How to Move Jobs and Cities at the Same Time
Stuck in New York{{1}} writes: I am currently located in NY and want to move to LA. I have worked in post-production as a transcriber and assistant editor for 3 years on different reality shows and it stains my soul. I want to be in a writer’s room or have a position that writing is […]
Ageism in Hollywood
Dianne writes in about ageism in Hollywood: Like most people who patrol your site I’m seeking work in the industry. However, I finished college 8 years ago and my major was in English and Creative Writing, and my internship (though competitive) was with a newspaper in Oregon. I would happily intern for no money to […]
Going Hollywood
A great many people are sucked in by the glamour of Hollywood. Your first day, you find yourself surrounded by beautiful actor, talented artists, and an endless supply of craft services.
Why Are All the PA Jobs Listed for a Limited Time?
Diana writes in about job listings that appear to be for limited time-frame gigs– I am looking for some PA jobs but most of them are only set for a certain amount of time like a week or a few months. I thought PA’s were a permanent position. How long does the average Production Assistant […]
Hustle
Ahoy TAPA readers! My name is Kate Lupo and I want to talk to you today about a very important word here in Hollywood. Hustle. That’s right: pure, sparkling, brilliant HUSTLE. I got off the phone today with the head of HR at one of the top management companies in the industry and we discussed […]
Confirm Your Schedule
The turning of the calendar got me thinking about dates, and scheduling. This is always a major headache in Hollywood, because you’re working with a lot of busy, important people who want to prove they’re important by pretending to be busy. As an assistant or a PA, scheduling a meeting can be difficult, especially when […]
Two Sides to Hollywood
When someone contacts me about my resume service, the first thing I ask is, “Do you want to be a PA, or an assistant?” Because, you see, there are two sides to Hollywood: the business side, and the production side. Here, I’m using “production” in the broadest sense, encompassing every department from art to editorial. […]
What To Do When You Don’t Get Paid
Ginny writes in about what to do when you’re not paid on time (or at all)– Hope all is well. I’ve got a question. So I worked on a production a month back in Atlanta. I still haven’t gotten paid (for the day), and now I’m hearing that the production was shut down. Accounting and […]
No Entertainment Industry Experience
Sally, one of my Patreon supporters, writes in about lacking entertainment industry experience: Thank you again for this week’s list! If you don’t mind and have a minute, would you please comment on my question for you? I want to be in the office and I have administrative experience, however, about 95% of the positions […]
The End of Year Slowdown
I was talking with producer Chris about an episode of Crew Call he recorded last night{{1}} One of the topics that came up was the holiday slowdown in Hollywood. Some of my newbie readers may not be aware of this phenomenon, so I thought now would be a good time to explain. Nothing Happens Between […]
Reconnecting Just to Ask for a Job
Fred writes in about reconnecting with an old boss: So, a field producer I worked for a couple years ago (I was a PA) recently started working on a show that I like. I haven’t actually spoken to him in maybe a year or so, but I want to ask him if he could pass […]
Crew Call is Back!
Crew Call, the below-the-line podcast, is back for another season on iTunes!{{1}} Some of you may recall that TAPA created a podcast a couple years ago, wherein I interviewed below-the-line crew–DPs, editors, and so on. But because it was so time consuming and expensive, we only made one season. I was saddened by that, because […]