Don’t Be An Asshole
Everyone is going nuts right now because NBC fired Dan Harmon from his show, COMMUNITY. I’m not allowed to voice my opinion in real life, because friends of mine work on that show and because I’m friends-in-law with Dan. So I’m going to blog about it instead. If you’re an asshole who insists on wallowing […]
Can I Take My Computer In There With Me?
Sometimes, a PA task requires you to go into another room and work all by yourself. Prepping wrap gifts and proofreading the script and making ID badges have all sent me to production office exile. I could not – in a million years – dream of asking, “Can I take my computer in there with […]
Female Dress Code
RL asks: What do female set PA’s normally wear on the job? Do I need to get a fanny pack? Cargo pants? Or are jeans ok? Ashley and VancouverPA have already chimed in, but since it’s my pseudonym on the blog, I figured I should answer the question, too. You’re right to ask what a female PA should […]
A New Way to Network
Walking around the lot today, I ran into a UPM I worked for last year. During that show, she had recommended I read a book that was very important to her life. (She also claimed it was the second most read book in the world, but that isn’t actually true.) Anyway, I had read the […]
Comment Corner
Mae commented on last week’s post about the Bitch Pack. She’s in a difficult situation, and I thought it would be worth posting on the main page: As a female assistant to a female CEO, your interview with LA Women touched on so many issues that arise in the workplace every day. It is virtually […]
First Day Jitters
I’ve spent my fair share of time in production offices. From sea to shining sea. Well… from Brentwood to Burbank. And in all of those offices, I’ve experienced the same emotion on my first day: Nervousness. There’s no good reason for me to be anxious. Relatively little is expected of a PA on their first […]
Flat Rate
Jillian writes: I recently went on an interview for a production assistant position. I had been responding to an ad that had very little useful information on it, besides the shoot dates. During the interview, I asked what the production was and the rate. They told me they could not reveal any information about the […]
Meisner
If you hang around base camp long enough, you’ll start to hear actors talking about the Meisner technique. It seems to have replaced Method acting as the go-to acting fad. Near as I can tell, Meisner is a series of rehearsal practices designed to make the performer look like as big of an ass as […]
It’s Good to Be the Coordinator
Here are some important facts about the SSC Ultimate Aero: it costs $654,400. With a top speed of 257mph, it was the fastest street legal car for three years in a row. Only twenty-five have even been made. Why am I telling you all this? Because it made a very special guest appearance on my […]
Computer Advice
You spend a lot of time at your computer, right? Here’s the thing– people who weren’t raised with computers (i.e. anyone over the age of 30) don’t see sitting at a computer as work. They think you’re goofing off, playing on Facebook or something. Here’s what you need to do, instead– do. not. sit. at. […]
Revisions, Or: When Five Figures Isn’t Enough To Do It Right the First Time
Paul writes: When the hell are the pages going to come?!! A very valid question. The answer is, as always, they’ll get here when they get here. If you’ve never been the late shift PA, it’s hard to appreciate the agony of waiting for scripts to come out. This may come as a shock to […]
Taxes: A Follow-Up
Filed my taxes this morning. NGL: 2011 was a good year. My accountant even remarked, “Wow. It looks like you’ve been working a lot.” Why yes, I have. Here’s what she was able to write off for me: Home office and utilities.{{1}} My iPhone 4 Mac OS X Snow Leopard Gas, oil changes, new tires, […]