What Is “Desk Experience”? And What Is “The Industry”?

Jeffrey asks:

Let me start by saying that I believe there are such things as stupid questions. And this might be one…

As someone totally new to the industry, can you tell me what is meant by “desk experience?” Is it simply carefully fielding phone calls and walk-ins so as to protect the precious time of producers, agents, etc.? Or is it jargon for something else?

Yes, stupid questions do exist, but this is not one of them. Be at ease. 🙂

Your intuition is correct, desk experience means experience covering a producer or agent’s desk. You can stretch the definition to include office PAs (and believe me, I’ve done that).

* * *

V, likewise, has a question that may seem obvious to the experienced, but is still worth answering for the newbies out there:

I was looking at the recent joblist and wanted to ask what this meant: “United Talent Agency… Previous industry experience and bachelors degree required.” What exactly do they mean by industry experience? Do they mean any industry experience?

They mean the Hollywood Industry. Yes, this business is so myopic and self-centered, we actually speak of it as of it’s the only business.

Hell, there’s a show on the local NPR station called simply “The Business,” as if you should know which business it’s about.{{1}}

[[1]]If you haven’t heard it before, here’s the interview a previous TAPA did for them a few months ago.[[1]]