I’ve been thinking a lot recently about how strange TV CVs are.

They’re great for listing shows, channels, dates and job titles, but they don’t always show the things that actually make someone good to work with.

The calm call with a nervous contributor.

The instinct to spot when someone is giving you a polished answer instead of a real one.

The ability to keep things light when a shoot day is chaotic.

Knowing when to push for more detail and when to back off.

Being kind to people on the phone, but still getting the information production actually needs.

Making a casting tape feel natural rather than over produced.

Remembering that behind every “contributor” is a real person who has usually never done this before.

I think so much of TV work lives in those small judgement calls. The bits nobody sees, but everyone feels when they’re missing.

It’s made me think about all the skills people in this industry carry around that never quite make it onto a CV.