Be Personable, Not a “Personality”
Genevieve commented on Tuesday’s post about cover letters: I can’t tell you how many resumes I get that have an overly familiar, joking type of “cover letter” where the writer tries to be witty. Things like “Coming soon to a set near you!” and the entire cover letter is themed like that. I had one […]
You Need a Cover Letter
After sharing a job posting on TAPA yesterday yesterday, the HR person at the unnamed firm sent me an email: If you could please add “and cover letter” in the last line I would really appreciate it 🙂 What this says to me is, at least one of my readers (probably more than one) sent […]
Presentation Matters
Claire shot me a DM over Twitter: Quick question, if you have the time: I’m an office PA, mini septum nose piercing yay or nay? Or should I hide it and feel it out first…? First of all, you’re in Hollywood. A nose piercing is probably less shocking than nothing at all.{{1}} I doubt if […]
Debating Actors
There’s an old TAPA post about wrangling extras that still gets comments from time to time, because it has some unflattering things to say about background actors. Extras are basically untalented actors… They tend to not listen to instruction, dawdle, or just plain wander off. If you’ve ever been a camp counselor or grade school […]
So You Want to Become a Suit
Jessica asks: First of all, thank you so much for all that you do. I am incredibly grateful for everything your blog and all of the information you provide. You are awesome. I have lived in LA for 5 years now—began as a barista who knew no one until I finally got a Costume PA […]
Being an Actor Is Really Hard
Gina writes in: Hey there ! I hope you’re having a great Memorial Day weekend. I stumbled across your blog today while job searching. I am an actress trying to get started out in LA and working my booty off to pay my rent. I just hate how my everyday job isn’t helping me work […]
How To Make an Appointment When You Don’t Know Your Schedule
wonderingeyeoftheeverydaytraveler commented on Friday’s post: Unless you’ve all found weekend hours ( do you even get weekends in the biz?) for this kind of thing, what about sick time for important stuff like doctor/dentist appointments? On most shows, you won’t know what your schedule is next week, much less next month or six months from […]
Calling in Sick
Joey writes in: A few days ago, I was referred to day play on a TV series by someone I had PA’d for once before, which I was really excited about. That morning, I woke up with the worse flu I’ve ever head. We’re talking vomiting, sweating, all the gross stuff. I know this is […]
The Final Stretch
The good people at Bebee lights have decided to sponsor Crew Call at the studio level. That puts us at slightly over halfway to our goal! If you live in Los Angeles, you’ve seen Night Lights by Bebee, even if you didn’t know what they were called. They’re the massive lights mounted on trucks, used […]
The Final Stretch
The good people at Bebee lights have decided to sponsor Crew Call at the studio level. That puts us at slightly over halfway to our goal! If you live in Los Angeles, you’ve seen Night Lights by Bebee, even if you didn’t know what they were called. They’re the massive lights mounted on trucks, used […]
Your Money Or Your Life
About a month ago, I received an email with the subject line, “Working on a low-budget feature…” I immediately thought, Uh-oh, because nobody ever writes me to say, “I’m working on this indie film, but despite its low budget, everyone is totally professional and completely reasonable about their expectations for the movie.” So, what’s the […]
Production Assistants Doing Union Work
Last week to support Crew Call! Contribute today. A reader, who I’ll call Ivan, wrote in about a tricky situation. I’m going to modify some of the details, to keep Ivan’s identity a secret, but the gist is the same– I’ve been hired as a set dec{{1}} PA on a big feature. I have been […]