It’s About Time (Or: Yes, I’m Back)
Several people have commented or tweeted that I haven’t written anything in a while. The reason is, basically, this blog was started nearly five years ago, with over 650 posts. That’s quite a bit of material about a job a monkey could do. Eventually, you just run out of things to write. But don’t worry, […]
Things to Inspire You (Plus a Correction)
First of all, if you haven’t read this Cracked article, you should. It is either the most inspiring or most depressing thing you will read all year. * * * Shadya has a response to yesterday’s post, where I advised Alex not to just walk into a production office: Yes, I would say to go […]
Walk Right In
Alex writes: My friend and I are approximately 3 weeks away from departure to New Orleans and we are trying to figure out the best way to find our first PA jobs. We have heard from some people we know that are already there that it is better to simply walk into production offices and […]
Knowing People in High Places
Jack writes writes in: I’m planning a move to LA in February next year to become a TV writer. I have a friend in development at a major network and another contact that executively produces a cable series. I’ve already met with them, they know I’m moving, and have offered to help and read anything […]
Production Meetings
Kara writes in: I have been talking to an AD for a TV show about getting a job as a Set PA for their upcoming season. He has contacted me about setting up an interview, but this happened a couple of weeks ago and I haven’t heard from him since. Thanks to social media, I […]
How To Pad Your Resume…
…without actually lying. Chris writes: I was what you might call a “day player” on a game show a few days ago. Is this experience worth mentioning in a résumé and cover letter, or is it better left unsaid — perhaps even reserved for an interview? First, don’t accent the accented é’s in “resume.” We’re […]
Resume Basics
Received a few resumes from some youngsters. (When did I get so old? Oh God, am I The Old PA?! Nooooooo!) They were rife with rookie mistakes. I’ve said all these things on the blog before, but for those of you who might be too busy (i.e. lazy) to go back through the annals, here’s a […]
How to Become a Producer
Dylan writes: I just graduated in May and I plan on moving to LA at the soonest possible time. My question, though, is this: what exactly is the best route to producing features? I’ve heard advice to get an office PA job and try my best to attach myself to a producer that will take […]
Should I Mention that I’m Moving?
Mike asks: In two months I am moving to Los Angeles, and am wondering how to go about mentioning this in my cover letter. Does it just take a sentence or two? I know you’ve stressed being as brief as possible. As per the advice of my industry friends, they have prompted me to get […]
Agent’s Assistant (Experience Required)
An anonymous reader writes in: I interned at a sports agency for a summer. Through a couple people I knew, I was able to get interviews set up with Gersh, ICM and WME. However, none of them worked out. My experience is just not enough, and every job I look at seems to say “1-2 […]
Am I Really Hired?
Kacy writes: I was hired as a PA on a new show for a big company. They weren’t sure when production would be starting and said they would email me once they had more information. They thought production would start sometime around mid-August. It’s mid-August and I haven’t received anything yet. I have emailed and […]
Follow Me
If you subscribe to TAPA’s RSS feed, you might be wondering why I haven’t uploaded the UTA Joblist lately. That’s because you’re not following me on Twitter or liking me on Facebook. You should do that. I have been updating the joblist as regularly as ever, but I just decided to stop wasting blog space with straight […]