The Anonymous Production Assistant

Line Producer Jason Roberts | Crew Call

The first episode of the latest season of Crew Call is online now! Check out our chat with line producer Jason Roberts. He takes us through his entire career, from PA to Producer, and has great advice for everyone who wants to follow that path. (The audio version will be available soon.)

Fire Watch With Me

Fire on the Backdraft attraction at Universal Studios

Lauren tweeted a question at me: @TheAnonymousPA Hey TAPA this might be a dumb question but I’m just starting to get more professional gigs. When I’m on fire watch do I count as available? I.e. if someone asks for something flown in elsewhere I can’t leave my post right? Even if everyone else is on […]

How to Choose Your Credit

Naked Gun 2 1/2 Credits

Larry writes in about choosing the proper credit: I just worked on a show as a PA and the director said I could have an AD credit instead if I wanted, because the crew was so small (6-7 people) that’s what I ended up actually doing. This is the second show where I’ve been hired […]

What Is a Hollywood Assistant?

Dwight Assistant Regional Manager

I frequently get emails from new readers who are confused about what an assistant in Hollywood actually is.There are a lot of jobs in Hollywood with the word “assistant” in the title, which can be very misleading to someone new to the Industry. These seem like entry-level positions, but many of them are not; in […]

How Not To Approach a Production Office

Angie writes in about how to approach a production office: I have a friend who’s well connected in the local industry (not Hollywood, but there are noteworthy productions around) They have kindly provided me with the phone numbers and addresses of the production offices for those shows. Understandably, they do not want me sharing how […]

Who Do You Work For?

Judging by the comments on last week’s post, I’ve been a little too cute when discussing the question of who you work for. The truth is, there are several valid answers, depending on what you really want to know. Working on a film or television production is not really the same as working for the […]

Joining the DGA

Madeline writes in: I have a lot of questions and they relate to DGA so I apologise if they aren’t the right questions for this blog. I did try to do my own DGA research but I’m very confused. Once your in the DGA, are you allowed to have multiple titles? e.g be a UMP […]

Seeking Decent ADs and Coordinators

It’s very easy to complain about your boss. Nobody likes to be told what to do, and the very definition of “boss” is someone who tells you what to do. Sometimes they’re crazy or irrational or just plain mean. But you know what? There are some good ones out there, too. And I’d like to […]

How Long Is This Gonna Take

Ryan writes in: I’ve seen you answer questions from people asking if they’re too young to be a PA, but I’ve only seen one person who said they’re too old, and they were 24. I’m 28 , soon to be 29, and I’m looking to change careers. I’ve got a little bit of cash saved […]