Working as a PA in Austin, TX
Hey there TAPA readers! This post comes from a fellow PA to discuss navigating the film industry in the lovely city of Austin, Texas! It seems to jive a bit differently than other major film cities. Relatively speaking, Austin’s film scene is small. We used to have a vibrant film community because of the tax […]
How Not To Approach a Production Office
Angie writes in about how to approach a production office: I have a friend who’s well connected in the local industry (not Hollywood, but there are noteworthy productions around) They have kindly provided me with the phone numbers and addresses of the production offices for those shows. Understandably, they do not want me sharing how […]
How Prevalent is Sexual Harassment in Hollywood?
Reader Jess wrote in response to this blog post on sexual harassment: Obviously each department is its own animal, but having worked the majority of my life on skeleton crew indies (with the exception of one major TV show when I was in school) I’m worried that getting any deeper into things is going to […]
How to Schedule a Meeting
As an assistant, you’re often going to be called on to schedule meetings between many busy people. Heck, you’ll probably have to coordinate with these busy people’s assistants, but that just adds a layer of confusion. For the longest time, I’d do this the old fashioned way– I’d call each person in turn, and ask […]
How Fast Do You Type?
As an office PA, you’re going to do a lot of typing. Like, a lot. Emails, lunch reports, wrap reports, production reports, call sheets. (Those last two aren’t technically your responsibility, but trust me, you’re going to have to modify them, anyway.) Typing fast gives you an advantage, as long as it’s accurate. Double check […]
Get Your Resume Fixed Now!
For a while now, we here at TAPA have been offering a resume editing service to production assistants and others in Hollywood. You see, production resumes look very different from traditional resumes, and it’s just not common knowledge. Plus, we’ve learned a lot of tips and tricks over the years to make your resume more […]
How Long Should a Cover Letter Be
Last week, I was helping a reader with her cover letter, and she asked if multiple paragraphs would deter the recipient from reading the whole thing. Not at all! You absolutely should break your email up into small, digestible paragraphs. A big block of text looks like a novel; short, punchy paragraphs look like a […]
Five Excuses for Missing Work That Just Don’t Cut It
Some days, you don’t want to go to work. But you do, anyway, because you want to make a good impression. And get paid. That’s important, too. But there are days when you have a legit excuse. Get into a debilitating car accident, no one but J.K. Simmons is going to expect you show up […]
The Most Important Truck!
I’m such an idiot! On Monday, I wrote about the various trucks and trailers you run into on set, and I left off the most important one: the honeywagon! For the uninitiated, “honeywagon” is the term for the bathroom truck.Why’s it called that? Well, honey is yellow, and so is urine, if you don’t drink […]
How to Identify Trucks on Set
My parents were visiting from out of town, and the came by set last week. Since we’re still in prep, I had time to take them on a tour of our offices and stages. We passed by the transpo office, and I mentioned that’s where the teamsters hang out when they’re not in their trucks. […]
Be Proud of Your Work
Black Bag Pictures replied to Wednesday’s post [paragraphs added for readability]: Hollywood has changed significantly since Rambo III. It has become far more corporate, more focus grouped, more dissected. Despite the historic ego and money involved, it used to be a “family business.” Now the chain of command goes up so far you’ll end up […]
Yes, You Loved That Movie
My old writing professor (yes, the one who wouldn’t shut up about his Oscar) told my class a story– I was at a dinner party. I knew some people, didn’t know others. You know how it is. No, we didn’t know how it is, because we were fucking 19 and had never been to a […]