I'm going to assume the problem is while you're passionate about games, you are not passionate about doing whatever it takes to get into games.
Guilty. I used to save up and pay for trips to E3 and such in hopes of getting some attention, but then I got a full-time job. At first, I thought, "hey, it's TV! It's video production! You'll love it!" Then I realized it's incredibly limited creatively, and it's just not a good fit for me.
Unfortunately, there's also a lot I either won't, or can't, do to get in the industry, and yeah, that's on me. However, my point was that it's hard to break into the industry, and that's just kind of highlights it... Rarely do you hear of people just applying and being hired, you seemingly have to be willing to either give up everything and start from the bottom -- regardless of what relevant experience you may have in other industries -- put a lot of your own free time in to prove you're capable of doing the job, OR just luck into it somehow.
I've met tons of people who work on these that had no prior game experience, but hustle to get doors open.
Build spec trailers and use them in a portfolio.
Look for business EVERYWHERE! You can't expect to land Destiny 2, but between mobile, indies and other entertainment properties, you can find work.
Network. You might have to take a job or two that doesn't pay well, but it can help with your portfolio. There are tons of studios out there looking for content that don't do content because they don't think they can afford it.
Go to events like PAX and GDC and talk to people about what you can offer them.
Cold email people. Find 10 indie developers that you find interesting and email them.
Promote your portfolio on every job board/marketplace around! videopixie, veed.me, Dribbble, Fiverr, Easle, Cloudpeeps, People Per Hour and on.
You've made several excellent contributions to this thread, thank you for them. I've read your posts here for years and really appreciate the advice.
Have you tried doing it on YouTube in hopes someone would notice ?
I did content on YouTube for a few years, amassed a few hundred subscribers, but nothing came of it. It helped me cut my teeth, get familiarized with writing copy, recording voice-overs, editing to music, pacing...all things that I now use every day at work.
Not even close. TV and film is much much easier to get into. I've worked in it for over 16yrs and have never been able to land a gaming industry job - despite having worked on billion dollar movies.
That's discouraging! But yeah, I have some friends who make indie films, and they wouldn't bother with gaming.
You're only as good as your current demo reel. And most companies can cherry pick - you have to show them that they need you. Nobody will hire you cause you're a nice guy.
This is true. I actually landed an interview last year with a big AAA developer, and the guy who makes their trailers was very intense. Talking about Hollywood being the competition, and 12+ hour days replaying one section of a game for "that one special shot." I found out due to a law in that state, I'd only be able to work for 8 months, then I'd have to find work elsewhere for the next 8 months before I'd be eligible to return. I couldn't afford to do that.
If there's a field I wouldn't ever want to work in, it's videogames.
And I say that as someone who spent his entire life playing games. It's cutthroat, it's unstable and it's likely to suck the fun out of a great hobby. Besides, you're never ever going to work on the games you love and instead will be cutting trailers for IAP touch fruit puzzles for iOS.
I've thought about it, believe me. One of the areas I've been looking at is esports video production. I don't play multiplayer games, so what I play at home would be significantly different from what I work on. Just an idea.
Wait, am I misreading the OP, or does that person have little to no experience with video?
I have 15 years of experience with Adobe Premiere, am workmanlike with After Effects, and I have several years experience with Avid and Final Cut Pro, as well. Sorry I didn't make that clear.
From what I can gather, OP has:
Writing skills (editing? news? editorial? feature?)
Marketing skills (digital? traditional?)
By writing, I meant copy writing, as in scripts. I work on both commercials for broadcast TV and radio, and ads for Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, etc.
And honestly, I really enjoy making trailers. I love cutting video to music. It's how I approach all of my TV work (audio first), and it's one of my biggest strengths as an editor.
Then there are the lucky ones who end up employed at an editing house that happens to have game companies as major clients. I know some who took this route.
I've considered this route. I'm not very familiar with post-houses, and how to find work at them, sadly. I assumed most places farm their stuff out, but I also know a few have in-house teams.
I don't even know what the OP is aiming for. So let's say he wants to do marketing, as per his OP.
So like, traditional marketing, I assume? I mean, they are right in the sense that marketing a town hall meeting in a interesting fashion isn't comparable to a game. One of them is a product, with sales attached. Metrics and shit are obviously involved, testing, etc. Deep dives of research, and probably working with the digital team, which is more or less the majority for most games (because that's what marketing is moving towards). Maybe you should look into digital marketing, like SEO, social media, and such?
I think my point was that games have an inherent marketable hook, city council meetings don't. I've been trained to find interesting aspects in anything, no matter how mundane, and play them up for marketing purposes. I feel it's a useful skill that transcends the news industry, and can be applied practically anywhere.
Try breaking into the music biz bruh
No thanks!
After thinking about it more you need to make the decision OP, are you looking for a 'job' or a 'gig'?
Doing trailers, BTS, Dev Diaries aren't something that most companies afford to have someone full-time on staff to do (a job), so it is typically freelance work (a gig).
Because these are freelance they are largely built on networking and proper self-marketing. Not going to a jobs page and applying and crossing your fingers hoping you get it.
I'd prefer a job. I suppose the rarity of such a position feeds into why it's so hard for me, specifically, to break into the industry.
I would love to see that reel, and commision prices, if you do those. Eventually I'll need a trailer for my own game, although I'm on a shoestring budget...
In general, I think dropping by the indie development thread and offering your services there might be a pretty good idea, no?
I'm really not trying to promote myself (seriously!), but I can send you some links to things I've done in the past. I definitely should stop by the indie thread and get to know people, though. I'd LOVE to contribute in any way I can to projects on the horizon.
My advice OP. Open your own firm. Freelance or contract out work. Go to conventions (gdc,pax, rtx, etc) and network your ass off. Maybe you will find work with indies, webcomics, artists, musicians and build a portfolio. Maybe this doesnt lead you to getting a job in the industry but it may create a full time career.
And never work for free..
Great advice, I'll definitely look into it on the side, if nothing else.
EDIT: For anyone wondering,
here's a trailer for DOOM I made for fun last year. I don't have a ton of time to work on stuff like this now since we're ramping up for the end of the year at my day-to-day, but I enjoy doing it when I can.
![[TW]Stone](/data/avatars/m/638/638488.jpg?1515785180){kind=avatar}