I Have This Conversation, Like, Five Times a Day
I really enjoy the Xtranormal videos production people have been posting on YouTube. In an effort to expand my media empire, I thought I’d create my own, about what it’s like answering the phone in a production office:
At the Sound of the Beep
Turns out, there was something I forgot to mention about phone etiquette in yesterday’s post. If a caller asks for someone who’s not there or unavailable, the first thing you do is offer alternatives– “Can I help you with something?” or “The coordinator’s not here, but the APOC is.” I worked on one show where […]
Phoning It In
As an office PA, if you’re not driving somewhere, you’re probably answering the phone. What surprises me is how many office PAs aren’t doing it right. Here’s a little refresher for those of you who think “Yeah?” is a perfectly acceptable salutation. When answering the phone, the correct greeting is, “[Show Title], this is [Your […]
Neither a Borrower Nor a Lender Be
This post is really for all my non-PA readers. And by “non-PAs,” I mean “old people.” As an office PA, people often ask to use my computer to look something up, check their email, whatever. And, I admit, I’m probably not doing anything important, or even work related. With a sample size verging on the […]
Objectives
Michael asks: Do you think that having “Objective: Seeking work as a Staff Set PA/Office PA or as an Additional PA/Dayplayer” on your resume is too broad of an objective? So far I have done some work as a Set PA on a couple major networks shows, but nothing as a office PA (I have […]
Making Friends
Jurebro commented on last week’s post: You mention that it’s hard to have a girlfriend while a PA because of the hours. Is it generally difficult to maintain relationships of any sort outside of work? I am interested in moving to Los Angeles to try to get my foot in the door, but I have […]
You Have It. Use it.
I can’t tell you how many times a day people call the office and ask to be connected to some other department. Or a department head rings because he can’t remember his own department’s extension. Or someone on set calls to be connected to someone else… who is also on set. I always want to […]
Demo Reel
Jordan recently commented on an old post about cover letters: Is it presumptuous to include a demo reel link in a resume if it is relevant? “If it is relevant,” I don’t imagine it would be presumptuous, but I can’t imagine a circumstance when it would be, at least for a production assistant. (Maybe you […]
Single Parents
Ki recently commented on an older post: I know that PA have long work hours. Do you think that it a single parent could handle this job? I’m not sure how to address this question with my usual sardonic wit. Being a single parent is difficult in ways I probably can’t imagine, and there’s nothing really […]
90% of success
Script Goddess had a fun post last week about filling as an AD on a commercial. This passage in particular caught my attention: Day 3 Exterior House. My first time directing trucks and production vehicles. As I was arriving at the location My key P.A. called in and said he’d be late. How late I […]
Don’t Be a Doormat
Something I neglected to mention in yesterday’s post— There must be, unfortunately, a limit to a PA’s kindness. Certain departments (I’m just gonna come right out and say it’s usually costumes) like to take advantage of friendly production assistants, if you’re not careful. For instance, sometimes mail gets delivered to the production office, rather than the department […]
Focus
Jared commented on yesterday’s post: I generally pick favorites and cater to them. There’s just no way i’m going to make everyone happy, so why try? When lunch is in my hands I cater to my bosses (POC, APOC,) and the ADs wants and needs. Those are the people who hire PAs in the future […]