Felix writes in:
I had a question about calling POs after emailing them my resume. Is it necessary? Does it make a big difference?
I was talking to a friend of mine who works at a production company and she says she gets calls all the time from people about shows, after getting their info from production listings sites, and it’s annoying.
I’m asking because I emailed my resume this morning for a pilot where I’ve actually worked with the main actor/writer before as an intern on his last show. It was a small staff and this person knows/likes me. I know if whoever reads my resume mentions me to him and asks about me I’ll have a much greater chance of getting the gig, but I’m worried that won’t happen because my email will be lost in a flood of emails that have been sent and it’ll never be read. Should I call them?
Nope. Your friend is right, those kinds of calls are annoying. As a previous TAPA wrote:
They got your email. They may not have read it. Or, your resume just wasn’t as good as some others they received. Or, they had to give the job to some producer’s nephew.
Whatever the case, there is a 0% chance that you’ll help things by following up. You’re not applying to Project Mayhem.
There is, however, a medium-to-high likelihood of annoying someone with multiple emails. And that can’t be good for future job prospects.
It’s too late to give Felix this advice, but I’d say it was definitely worth mentioning any connection you have to the production in your cover letter.
That being said, knowing the lead actor wouldn’t impress me much, if I was sorting the resumes. Actors know lots of people; doesn’t mean you’re a good PA. Besides, actors wouldn’t necessarily know one way or the other, anyway. An AD or coordinator connection is much more useful.
In this case, it sounds like the actor is the key creative behind the new show. His opinion would carry a lot of weight. But that’s the time to contact him directly, and ask for a recommendation, if you have that kind of relationship. If not, simply telling the office “I knew that guy that one time” isn’t going to get you very far.
