The Media and Entertainment (M&E) industry has multiple segments that combine into one vertical; Movies/Cinema, Television, Music, Publishing, Radio, Internet, Advertising and Gaming. Media professionals work as part of a company's communications team with their duties being centered on helping to develop marketing, brand, or informational campaigns across a wide array of media. This article will provide a brief overview of CPD for media professionals, the professional bodies within the media industry, as well as the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements.
Overview of the Media industry
The media industry is one of the largest industries in the world. The UK media and entertainment sector is now worth almost £100 billion a year, comprised of businesses that produce and distribute motion pictures, television programs and commercials. The large scale of the media industry has opened the door for a lot of employment opportunities, some of which we have grouped below:
- Advertising
- Animation
- Business-to-business (B2B) media
- Digital Marketing
- Film
- Interactive Media
- Journalism
- Music
- Post-production
- Publishing
- Radio
- Scriptwriting
- Special effects
- Technical production
- Television
- Video games
- Web design
Graduate entry roles are often at assistant level and will include jobs such as runner, media researcher, radio broadcast assistant and editorial assistant.
Professional bodies in the Media industry
There are currently a few leading professional bodies in the media industry, we have listed some of them below with a brief description of their function:
British Interactive Media Association: The British Interactive Media Association is a not-for-profit industry body representing the digital industry in the United Kingdom. Formed in 1985, BIMA is a membership organization primarily made up of digital agencies.
European Digital Media Association (EDiMA): EDiMA is the European trade association representing online platforms, it is an alliance of new media and Internet companies.
British Video Association: The British Association for Screen Entertainment (BASE) is a video home entertainment organization established in 1980 as the British Video Association (BVA). The association organises an annual awards ceremony in London.
Film Distributors Association: The Film Distributors’ Association represents the interests of film distributors in the UK and Ireland. It is responsible for 99% of all films released theatrically in the territory.
Advertising Association: The Advertising Association is a trade association representing advertisers, agencies and media services in the UK advertising industry.
Continuing Professional Development (CPD) requirements in Media
Maintaining your Continuing Professional Development (CPD) helps you to acquire professional skills and qualities required throughout your working life. CPD can help to increase personal satisfaction from work and also increase your contribution to the success of your organisation. Below we have outlined some examples of Continuing Professional Development requirements in the media and marketing industries.
The Institute of Data & Marketing IDM (previously known as The Institute of Direct & Digital Marketing) explains that in terms of CPD requirements, "maintaining a record of the time you spend on various activities, both within and outside the workplace, is a simple and effective way of evidencing your acquisition of the experience, knowledge and personal qualities you need to fulfil your career potential". As another example, The Chartered Institute of Public Relations (CIPR) also requires all members to complete CPD, which must equate to at least 60 points and be submitted by 28th February each year. The CIPR considers Continuing Professional Development as part of being a professional, and as helping to ‘build the skills to meet tomorrow’s challenges’.
Please note: This information was correct at the time this article was written. Please check with your professional bodies website as individual membership requirements can and do change.
