It’s Not What You Know, It’s Who You Know… And Also What You Know
You’ve all heard the phrase, “It’s not what you know, it’s who you know.” The second part is true; the first part isn’t. Occasionally, yes, some no-talent, lazy, good-for-nothing jerk gets a job because of who they know. It doesn’t really happen all that often, though. The truth is, INWYKIWYK is more often a bitter […]
A Very Uncomfortable Position
Jo writes in: I started working as a PA for a TV show about 2 weeks ago. My issue is that one of the Key PAs is getting promoted and the UPM told me that I would be replacing her. I’m confident enough that I will be able to work as at Key PA, but […]
I’m a Talent Assistant. Now, What?
An anonymous reader writes in: I am a personal assistant to a well known actress, and she’s bringing me onto a big-ish shoot with her for the first time in a few weeks. Before working for this actress, I worked in production for about 5 years, but I never paid any attention to the talent […]
Many Kinds of PAs
First of all, what the hell, Warner Brothers? I feel like I can get onto the Universal lot with a smile and a jaunty doff of my cap. Anyway, moving on to the actual topic at hand. I received this tweet last week: @TheAnonymousPA Hi there, any chance you could do a blog about Post […]
Some Animals Are More Equal Than Others – Comic
Continuing from the last comic…
I Didn’t Do That
Long ago, I wrote the best answer to any failure on your part is, “It won’t happen again.” More recently, I explained why “I didn’t know” is a problematic answer. But do you know what the worst answer is? “I didn’t do that.” If you really, truly did not do whatever went wrong, you have […]
Extra Wrangling
Jay asks: I’m starting my first set PA job on a big-time scripted cable TV drama. I was just told that I’m the one who is going to oversee background (extras). I’m guessing I will be in charge of the non-union and SAG-AFTRA vouchers. What other duties should I expect, and what tips can other […]
I Didn’t Know I Didn’t Know
Every boss wants you to be proactive, to take care of things without checking with them every five minutes, to figure things out for yourself. Except, of course, when they don’t. Every once in awhile, I run into a situation like the following: the set PA called and said they needed a stand-by painter on […]
Some Animals Are Less Equal Than Others
What is about people not getting paid lately? An anonymous reader wrote in: I’ve heard it is common for independent films to not pay their PA’s, but is it weird if some PA’s are paid and others are not? When I started I was told that the film I am on is not paying their […]
My Favorite! – Comic
This has happened more times than I care to admit.
Other Jobs
Sometimes you just have to take another job outside of production.
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 […]