Peak Job Opportunities
If you hadn’t heard the good news, I’m happy to be the first to tell you. In 2015, there were 409 scripted television series. That’s not reality, news, MOWs, specials, soaps, or kids shows. John Landgraf calls this “peak TV,” and seems to think it’s a bad thing, for some reason? For people who watch […]
The Name That Goes on Your Resume
What name should you put at the top of your resume? You’d think the answer would be obvious, but it does come up from time to time in my resume service, so I thought it bore writing about. The name you put on your resume is the name you go by. If the name on […]
In Appreciation of Hair and Make Up Artists
I’ll be honest, I never really respected hair and make up artists all that much. I didn’t get why it should take two hours to make an already attractive woman appear attractive on camera.{{1}} The on-set hair and make up artists made even less sense to me. I can see the actors with my own […]
Can a Writer Help a PA?
Felecia writes in: So there are some people that I’ve worked with before who now write on other shows. I was wondering if I sent them my resume and they forward it to whoever does the hiring on their show, does the fact that it came from one of the writers matter? Or would it […]
Asking For Help
Kristen writes in: I’ve spent the better part of today reading your blog. First off, thank you. I learned a lot and the honest, tough-love from a veteran is appreciated (and more palatable in text than in a cynical tone to one’s face).{{1}} I’m still pretty new to freelancing and film in general. Most of […]
Show Me Your ID
Esteban writes in: I’ve been a PA for a while in the reality tv circuit and today was actually my first coffee run something that I imagined would be smooth and a little late coming. The production coordinator handed me the company card with his and the company’s name on it. The barista said it […]
In Defense of the Valley
I was exchanging emails with a reader about my resume service, and at one point, he wrote this: I just got hired for my first assistant position (for a writer/director) out in the valley. I hope it’s not porn. People make fun of the San Fernando Valley a lot, and that’s fine. It is kinda […]
Survival Jobs
Racquel writes in: I’m an aspiring scripted TV writer who’s been living in LA for almost 4 months now and am scrambling to survive financially. I’ve been utilizing TAPA, the UTA joblist, EntertainmentCareers, LinkedIn, Mandy, the Friedman Agency, and any person from the industry I come in contact with to try to land a gig. […]
A Bad Movie Is Still a Good Job
I’m a big fan of On The Media, especially their off-air podcast interviews. Last week, they had a fascinating conversation with Alec Baldwin: I recommend listening to the whole thing, but the salient point for my readers is about nine and a half minutes in, regarding people who had been bad-mouthing the latest Schwarzenegger movie: […]
Fired for Doing the Right Thing
I had planned to write an entirely different post today, until I saw this comment from Pete on an old post: I was just fired from a shoot after the AD’s placed me in back-to-back dangerous situations. The UPM declared that a PA is easier to replace than an AD, so they fired me. Oh, […]
Helpful Connections
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 […]
You’re Dating Wrong
I’m not talking about your romantic life. Although, that could be a mess, too. It’s hard to date when you’re on a show. But that’s neither here nor there. No, I’m writing about how you write dates on documents. Most Americans write the month, then the day. Today is 11/02, for instance. That’s how we […]