Clean Up
After you’ve been in the Industry long enough, it’s hard to watch good television without thinking about how hard it must’ve been to make. Take this week’s episode of Community. The scope of the show is usually fairly limited, with a couple of standing sets and some location shooting at Los Angeles City College. But […]
Someone Actually Likes PA Bootcamp
Regular readers know I have a spotty history with PA Bootcamp [sic]. It was fun baiting them for a while, but it got to be repetitive and dull. I still get emails asking about the service pretty regularly, and I just refer them to my comments section. Just today, though, I got an incoming link from […]
No Lions
rather pathetic comments: great example here people. if you work long enough as a PA, you will hate life. please please please take this blog with a grain of salt. A few years ago, the Internet went down in my dorm. Everyone got super annoyed. What’s going on? Who are the morons running this place? […]
Voice Recognition
Do you know who this is?
Cover Letter
Bryan writes in: I have been out of work since December and I am dying to get back to work. I read what you had to say about cover letters and it makes sense but I am having a difficult time simplifying it. I have been sending out resumes like a mad man and I […]
The Prevalence of Asshole ADs
Anonymous Base Camp PA writes… Well, actually, first let me explain what “base camp” is, for those who may not know. You ever see a usually-empty parking lot full with unlabeled white semi-trucks and trailers? That’s base camp. It’s where the physical production is based, specifically the AD trailer. Even if you’re shooting on stage […]
NYC Vs. Los Angeles
First off, I’d like to congratulate friend-of-the-blog Elana on her newborn. You can read all about the birth/near-death here. Also, if you haven’t read her posts “Life of a Pseudo-Writer” and “Life of a Pseudo-Writer II,” you should. On to PA business. Tom writes: I have made the switch from being a stagehand to being […]
Paying Off Debt
If you’re curious about working in Canada, be sure to check out yesterday’s comments. Which reminds me, I recently got another email from America Jr: As a recent Canadian(Vancouver) graduate from film school I am in debts from upwards of 5000$. I quit my regular serving job in the summer to be available for on-call […]
No Experience Necessary! (Some Experience Required)
Leala writes: Ok, I keep reading “no experience” needed to PA. So why it so hard to land a PA job? I actually have some experience -film school, student projects, independent projects, game show pilot, award shows, major network webisode and even dayplayed in the production office of a network TV show. I get Production […]
Atlanta Isn’t Burning (With Jobs)
Kyle writes in: I recently stumbled across your blog and have really enjoyed the reading. I have a few questions I was hoping you might give some advice on. I have interned as a P.A. on a few different occasions for editing studios in Atlanta, Ga. However, now that I have graduated I am finding […]
Does Age Matter? – II
Adam writes in with another age-related question: How old are most office and set production assistants? I mean, ignoring the happenstance of Hollywood, not to mention just finding those first few jobs, isn’t one looking at a commitment of several years just as PA before even the possibility of moving to a position higher up […]
Does Age Matter?
Reader Dan writes: I am 17, soon to be 18. When I am 18, or sort of maybe a few months after I’m 18, I wanted to be a PA for reality tlelevision. I’m worried I’m a bit too young to do this. I’ll be ready late this year or early 2010, depending on how […]