Money Can’t Buy Happiness
…but it can buy not-unhappiness. (I’m paraphrasing Adam Carolla, here.) (Yes, really.) (No, I’m not some kind of misogynist. I just think he’s funny, okay?) (Shut up.) Anyway. There are rich people who are sad. There are poor people who are happy. To a large degree, our ability to put up with things (or not) […]
Quit Whining
After reading the previous post, my wife slapped me across the email, and wrote, “Try doing my job for just one day, then you can tell me how difficult your job is.” I suppose it is better than pushing crates on a dock for a living.
Maybe I Should Quit
Here’s how I tell if someone is smarter than me– when they tell me something, I think to myself, “That makes perfect sense, and I never would have thought of it.” Case in point: I suspect a lot of people aren’t sure what’s the top idea in their mind at any given time. I’m often […]
What to Wear to an Interview
Patrick asks a question I’ve touched on before, but I think bears some detailed answering: What should I wear to an interview for a P.A. job? Should I dress formally? My dad used to tell me I should dress one level higher than the guy I’m interviewing with. If he’s wearing shorts, I should wear […]
Last Week to Vote
Okay, one more time. Please vote for my friend’s short, Asleep with the Angels, on OpenFilm.com. 82 of you have clicked on the link, but the leader has 643 votes! I get more readers than that on an average day. Asleep is in 20th place, which is clearly not right. It’s a damn good movie. It’s […]
We Don’t Need No Education
Commenting on yesterday’s post, Tom asked: Correct me if I am wrong but… Nobody cares if you have a college degree in the industry anyway. You are not wrong. Being a filmmaker, from the biggest producer to the lowliest PA, is not like being a doctor or engineer. If we screw up, nobody dies. You’ll just […]
Use What Ya Got
Edward writes: Recently, a new member of my family offered to introduce me to some people and help me get a job as a PA in L.A. (She works as a marketing executive for a major network.) Now, this sounds wonderful to me, but there are plenty of factors that make me think this must […]
Business Cards
Jake writes: You mentioned business cards in your latest post, “I made a few connections, had nice conversations, exchanged business cards (I carry one purporting to be a writer; there’s no need for a PA to have a business card).” Back in October, an AD told me to get business cards stat, in order to look more professional and […]
I Love Movies, Too
Sorry for the lack of postage, today. I had a networking thing this weekend, and I spent most of my free time crafting follow up messages. I did manage to listen to this week’s Doug Loves Movies. For those of you unfamiliar with Doug Benson, he does a (mostly) weekly podcast where he invites comedians […]
Following Up on a Social Contact
Ravenna writes: Recently my friend had a party and I started talking to her upstairs neighbor, who is a script supervisor on a great show. We got on really well and I am pretty sure she said they were “always looking for good people” to work on her show. Now, since I have zero experience […]
Patience
Conventional wisdom that tells us a guy should wait three days before calling a girl when she gives you her number. “That’s great dating advice, Anonymous,” you say, “but what does that have to do with being a production assistant?” I’m glad you asked. I was at a networking event last night. Just drinks at a […]
And That’s All I Have to Say About That
Last week, I told you about my friend and her favoritest director in the whole wide world. Brandon’s comment caught my attention: Finish the story! How’d she handle that extremely, uh, awkward situation? With all seriousness, I’d love to hear how she handled this/what the fallout was/how her post supervisor and/or coordinator handled it afterward. […]