Its hard work to appear effortless.
Ive been running a prompter for about seven years now.
Basically anywhere someone might need notes or a cue card, Ive been there with my prompters.
Ive also done interview-style prompters which are just monitors on sticks basically.
What drove you to choose your career path?
I sort of fell into the gig.
A friend needed help in his prompting business, and I had just been laid off.
How did you go about getting your job?
What kind of education and experience did you need?
Thecompany I workfor is very small, only about 10 people.
The other main part of the job is working with the software, preparing the script and scrolling it.
Theres not really any special education necessary, and most of the skills are all on-the-job trainable.
Not everyone has that pop in of personality.
What kinds of things do you do beyond what most people see?
What do you actually spend the majority of your time doing?
Depending on what pop in of gig Im doing, the workload can be massively different.
So theres a lot of stress there.
The presidential style prompters can be tricky to set up.
I know because Ive prompted for all of them.
For video shoots or commercials I use a through-the-lens prompter which generally attaches to the camera tripod.
It all has to be done accurately and securely, and usually very quickly.
Then theres formatting the script.
I get everything from Powerpoint presentations to Word files to PDFs to sheet music.
First I have to get the script into a single-column, text-only state.
I also like to add spacing where there are natural opportunities to pause and take a breath.
What misconceptions do people often have about your job?
I think a lot of people assume teleprompters are entirely automated somehow!
Most people have no idea how prompters physically work.
The principle is the same for the presidential style or the through the lens style.
The monitor is horizontal, and its image reflects off the glass which is at an angle.
The camera (or audience) cant see the words but the speaker can.
An absurd amount of people think that the prompter paddles are bulletproof shields for some reason.
Stage managers come to me and say Hes rushing cant you slow it down?
But by and large, prompting a speech or script is very similar to playing music with someone.
What are your average work hours?
Is it a typical 9-5 job or not?
I work when theres work.
Sometimes a job will have a 5am call time, sometimes 7pm.
Some jobs last 2 hours, some are multiple 16-hour days.
The variety of types of gigs there are leads to the crazy hours.
Theyll actually come kick you off the stage if you venture to ignore them.
Thats a great luxury because on many other jobs breaks come few and far between.
What personal tips and shortcuts made your job easier?
Efficiency and good habits are critical.
I also keep the tools required to do that with me.
I usethe over-under method for coiling cables, and I have Velcro cable ties.
I know my gear.
Most of the shortcuts are in the software though.
Being able to navigate around inside a script quickly and easily is also incredibly useful.
Say, for instance, Im prompting an awards ceremony.
Theres an MC who introduces several speakers, who in turn introduce awardees who then give acceptance remarks.
What do you do differently from your coworkers or peers in the same profession?
What do they do instead?
Everyone at my company has a different skill set, and we each play to our own strengths.
Im quite adept with the technology and mechanical side of things.
I can build a prompter onto any camera system, on any stage, etc.
I know the software like the back of my hand and am lightning quick with it.
We also each have our own style of prompting too, just like all musicians play differently.
Some operators keep the speakers read line at the very top.
Some keep it somewhere in the middle.
Others are closer to the bottom.
Some people set the prompter to one speed and make incremental adjustments as a speakers pace changes.
I ride the pace and stay as fluid as I can with the speaker.
and some dont do different colors at all.
Whats the worst part of the job and how do you deal with it?
The worst part of my job is the lack of information.
Often events or video shoots happen in a very last-minute, seat-of-the-pants fashion.
Things like locations, call times, exact gear preferences, are all fluid until the last second.
Whats the most enjoyable part of the job?
What kind of money can one expect to make at your job?
The money can vary wildly.
so the tradeoff can be worth it.
How do you move up in your field?
Most people move up by moving out.
Just being knowledgable about how a set works can be enough to get you in the door.
What do people under/over value about what you do?
I think the most underrated thing is the connection between me and the speaker.
Ive made the musician metaphor and its true.
Some people will digress and come right back to the next line in the script.
Also, many clients openly balk at the price of my services.
But they dont always understand that Im saving them money in the long run.
A video shoot with a prompter that takes 2 hours would take 6 or 7 hours without one.
What advice would you give to those aspiring to join your profession?
Apply for an internship at a TV studio or production company.
There arent that many prompter companies out there, but they are pretty much always looking for new people.
Be reliable, courteous, professional, respectful.
The rest is easy.
This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
