Reader Amy writes in:
Do you know anything about working on a show in a different state while maintaining permanent residence in Los Angeles? I see posts about people wanting to hire locals but does that mean I have to have a license/ID from that state or do I just have to physically live there?
It may be both.
The first and most important thing is that they don’t want to pay for your hotel and per diem. That’s for above-the-liners, and possibly department heads. On TV shows, probably not even them.
But there might also be tax credit stuff going on. The way most tax incentives work, a certain percentage of the crew must be from that state. If you’re not a resident, hiring you doesn’t really adding towards that quota. Of course, who knows how the state defines “resident” for the purposes of the tax credit.
That being said, you should still apply if you have a place to stay on location (if they’re shooting in your home town, for instance, and you don’t mind sleeping in your old bedroom again).
And then there’s this guy, from a recent UTA Joblist—
Seeking intelligent, articulate full-time assistant for Tony-winning playwright with projects in Film and Television. A car and valid driver’s license are required, as employer does not drive. The writer travels often to New York — candidates would need to provide own lodgings there for approximately two out of every six weeks (plane fare paid).
Wow. Seriously? Does this guy really think his assistant will be able to afford to have a place on each coast? That’s ridiculous. This job is literally only for people who grew up in New York or Los Angeles, and still talk to their parents. (Good luck finding someone who’s both of those.)
One Response
A related complication are union rules that give you quotas on how many people you can bring from out of the shooting jurisdiction without triggering additional residuals.
Obviously, this is not an issue for Production Assistants, who are not union, but I think it’s useful to keep in mind that Union laws are almost always as strict as or stricter than the tax incentive laws regarding residency and other things.
Also, as unlikely as it is, it does happen that you can get on an out of town show if the higher-ups love you. I’ve worked out of state more than once because UPMs and Supervisors would rather stash me into some housing than take chances with the local PA community (which, in a lot of towns, is miss or miss). The first time that happened to me I was working as a PA.