Tell Me About Yourself
Carlos asks: On an interview, what do you say when they ask that question: “Can you tell me about yourself?” Should I be brief and just talk about what I want to do (be a producer) and go over my resume, or you should mention where you studied, skills, etc. Whats the best way to […]
The Movie Next Door
Will writes in with a story that comes up quite a bit in Los Angeles: A movie is currently filming literally down the street from me. It’s a Hollywood film being produced by Paramount, as that was stamped on one of their vehicles. I know they are all staffed up since they are already filming. […]
Applying for a Job While You Have a Job
Nick writes in: I’m nervous to apply to some shows because the company I work for may do work with said show. Have you ever had a circumstance where you applied to a job where someone was connected with your current job? I haven’t, and I can’t really imagine it happening. Why would the coordinator […]
Amateur Resume Mistakes
Mark writes in: I came across your blog while searching for tips on CV-s and cover letters. I found a lot of helpful advice, but none about putting your photo in the CV. I know it’s not common to embed photos in your resume for the production intern positions, but it seems to me that […]
Reviving Old Contacts
R.O. writes in: Love your blog! Please keep posting 🙂 I have a question that I haven’t seen being addressed. Since my situation is a bit specific, I wanted to go ahead and throw it out there. I got a film degree and “worked” (a.k.a did a bunch of stuff for no pay) for 3 […]
Don’t Slave Your Resume to IMDb
I’ve noticed a pattern among clients of my resume service. One of the first things I ask people to do is give me a list of every movie, show, commercial, video, or whatever that they’ve ever worked on. Even if it was just for a day, or all you did was deliver some DVDs to […]
Your Rate Quote
Rob asks: I’m working on getting a PA position, and the coordinator wants me to give her my last 3 weekly rates. She says it’s studio policy. I’m wondering if this is a normal practice or is this a trap? Am I allowed to stretch the truth a little here, in order to hopefully get […]
Gratitude
Kara writes in: I recently got offered a small PA gig and found out I had been recommended for it by a PM I worked under last month. I’m not in regular contact with her, so would it be appropriate to drop her a email, or maybe a message on facebook, thanking her for the […]
How to Interview
[Redacted]{{1}} asks: I just got a call to come in for an interview next week on a new show. Over the past decade of my production experience, every significant job I’ve had came from word-of-mouth, friends, people I’ve worked with before, etc. – I’d never even had a resume till recently, and I’ve never actually […]
Working Title
Gabrielle writes in (via Twitter, which is why it’s so short): The movie I worked on is still in pro&working under a mock title does the m.t. or the actual name go on the resume? This is similar to a question Melissa asked a couple months ago, but it still bears addressing. I’m assuming you […]
Should I Send My Resume Twice?
T writes in: Omg, I made changes to my resume based on your resume advice and there’s already a huge improvement. Is it a bad idea to resend your resume to a company you just applied too? I know it’s probably a really stupid question but I know the one I have now is soooo […]
Job Offer I Don’t Want
A Canadian reader wrote in– I recently moved to a big city in Canada to work in the film/tv industry. I graduated from uni last year and I thought I wanted to do editing. Then I did editing at a small company in my hometown and realized that it was not what I dreamed it […]