It’s Not Your Fault
Wise words from Robin Williams (in full Serious Beard Mode) in Good Will Hunting, but just because it’s not your fault, doesn’t mean it’s not your responsability. Story Time Last week, I woke up to a text from one of my boss (an associate producer) asking to meet him at his boss (the producer)’s storage […]
Don’t Be Redundant
I’ve been noticing an issue lately when editing resumes: redundancy. You’ve got to fit everything on one page. Anything more than that looks ridiculous, especially for a production assistant. And when you reduce it all to a single sheet of paper, it can’t look cramped. Remember, these are people who are used to reading scripts; […]
How to Move Jobs and Cities at the Same Time
Stuck in New York{{1}} writes: I am currently located in NY and want to move to LA. I have worked in post-production as a transcriber and assistant editor for 3 years on different reality shows and it stains my soul. I want to be in a writer’s room or have a position that writing is […]
Ageism in Hollywood
Dianne writes in about ageism in Hollywood: Like most people who patrol your site I’m seeking work in the industry. However, I finished college 8 years ago and my major was in English and Creative Writing, and my internship (though competitive) was with a newspaper in Oregon. I would happily intern for no money to […]
Going Hollywood
A great many people are sucked in by the glamour of Hollywood. Your first day, you find yourself surrounded by beautiful actor, talented artists, and an endless supply of craft services.
Why Are All the PA Jobs Listed for a Limited Time?
Diana writes in about job listings that appear to be for limited time-frame gigs– I am looking for some PA jobs but most of them are only set for a certain amount of time like a week or a few months. I thought PA’s were a permanent position. How long does the average Production Assistant […]
Is It Okay to Call a Stranger?
Beth writes in about calling a complete stranger: I’ve recently moved to LA and while I have been networking I don’t want to wait around for that to be the only way to get a job lead. I found the phone number of the AD on a tv show called [redacted]. I found it using […]
Share Your Ice Cream Sandwich
When you’re a PA, it can be easy to feel separate from the higher ups. They’re older, more experienced, higher paid. It’s understandable that you might think of them as different or somehow special. While respecting aged wisdom is a good idea, don’t forget that producers, directors, and star are still people. Case in point: […]
When Do You Start Day Playing?
Elizabeth has a question about day playing on an old post: How early do you call for a day playing position? For instance I work a full time job as a PA at a VFX House but sometimes I have week days off. Should I call the day before? That day? Day playing is, by […]
What If the Pilot I Worked on Never Airs?
Vashti writes in: I was a PA on a pilot last month, but I still haven’t been told if it will become a series. What happens if it doesn’t? Will I get to work on a different series? If not, can I even put it on my resume? There isn’t even an IMDb page for it. Most […]
Hustle
Ahoy TAPA readers! My name is Kate Lupo and I want to talk to you today about a very important word here in Hollywood. Hustle. That’s right: pure, sparkling, brilliant HUSTLE. I got off the phone today with the head of HR at one of the top management companies in the industry and we discussed […]
Reimbursement for Uber
Frank writes in about getting reimbursed for riding Uber: I chanced into a PA job with a very nice producer this past week. I had seen a “notice of filming” sign they post around LA, left a message on the number saying I’m an actor and am familiar with film sets if they need to […]