If your lifelong dream has always been to run a successful media company – like producing commercials, working with voiceover artists and actors, then chances are that you didn’t lay awake at night dreaming about processing payroll and running exit interviews. Dealing with all of the nuance that comes with running a business and employing people isn’t sexy – but it’s critically important. And it can be very expensive – and even legally daunting – if you get it wrong.
Now, don’t get us wrong — we’re not saying that HR and People Ops isn’t a noble profession. It’s just not always the first thing that people think of when they imagine a future where they’re coordinating big-name TV commercials, being on an international film set, and drafting television ad copy for a Superbowl Spot.
But guess what — HR is an important part of every field, including showbiz. Yup, it’s HR’s world out there, and we’re just living in it.
Why is HR an Important Part of Running a Media Company?
Human Resources (HR) is a critical and important part of running a media company. We often like to think of creative services as being their own world. As much as this may be true — trust me when I say that things can get weird in this industry — at the end of the day, it’s a business like anything else. Yes, we get the privilege of working in a field where we can express ourselves and take creative liberty, but at the end of the day we still have to do what every other business does, like pay taxes and follow labor laws.
So where does HR come into the mix? Someone smart and old once said, “no man is an island”. We would have to agree (though we’d also, politely, amend that quote to include all humans including those who aren’t men).
The truth is, anyone who forms a creative company on their own will quickly realize that they can’t do it all alone. When this realization dawns on them, they will have to get to hiring. Which brings us to our first reason why media companies need HR:
A proper HR approach helps you find the right people.
Hiring Creative People for Creative Projects
If you’re looking for somebody to help with a creative project, like a freelance voiceover artist, you’re going to want to look for somebody with specific skills and/or interests. For example, in the world of voiceover, it might be necessary to seek out a voice actor who has experience targeting the Millennial demographic, or a voice actor who can sing at a professional level as well as speak. You might also be looking for someone from a specific background – like a talented African American actor.
Most likely, the first thing that you’ll do when you need to find a specific person is post a job ad. Congratulations, you just took your first step into the HR world!
Find an HR Subject Matter Expert!
An HR consultant can help you find the right people for your job — not just any person. Onboarding new talent is expensive, and it’s not a mistake that any company wants to make, no matter how small you are.
HR helps you stay up-to-date with labor laws
Anytime a company hires an individual, whether it’s as a contractor or employee, they are bound to local labor laws. This can become very complicated in the globalized world of remote work, so many folks without experience in HR may choose to work with a consultant to help them through the hiring process.
Good HR Helps You Retain Employees
We all know that it’s not true that “nobody wants to work anymore” — but certainly nobody wants to work for low pay and terrible conditions anymore, and can you blame them? Life is short and work can so often be challenging.
The problem is, sometimes it can be hard to know what exactly your employees are looking for. And people can be shy! Working with an HR professional can help you stay aware of where industry trends are headed towards so that you can stay ahead of the curve and remain a place that somebody wants to work. They can also help you ensure that employees are staying challenged and avoiding boredom, an often overlooked feeling that can motivate some employees to leave.
The bottom line is simple. If you’re in the middle of making big things happen as a media entrepreneur, don’t let HR considerations fall by the wayside. There’s a reason why you’ll find an HR department at every notable company.
Things Change Every Day
At Blue Wave Voiceover, we proudly work with media production companies around the world to help bring their content to life. We’re happy to provide freelance professional voice actors for commercials, industrial videos, narrations, political spots, and more! And we know that every company that we work with is different and might be dealing with changing local, state, or federal policies that apply to hiring and working with talent. We are always happy to understand your HR policies and procedures in advance to ensure that your session and shoot go smoothly. Get in touch today if you’d like to learn more about working with our talent voiceover artists!