When the phone rings, I answer it. It’s basically what an office PA does. All day long, we get calls from the studio, from agents, from this department, from that actor.
Usually, they don’t want to talk to me; they want to talk to the producer or a department head or whoever. Part of my phonely duties is to make sure I’m not routing random solicitors or crazy fans to someone who doesn’t have time for them.
So, when someone asks for the executive producer (the very definition of a time-not-having person), a good PA will ask, “Who may I say is calling?” (Possibly phrased differently, to sound less douchey.)
Most people will just give you the name. Every once in a while, though, you get, “Really, Anonymous? You don’t recognize my voice?”
No, I don’t. Half the time, I can’t tell if it’s my mom or my sister calling my cell phone, and I have caller ID.
You’re one of a thousand calls I answer in a day. You’re lucky if I recognize your name even when you do tell it me.
What I’m saying is, Get over yourself.
5 Responses
Gah! I get that all the time, I hate it! NO I don’t recognize you I’m SO SORRY.
Funny post lol
great example here people. if you work long enough as a PA, you will hate life. please please please take this blog with a grain of salt.
On the other end of that phone is a furious manager or network exec throwing his cup of yerba mate (the actual cup included) at his assistant because you didn’t know who he was.