Aspiring screenwriters in the Fordham community got the chance to interact with a TV industry insider on Nov. 11. Todd Radnitz, senior vice president of Original Series at MTV Entertainment Group and Paramount+, gave career advice to students in a Q&A session on Zoom.

Radnitz has focused his career on reality TV shows. Recently, he worked as an executive producer on “The Hills: New Beginnings” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race: Vegas Revue.” Early in his career, he worked as a field producer on shows like “Joe Millionaire” and as a supervisory producer on “Showbiz Moms & Dads.”

He said his experience working on set helped enhance his ability to work with production companies from his network office. 

“For me, it was a very advantageous thing to have been in the field and been on the ground,” he said. “Because when you’re at the network, it’s more of an office job … you’re responsible for working with production companies that are producing the shows for you and making sure that they’re headed in the right direction, that they’re bringing back material from the field that you know is going to make a good show.”

“You can make an interesting story with anything as long as it’s compelling to the people who are participating and everybody who’s watching.” Todd Radnitz, senior vice president of Original Series at MTV Entertainment Group and Paramount+

Despite the unscripted nature of reality shows, Radnitz said that the genre allows production teams to put their creativity to work. Radnitz used “The Great British Baking Show” as an example. 

“If somebody’s against the clock and their soufflé falls, you gasp when that happens on the show because you know that, in that moment, their life is falling apart before their eyes,” Radnitz said. “You can make an interesting story with anything as long as it’s compelling to the people who are participating and everybody who’s watching. Bake-off isn’t high drama … but there are very strategic, continual moments of drama and tension and release.”

Now that the industry has started to bounce back from its low point during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, there are many opportunities to start a career in unscripted television, according to Radnitz. 

“There’s more content now than there’s ever been,” Radnitz said. “It’s a good opportunity. Especially now, things are finally starting up again. We were obviously in a very bad place for a year, and production was cut in half, so everything is starting up now, and it’s probably a good time to be out there.”

One of the biggest pieces of advice that Radnitz gave to students was to do in-depth research on the person who is interviewing you for a job. 

“Go on their LinkedIn page. Watch the shows they worked on. Talk to them about the shows they worked on,” Radnitz said. “You’ve got to connect with the person you are interviewing with, and you’ve got to show them that you’ve done your research and that you’re interested in what they’re doing.”

“Everyone wants that person who’s a self starter and can figure things out.” Todd Radnitz

Heidi C. Bordogna, an advanced lecturer in the communications and media studies department at Fordham College Rose Hill, agreed with Radnitz. 

“Research who you are applying to and have details to discuss about their work in your interview,” Bordogna said. “Don’t just send the same generic cover letter to everyone, be specific! Be able to ask questions about the work of the content creators when you meet them.”

Another piece of advice offered by Radnitz was the often heard mantra of “fake it ‘til you make it,” which he admitted was a cliché. “If someone asks you to do something, and you don’t quite understand it, you might be a little insecure,” he said. “If you can, say ‘Yes, I’ll do it, let me figure it out, I’ll do it.’ Everyone wants that person who’s a self starter and can figure things out.”

Radnitz told his own “fake it ‘til you make it” story from when he was working for E! and was asked to record a scratch track. A scratch track is an audio recording that serves as a reference point for other recordings during video production. 

“Once COVID-19 protocols soften, there should be club trips to backstage of productions.” Claire Mack, FCLC ’23

“I had no idea what any of that was,” Radnitz said. “They thought I had more experience than I did. I guess I talked a good game. I called up my friend who worked in news and said, ‘Hey, how do I do this?’ And he just talked me through it, and I did it. I figured it out, and nobody was the wiser.”

Claire Mack, Fordham College Lincoln Center ’23, said that the Q&A reinforced the importance of research and networking when it comes to building a career in the entertainment industry but wished Fordham expanded its connections to companies near campus. 

“Once COVID-19 protocols soften, there should be club trips to backstage of productions,” Mack said. “I want to see backstage at CBS—I mean, we are right by the studios where they shoot John Oliver and Drew Barrymore! Why aren’t we using our proximity to the industry to our advantage?”

“If Fordham hosts more events like this, it would be really meaningful for non-white students to see more guest speakers who are from marginalized communities and are also TV industry experts.” Ashley Maule, Fordham School of Law ’22

Ashley Maule, Fordham School of Law ’22, hopes to see more diversity in future Q&A sessions. “If Fordham hosts more events like this, it would be really meaningful for non-white students to see more guest speakers who are from marginalized communities and are also TV industry experts,” she said. “Those students could ask the guest speaker questions about how they, as a non-white person, were able to successfully navigate in traditionally white spaces.”

Maule also thought Radnitz offered valuable guidance to those starting their careers in the entertainment industry. “This Q&A has been a notable chance for me to have a look into how the TV industry operates,” she said. “Mr. Radnitz was really in-depth in his answers about reality-TV production and was very encouraging to us.”

During the event, Radnitz offered to give personalized advice to attendees. “We’ve already had a number of students reach out to take Mr. Radnitz up on his offer to share his email,” Bordogna said. “So far, the feedback from the event has been very positive! We’re glad so many people came and enjoyed it!”