I’ll Be the BEST Intern Ever!
An anonymous reader writes: I’ve recently started working full-time as an “intern” for the president of production at a production company. I am the only intern in the office, making me an assistant really, rather than an intern. What makes me an intern is that I don’t get paid. I have given a commitment of […]
My Favorite! – Comic
This has happened more times than I care to admit.
What the Hell Are Purchase Orders?
A PA who shall remain nameless (for soon-to-be-obvious reasons) writes in: I’m PAing for my first big production, and my coordinator just told me that since we don’t have open accounts yet, I should use POs for the stuff we order. She already had taken some time to show me some stuff that needed to […]
Crafty Service – Comic
This story is 100% true. [glossary]Craft Service[/glossary] really is required to pick up horse manure. This comes up less often than it used to, when every other movie was a Western, which is why it always comes as a surprise.
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 […]
Many Departments, One Screw Up
Over at the Hills are Burning blog, AJ has a great post about how you need to take responsibility for your own time card. Basically, the best boy grip on one of her shows told her he doesn’t bother keeping track of in and out times on his department’s time cards, because all of that […]
Accepting Friends
Brittany writes in (via Facebook): Hi TAPA, what better way to ask a question about Facebook, then via FB message? I’m wondering where you come down on adding other crew members (including those that are above you) or cast as friends on Facebook. What if THEY friend request you? Should you wait until the project […]
Dan Harmon Apologizes & The Black Swan Interns Win
If you’re not a fan of Community, you may not have heard about the whole Dan Harmon saga. Basically, he created a funny show, then got fired being kind of a jerk, and the show went on without him. The season was generally reviled, but Community is still coming back next fall, somehow. NBC decided […]
Perks of Being an Assistant
Sasha writes in: Can you talk a little about the following, in regards to PAs AND Director/Producer assistants for a mid- to big- budget feature? – Box rentals/kit fees – Vehicle costs/mileage reimbursement – Cell phone usage – Meal allowance – Overtime when working on a weekly rate For those of you who are new […]
What Is Success?
Mike, the Hollywood Juicer, sent me an interesting blog post written by Gorman Bechard. You should read it. Seriously, click on that link, then come on back. I’ll wait. You’re back? Great! Some of you, I’m sure, cheated, expecting that I would quote the relevant parts to explain the point I’m getting at. Well, I […]
How to Get on The List
Korey writes in: I was curious about how to go about contacting productions directly to be added to their “available list” for PA work. I know that a lot of productions operate under several different companies, and the information available on IMDb Pro isn’t always accurate. I live in Hollywood and have worked on some […]
Defending Yourself
Tuesday’s post about the idiot producer’s assistant on my show generated a lot of feedback. Some of it was violent (I hope they were kidding), but quite a few people suggested I should stand up for myself. It sounds fun in theory, but here’s where I put my practical hat on. While proclaiming your innocence […]