Resum

[Steve Roberts]

Did you try the Business COW, or the Broadcast Design COW?

[Brendan Coots]

As you know, most of the core broadcast design principals center on principals of film design – composition, use of light, set design/color use, negative space, camera movement, foreground/background etc.

As a Creative Director who hires AE contractors all the time, I look at people’s demo reels hoping to see these principals in action, and generally choose artists that “get it.” The best way you could demonstrate how your film experience helps you as an artist is in your demo reel and the work that you present. If that experience truly helps your design, it should show in your work. Talk is cheap, so prove your assertions.

The second thing you should do is to address your knowledge in these areas directly, either in the writeup on your school experience, or in your cover letter. I would suggest doing at least some level of research on each company you apply to, view their reel, and maybe include a line in your cover letter that directly addresses how your knowledge of film will complement what that specific company does. If they do a lot of 3D space in After Effects, talk about how your knowledge of real-world camera movement etc. will complement their style. Remember, you want to show them you know what they are all about and are a good fit for their style. You can ensure success by looking for companies that truly WOULD benefit from hiring someone with film experience, and go from there.

Aside from your specific question, I would add that any information letting them know why you are a stronger candidate than your competitors will help, provided you don’t overdo the self-hype and over-confidence seen in so many resumes these days. I can’t tell you how many cover letters I’ve seen where the applicant talks as though they are a design god and they know it. I see this mostly with rookie new-grads, which makes it even more silly. No manager would ever want to work with an artist like this, so it’s a horrible tactic. If they truly ARE good at design, that would be evident in their reel and they would have no need to talk themselves up like that. Show confidence, but don’t overdo it!
Another point on this is that hiring managers have SEEN IT ALL, and tire very quickly of the same old boilerplate resume-speak. Speak like a human being who has been given 2 minutes to explain, person to person, why you want the job and avoid standard cover letter BS. I would almost go so far as to pretend you are sitting there having a beer with this person and pitching yourself to them. This industry is different than most in that personality and maturity count far more than your ability to generate some standard issue, by-the-book cover letter. Letting your true personality shine through in your cover letter will stand out amongst the dozens of boring robotic resumes people send out every day.

Good Luck