What do you think of when you hear the word “improv”? It’s not just a fun form of entertainment; it’s also a valuable skill for anyone interested in working in the media industry. Today, we’re talking about the way improvisation can play a part in digital media production, exploring:

• How improvisation can help you build off-stage skills for your professional future
• Why learning how to improv can be useful in virtually any type of career
• Where to learn improvisation and other media career skills

From “Saturday Night Live” to “Whose Line Is It Anyway?” as well as legendary comedy troupes like the Upright Citizens Brigade, improvisation is everywhere in the world of entertainment and media.

And if you want to get a job performing improvisational comedy onstage, it only makes sense that you would need to know how to improvise. But what about other careers in the industry? As it turns out, learning how to improv can benefit you in a surprising number of media career paths.

Want to land a major role in online digital production? Improv can help. Or, do you see yourself working as a high-flying digital marketer, building brands from the ground up? Improv will definitely come in handy there, too. Writing scripts, hosting a podcast, or working as a sports broadcaster? That’s right: improv skills will serve you well in all of those roles.

Connecting Improvisation to Jobs in Digital Media Production

If you’re not quite convinced that you should be learning improvisation, what you’re about to read will definitely make a difference. Let’s take a closer look at how improv skills can be the stepping stones you need to succeed in many different types of digital media careers.

You’re able to thoughtfully respond, even when you’re put on the spot.

One of the biggest challenges in improvising is thinking on your feet: you never know what your scene partner might say or do, but you have to be ready to roll with it. This takes a certain level of confidence and a talent for moving past unexpected moments without getting thrown off course.

Now, consider how that ability could come into play for a reporter on a live news broadcaster, a sports commentator, or a radio show host. Maybe your co-host gets on a long-winded tangent, the opposing team makes a surprising play, or the media even takes a surprising turn. Your reaction could go one of two ways: either you’re completely derailed, or you react quickly and effectively without disrupting the overall audience experience.

If you worked on improvisation during your media education and training, then there’s a pretty good chance that you’ll be able to maintain your professionalism while also being flexible.

You get a look at “the other side” of production.

What if you want to work in video or audio production or are more interested in directing, editing, or writing? You might think that means that improv isn’t important because you won’t be the one in front of the camera (or the microphone).

But actually, improvisation can give you a different perspective of digital media production, one that helps you do your off-camera job that much more effectively. For example, realizing what it feels like to act out a scene can be useful in honing your script writing skills or give you a better understanding of what a podcast host needs from their producer.

In digital media production, every role is vital in creating an excellent final product. So, rather than thinking, “I don’t need to know how to do that,” reframe your perspective and learn anything and everything you can about how the different media jobs are intertwined.

You learn how to practice non-linear thinking.

Digital media is an industry that’s growing by leaps and bounds, undergoing massive changes on a constant basis. So, if you struggle to adapt or think outside the box, that’s something you’ll want to work on now.

Improv requires its participants to quickly make connections between multiple characters, scenes, and stories, gracefully leaping from one to the next – and doing it quickly. As you get used to finding these connections, you start to see them everywhere you look. This means that it becomes easier to link ideas and themes as you begin to make larger and larger conceptual leaps.

The ability to take a non-linear approach to consider any concept can be hugely helpful for problem solving and creating thinking in any career. Let’s say you’re working in digital marketing, and you need to find a new way to reach potential customers on social media. Because your “improv brain” can rapidly create variations on a theme, you’ll probably be very skilled at devising innovative options for executing ad campaigns.

How an Education in Digital Media Can Change Everything

One of the foundational lessons of improv is known as “Yes – and.” Instead of answering “no” or “but” to an idea or suggestion, the basic principle is that you agree with a “Yes, and…” – and the story builds from there.

What would happen if you applied that same idea to pursuing your career dreams? Instead of worrying about how to get a job in the media industry, you could say, “Yes, I would love to work in media… and I can achieve my goals.” And then, you can start making that dream come true by enrolling in a specialized media education program like the ones at the Beonair Network of Media Schools in Miami, Chicago, Colorado, and Ohio.

Our media schools offer a variety of career training and education options, including the latest addition to our program catalog: Digital Media Production. This one-of-a-kind program is designed for a wide variety of students, so you can explore your interests and discover your passions. It delves into a broad range of digital mediums, taking students through various concepts such as:

• Improvisation
• How to create and deliver a pitch
• Script reading
• Using industry equipment (lighting, microphones, camera, audio consoles, etc.)
• Post-production editing
• Content creation
• Branding and marketing
• Industry trends
• Career preparation (interviewing, writing a resume, etc.)

Scoring that dream job in the media industry is about so much more than just loving TV, movies, and digital content – what you really need are tangible skills, an impressive resume, and a readiness to learn and grow.

Once you’re on track with your professional goals, being able to improvise can unlock a myriad of useful skills. But while you’re hoping to break into the competitive, fast-paced media industry? Forget improvisation; smart preparation is going to be the key.

Build Your Future on a Solid Foundation of Media Education

At BeonAir Network of Media Schools, you’ll earn from instructors with actual industry experience and build practical skills through hands-on experiences. Here, students spend time in both the classroom and the studio and can even secure internships in some of the country’s biggest media markets, including Miami, Chicago, Cincinnati, and Cleveland. Once you reach graduation, you’ll feel confident in your ability to set yourself apart from fellow job candidates and land a position that leads to an exciting and fulfilling future.

Set the scene for a career that you’ll truly love when you apply to become a student at one of our media schools. Contact our team for more information about our campuses, programs, and career possibilities today!

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