How’s My Hosting?
TAPAlooza III: Season of the Witch{{1}} was last night. Considering it was a weeknight at a wine bar, the vibe was a lot different than the last two meet-ups. The problem with most networking events is that the people who go are people who need jobs, which is why they’re attending the event in the […]
Reality Television is Very Different
D writes in: I have a few friends in the industry who have told me to NEVER work in reality production. I recently moved back to LA from Atlanta and have a lot of experience producing independent film and TV. I know the game is bigger in LA and am happy to start off working […]
A Link to the Past
It’s finally hiatus! So, instead of writing a post, I’m just going to recommend a bunch of links. First up, some fellow below-the-line bloggers have plugged my Kickstarter campaign for Crew Call: The Below the Line Podcast.{{1}} Mike Taylor was kind enough to be the first test-case guest. He seems to think he didn’t do […]
Some Paperwork Matters
If you’re wondering why I haven’t posted in a bit, it’s because I’ve been spending may days buried in binders. Which is unfortunate, because some cool things have happened. (More on that in a minute.) Mostly it feels like picking up diamonds on a deserted island, saving them in case we get rescued. The majority […]
What So Good About Friday? Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying And Love Union Holidays
Today is Good Friday, the day Catholics and Mainline Protestants commemorate the death of Jesus. Good Friday is always the Friday before Easter, which is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the vernal equinox. Why does this matter to you? Because Good Friday is a union holiday. So is Easter,{{CORRECTION}} but seriously, […]
You Need To Learn How To Write
I don’t mean you need to learn how to create believable characters and craft interesting stories. I mean, you need to learn how to write legibly. Even this late in the season (three days to go!), we get new crew members almost every day. Usually they’re day players, but it doesn’t matter if you’re here […]
A High Class Problem: How to Choose Between Two Offers
Nick writes in: I recently was called by a Production Coordinator I’ve worked with previously for an Office PA position on a TV show. He mentioned the show’s producer/writer was also in need of an assistant, and if I preferred I could take that position. Which position make the most sense to take from a […]
Your First Day on Set
Below is a reprint of a guest post I wrote for the Work in Entertainment blog. If you’ve never worked on set, you should give it a read. It covers everything: where to go, who to talk to, what you’re going to eat.{{1}} And if you haven’t heard of Work in Entertainment, you should definitely […]
What’s Taking So Long?
Different types of shows have their own rhythms. Multi-camera shows build slowly, from a simple table read and maybe a rehearsal on day one, all the way up to the full-0n craziness of a 16 hour shoot night. Single-camera comedies can be a grind, because something is always going on, whether it’s a tech scout or […]
The Next TAPA Meetup Is Happening!
So this is going to be a monthly thing, now. We’ll all get together, get drunk, and complain about how little PAs get paid. Because I really hate it when groups meet up at the same time at the same place for every gathering, I’m shaking things up a bit. First of all, we’ll be […]
Wrap Binders, Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying And Love Wasting Paper
If you don’t know what wrap binders are, take a moment to bask in the beautiful bliss that is your ignorance. Your world is a magical one, but it is one I can be a part of no longer. Wrap binders might just be the biggest waste of time, space, and paper in a business […]
Looking for the Next Gig
First up: a reminder to check out the Kickstarter campaign for Crew Call. On to the real topic of the day! Holly writes in with a question that a lot of people can probably relate to right about now: With a little over a week left of shooting, talk of “the next show” has already […]