How to Break into the Media Industry: Navigating an Unconventional Creative Career

The path to building a professional career in media rarely follows a straight line. For many aspiring creatives, entering the industry feels like picking a single narrow track, like traditional filmmaking or graphic design, and then hoping a predictable job market exists to jump into, head first.

However, working professionals know that the modern media landscape is a vast, interconnected ecosystem built on adaptability, teamwork, and professional resilience. As veteran creative producer and strategist Deniz Coker puts it, career growth in this field requires being open to opportunities that don’t always look like the final destination.

In a recent live event, Sessions College President Gordon Drummond and Dean of Academic Affairs Dr. Meryl Epstein sat down with Deniz to discuss the often unconventional paths he walked that have shaped his career in media. He shared the habits, mindsets, and strategic moves that help recent graduates turn entry-level roles into a sustainable and rewarding career.

Is a Media and Digital Media Degree Worth It?

When entering the professional world, many new graduates face a classic catch-22: how do you showcase professional experience when you are just starting out? For Deniz, the value of a foundational creative education lies in mastering core principles that enable artists and producers to better adjust to changes within the industry.

Deniz began his own journey at NYU, learning classic cinematography, editing, and the deep technical math behind filmmaking. While the industry underwent a massive, disruptive shift from analog film (16mm and 35mm) to digital pipelines during his time in school, his education provided the foundational knowledge in topics like color theory, composition, lighting, and critical thinking that allowed him to pivot smoothly any time new tools were given to him to master.

His advice for new creatives is to focus on your decision-making process. The tools and software of the industry will inevitably change over time, but a strong educational foundation teaches you how to think. When employers look at a student or recent grad’s work, they aren’t expecting a flawless, multi-million dollar portfolio. They want to see great ideas, solid storytelling, and clear evidence of creative problem-solving.

Building a Career from Unconventional Media Roles

When students imagine a career in media, they often limit their scope to traditional agency or Hollywood pipelines. However, Deniz’s trajectory is a prime example of the massive, hidden ecosystem of alternative media roles.

Long before managing global platforms, he began on traditional film sets, working anywhere someone asked him to be; acting as a production assistant and helping with lighting, setup, rotoscoping, and even running errands to fetch materials or talent. Rather than forcing himself into a single box, his career moved from those raw production roots through an unexpected series of industries:

• Physical Interactive Spaces: Serving as a Media and Technical Lead to design global touring exhibits and museum installations, including a massive interactive Rubik’s Cube project.
• Digital Advertising & Streaming: Working as an Interactive Producer for 21st Century Fox and a Senior Producer at The Walt Disney Company. He helped drive innovation across Disney’s digital ecosystem on the true[X] platform, pioneering non-disruptive, interactive advertising formats for early Connected TV (CTV) and partnering with Amazon to create a Super Bowl ad for their Alexa-connected device.
• Gaming Systems & Product Design: Later, he stepped into a contract role as a Technical Program Manager for Microsoft’s casual games division, managing compliance, data-driven KPIs, and engineering roadmaps for legacy titles like Solitaire and Mahjong.

The key takeaway for grads is that the modern intersection of design, technology, and storytelling is vast. Breaking into the industry requires checking your ego and looking for alternative mediums where your creative brain is needed, even if the role doesn’t perfectly match what you thought you wanted to do at the time.

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Practical Advice for Production Assistants and New Grads

Before you can lead a major production or run a creative department, you have to establish trust. In the media industry, that process begins with entry-level work—roles like production assistants (PAs) or junior designers that are notoriously unglamorous.

Deniz’s approach to these stepping-stone jobs is absolute: “Treat every job like it’s a Super Bowl.”

Early in his career as an intern and production assistant, Deniz found himself driving production trucks, loading gear, and hunting down obscure props like a rubber chicken. But he approached every single task with excellence because he understood that in high-stakes environments, small tasks contribute to a reality that is larger than oneself. When a senior producer sees that you are punctual, reliable, and composed under pressure, they gain the confidence to hand you creative control.

Independent student projects often allow you to wear every hat, but stepping into the commercial league means realizing you are a smaller cog in a massive wheel. A finished product is a team sport—the combined output of hundreds of specialized individuals. By executing the “grunt work” reliably and treating your team members with respect, you build the reputation that generates repeat work and long-term career growth.

Evolving with Technology and Shifting Industry Tools

With the rapid integration of AI and automated software, many young designers and media professionals feel uncertain about the future of the market. However, versatility and adaptability are what keep a creative career thriving over a long period.

Deniz emphasizes that technology shifts are nothing new. In his own career, he had to navigate a massive, industry-wide transition early on when the production world shifted violently away from analog, physical film pipelines to digital software. The professionals who panicked were the ones who only knew how to operate a single piece of hardware or a specific version of a program. The ones who survived and thrived were those who realized that tools are completely transient and quickly adapted to new tech. Whether you are adapting to new interactive gaming interfaces, streaming media encoding standards, or modern automation, your focus must remain on the core mechanics of how to build an experience.

Much like Photoshop transitioned from an elite, specialized software to standard workplace infrastructure, AI and automation tools are rapidly becoming the new creative baseline. Knowing how to operate a specific tool is useful, but it represents the baseline—not your competitive edge.

As Deniz explains, “Don’t get too lost in the tools…ultimately your decision making is what’s paramount to everything.” It’s important to learn to adapt to new techniques and technology but don’t forget that what makes you important is your “human brain” and individual creativity.

Your true value lies in your human decision-making chain. A sustainable career isn’t built on a single piece of software; it is built on how you solve communication problems and connect with an audience. Range and flexibility are essential. If you are too known for only one highly specific tool, you risk being pinned to it when the industry moves on. Keep learning, stay curious, and treat new technology as a playground for experimentation rather than something to fear.

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Key Takeaways

We appreciate Deniz Coker sharing his time and expertise with our student audience. Here is a summary of five takeaways from the event:

• Always strive for excellence. Approaching entry-level production work like it’s the “Super Bowl” builds the foundational trust required to land larger creative roles.
• Look beyond traditional pipelines. The media ecosystem is massive; look for opportunities in interactive exhibition spaces, UX design, product management, streaming, and gaming.
• Embrace the team sport. Stepping into professional production means checking your ego and learning how to collaborate smoothly as a cog in a larger wheel.
• Master the thinking, not just the tool. Software, engineering backlogs, and technology platforms change rapidly, but foundational design, logic, and storytelling principles remain timeless.
• Create your own luck. Career growth rarely moves in a straight line. Stay open to unexpected pivots, freelance consulting, and stepping-stone jobs to broaden your professional range.

Build Your Portfolio With Us

If you are a high school graduate, you can study with experts in the industry by becoming a student with Sessions College. With various program levels available, students are able to build out their own education journey.

• • Begin with the 24-credit Undergraduate Certificate in Digital Media. Learn the fundamentals of digital media production and begin building a body of work along the way.
  • Advance to a 72-credit Associate Degree in Digital Media. Build advanced skills in filmmaking, video, and motion graphics, learn to market your skills, and finish with a guidance-backed portfolio

For information on more Live Events from Sessions College, visit our Sessions Live page.