A Modern-Day Cameraman: The new Current app

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By Vlad Vidaeff

The movie Nightcrawler stars Jake Gyllenhaal as Louis Bloom, a struggling man who stumbles into a career as a cameraman breaking crime stories.  With the new app Current, you can become a “nightcrawler” and earn extra cash by reporting the news.   This blog will introduce Current and discuss its impact on how news organizations disseminate and break current news.

To use Current, all you need to complete a job is a compatible smartphone with good battery life and storage.  To receive job offers, you will need to complete your profile, along with a profile photo, after you download the app.  You also have the option of linking your Instagram account to your profile.  While not mandatory, your Instagram profile will make you more attractive to hiring companies, especially if you have photography experience.

After you have completed your profile, the fun begins.  News companies will reach out to you with job offers if you are in the geographical area where an event is occurring.  The type of events that you can expect to cover includes breaking news, political events, weather, parades and celebrations, celebrity sightings, and more.  The number of jobs that you receive is based partially on the number of events in your area and the number of companies that are seeking coverage there.  This means that on average, there will be more events in major cities such as New York City or Los Angeles.  The number of jobs you receive is also based on your rating.  After you complete a job, a media company will rate you on your performance.  Your rating will then be available for news companies to view on subsequent jobs.

What is the process once you’ve been selected for a job?  You will receive a text message with a job offer.  The message will include a link that will give you details about the job.  Once you accept, you will need to commute to the location of the job immediately.  After arriving at the job location, you will notify the job manager and he or she will then initiate a live stream.  Current offers a built-in live streaming tool in its app that will be available to you when you are working a job.  Once you complete a job successfully, you will get paid $50-$200 per job.  For more details, visit Current’s FAQ page.

In the age of instant gratification, news companies are often racing the clock to get breaking news out before their competitors.  These days, stories often break first on social media sites such as Twitter rather than on television.  Since it’s impossible to have eyes and ears everywhere at all times, Current allows news companies to increase their reach and reaction time by collaborating with the every day citizen.  If you have the time and flexibility to work an unpredictable schedule, Current may be an exciting opportunity to make some additional income.  By using live streaming technology similar to that used by Periscope and Meerkat, you can become a quasi-cameraman and contribute to the dissemination of the news in your city.

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