairly casual/open-minded industry and the length of a skirt I've had on has never been an issue with any of the companies I've worked for. I would wear this bare-legs in the summertime but you can easily throw on a pair of tights if that's something that would personally freak you out a bit.

I've worn this dress for loads of interviews/workdays and it's never even been a conversation-point, never mind an issue, it's not my fault I've got legs for days 💁🏻‍♀️

✨I really hope that this blog/video was useful for somebody and helps give you some peace of mind the night before your first TV gig! If you liked this episode in a video format please like the video and subscribe to my YouTube Channel ✨

If you think a winter edition would be interesting/helpful please feel free to DM me or let me know in the comments! 💗

Thanks so much guys,

Stacey