I was intending to post the first podcast episode today. It’s an interview with Evan Luzi, the creator of The Black and Blue website. We had a great conversation, and I think you’re really going to dig it. But you’re going to have to wait until next week to hear it. 🙂
Instead, I’ll just share this with those of you who don’t follow me on Twitter:
For those on the job hunt: @TheAnonymousPA, @Tempdiaries #FF
— Murjani Tiffany (@Murjanian) May 9, 2014
@Murjanian @TheAnonymousPA If you’re gonna list us both, I should be first a) alphabetically and b) chronologically. Also, he’s a cheap copy — Temp X (@Tempdiaries) May 9, 2014
@Tempdiaries @Murjanian Wow, petty. You started, like, two weeks before me. Also, there’s a difference between a PA and a temp.
— TAPA (@TheAnonymousPA) May 9, 2014
This has come up before. I didn’t know Temp X even existed when I started TAPA. It started two weeks earlier. What are the odds that I saw his blog, and decided to “copy” him? As if such a thing were possible, anyway: A) The idea of writing about the experiences of an assistant is neither novel nor non-obvious. In fact, at the time I created TAPA, there was another blog called “anonymous assistant,” which is why I inserted “production,” to avoid confusion. Â B) Seriously, go and look at the Temp X‘s first eight posts. They’re nothing like me. Â C) I’m a PRODUCTION ASSISTANT, not a temp. Two different things. Â
@TheAnonymousPA @Murjanian If someone passed off all your ideas as theirs, you’d be annoyed too. Now crawl back in your hole and stay there. — Temp X (@Tempdiaries) May 9, 2014
@Tempdiaries @TheAnonymousPA @Murjanian MEOW.
— Lia Marie (@LiaBoBia) May 9, 2014
@TheAnonymousPA @Murjanian And that goes double for @HOLLYWOODASSTS. You can all take your lack of originality and kiss my ass. — Temp X (@Tempdiaries) May 9, 2014
@Tempdiaries @Murjanian I really don’t know what you’re talking about. Seriously. What ideas of yours did I pass off as my own?
— TAPA (@TheAnonymousPA) May 9, 2014
And that’s where the conversation ends. No response from Temp X. I can’t imagine why.
Speaking of The Black & Blue– when I reached out to Evan to do the interview, I wrote that I wasn’t sure if he’d even heard of TAPA. Here was his reply:
I am very familiar with The Anonymous Production Assistant. Your site was one of the first I started reading, actually, and acted as inspiration for the type of stuff I wanted to write about when I started mine.
Do you think my response is “Hey, Evan ripped me off?”
No, it’s: “Oh, good, someone else is out there telling the world about what it’s like to be on the crew. Also, he’s a great writer, and his website looks a lot better than mine.”
7 Responses
TAPA, I wanted to present my gratitude in this particular post but then I saw another website commenting here and I wanted to tell something else.
Firstly, for our bitter friend who might be subscribed to comments: the term ‘from the bottom of Hollywood’ was used much before internet. Being anonymous was ‘invented’ before paper was invented. Sorry. C’est la vie
Btw, It was tempting to click on this other website, as I’ve never heard about it, from the link that he shared trough his comment. Somehow I didn’t want to. I wanted to explain why:
From the many great things your website offers, Tapa, most important is keeping me ‘REALISTIC’ but in the same time ‘HOPEFUL’. And believe me when I said this: coming from a 3rd world country as a P.A. with a distinct accent and endless ambition, I really needed that.
And you my anonymous friend, you know yourself enough to understand you are more than a P.A. and your service that you offer to world proves that.
Even in this funny situation (that is presented to you, either to get attention for this other website or just their simply because of jealousy) your humor and humility is exemplary.
I want to read you because I know I will not be P.A. forever.
I don’t even want to click on this other fellow because I think his attitude looks like he is gonna be temping for a while…
Have a great day,
Thanks again.
O.Z.
Aw, thanks O.Z!
Oh, I’ll respond. You’ve ripped off everything from the concept of being anonymous from the bottom of Hollywood to the cartoons (mine are better) to the glossary (mine is funnier) to the job resources (mine are more thorough). Is that enough, or do I need to continue? And if you have any balls, you’ll post this on your site too. But my guess is you’ll be a big fraud and delete it. You’re a typical Hollywood hack who has no ability to create original content.
Again, I did not even know your blog existed when I created TAPA. The fact that you think you were well known enough to be ripped off after two weeks is quite ridiculous. Have you never heard of parallel development? It’s a thing that happens all the time.
I don’t actually read your blog, so I didn’t know you had cartoons, or a glossary. But again, cartoons and glossaries are not novel or non-obvious ideas. These things have existed for centuries. You’ve yet to point to anything that I actually copied, in any real sense.
This is really quite silly.
Please don’t even stoop here. I’m not siding with anyone. Don’t encourage the ‘crabs in a barrel’ mentality; it isn’t worth it. We should be trying to band together in the entertainment industry, not focus on pulling each other down while at the BOTTOM of the pyramid of the industry. I see this kind of behavior over and over again and for what? What does it matter that someone is at the top of the sand pile fighting over crumbs? I look forward to your next, informational and encouraging post.
The Hollywood Temp is indeed a bitter little man…
I can’t wait to hear the podcast, I just finished reading his book the other day! Love both your sites, haven’t heard of the dude complaining but he’s gotta be crazy if he thinks his idea was original!