The Right Title
Alex writes: I got my first big PA job! A friend in the camera dept. put a good name in for me. I’m a 3D Camera PA for [REDACTED]. I was just curious how I should put that on my resume. Do I specify what kind of PA I am or just put Set PA […]
From Extra to PA
Kate writes in: What do you think about someone who works as an extra (background) to network with crew? I laughingly find it easy to get a job as an extra (they call me pretty often), but harder to get a job as a PA, since that’s a “who you know” job versus a “what […]
Should I Call When They Ask Me To Call?
A reader whose name I will withhold for obvious reasons writes– I’m a recent film graduate, and will be moving to LA soon. Not too long ago, a casting producer of [Big Time Reality Show] came to my school to give a presentation on reality TV. After the presentation, I introduced myself and told her […]
If You Didn’t Get Credit, Does It Still Go On Your Resume?
Melissa asks: A few months ago, I helped a director on his low-budget film for about 4 weeks. It ended up being a huge mistake (he took advantage of my inexperience), and I didn’t receive any credit for it on IMDb. Can I still put it on my resume? Yes, you can! It doesn’t matter […]
Immigrant Workers
Reader Luciana writes: I’m writing to you from the other side of the world, Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Nowadays mostly known as the country of the new Pope.) As an experienced media producer, I’m considering the possibility of going to the US and trying to get a job in the TV/film industry over there, since in […]
A Random Collection of Resume Tips
After helping over a hundred people with my resume service, I’ve noticed certain mistakes seem to crop up repeatedly. So, here’s some tips in no particular order: Don’t include “social media proficiency” or something like that under your “skills.” Old people read that as “spends all day on Facebook.” Or possibly Myspace. Because, you know, […]
Should You Intern?
In the past week, many people have been talking about the Black Swan intern lawsuit, including The Business, Scriptnotes, and the Hollywood Reporter. Since I was an intern not terribly long ago, I figured I should weigh in.{{1}} Internships are either a great way to meet people and learn about the business, or the exploitation […]
Self-Serving Blog Post (That Might Help You, Too)
It’s been awhile since I’ve updated you on the state of the blog, so here goes. In the last week, since I’ve started blogging again, I’ve received over 2,000 readers every day. Tuesday and Wednesday, over 2,400, which is nearly a record. So, if you’re sharing the blog with your friends, it seems to be […]
Commitment
Matthew asks: I was wondering how do you deal with a company asking for a 1-2 year commitment. Of course I’m going to say yes if they’re asking for commitment. Are they just trying to scare the non-committed away? What are the consequences of leaving for a better job? Is it right for me to […]
Vacation Plans
Caroline writes: I just got a job as an office PA at a TV show production office. Unfortunately, I had a trip planned for a month into the job that I long before I was hired. Would it be unwise to request a half day on a Friday and offer to work extra other days […]
Faking It and Following Up
Seán commented on Wednesday’s post: Be careful with the template resume though; I dismiss resumes I get which are not for the job on offer and are just boilerplate stuff. A very good point. As best you can, you should include information given in the job posting, just to show you actually know what job […]
Post-Interview Thank You Note
Bianca asks: I just had an interview with a coordinator. What are your thoughts on sending a post-interview note? Is that appropriate and what would I want it to say? Yes, it’s perfectly okay to send a quick email after the interview. In my experience, it probably won’t do much good one way or the […]