By Robert Ballantyne
CMG Director, New Members

Starting out in the media business is tough, but it’s even tougher to build a career. I started out at the CBC as a temporary employee almost seven years ago, and now, am on staff with a fulfilling job. Helping our members achieve the same is the main reason I joined the union as the national director for New Members.

But what does it mean to have a career? To me, a successful media career includes job security, a network of colleagues, and the opportunity to take creative risks now and then – and hopefully, all these things lead to accomplishing great things in your field of expertise.

I organized last night’s inaugural “MediaMIXER” in Toronto; a chance for new, casual and contract employees from across our various branches to mix and mingle with experienced staffers.

I was overwhelmed by our members’ response to the pilot project, especially since, beforehand, I was fretting, hoping for a turnout of at least 50 members.

Be careful what you wish for: nearly 200 showed up!

It was so gratifying to see our notable members talking to interns and newer members, and everyone appearing to be having a good time, simply connecting with new people.

The feedback from new members was especially rewarding, such as this kind note:

“I feel that these types of networking events are important and I benefited from being there and meeting new people, and hearing their stories about working in the industry.”

Thanks again to everyone who attended! We hope this is the start of a brand new tradition for our membership.