The Anonymous Production Assistant

Is It Okay to Call a Stranger?

Beth writes in about calling a complete stranger: I’ve recently moved to LA and while I have been networking I don’t want to wait around for that to be the only way to get a job lead. I found the phone number of the AD on a tv show called [redacted]. I found it using […]

To Whom It May Concern

Laura writes in about the proper salutation for a cover letter: One quick question: Should I address the letter to the person who is collecting the resumes or the person hiring? This is an easy one: the person who’s hiring. That’s who you’re trying to impress with your experience and accomplishments. For most readers of […]

The One Time Being a Fan Got Me a Job

Generally speaking, it’s not a good idea to talk about being a great big fan of the show you’re applying for. This business attracts a lot of weirdos, which makes people extra cautious when deciding whether or not to hire someone. They’re going to be working with you 12 hours a day for the next […]

How Prevalent is Sexual Harassment in Hollywood?

Reader Jess wrote in response to this blog post on sexual harassment: Obviously each department is its own animal, but having worked the majority of my life on skeleton crew indies (with the exception of one major TV show when I was in school) I’m worried that getting any deeper into things is going to […]

How to Order Lunch for the Production Office

Chester writes in: I have my first PA gig next week, and I’m super nervous. I wanna come off looking like I know what I’m doing and not an amateur. One of my duties is handling lunch for the days I’m working. How do you go about taking lunch orders? Do you hand out menus […]

First Day in the Production Office

Photo by Roman Bozhko on Unsplash

Jerrica wrote in: I start an office PA position on a network show in a week and I was wondering If you had any advice for the first day/week. OR maybe a list of things to bring with you or make sure you have handy. I sort of want to be prepared since this a […]

Asking for Details About the Job

I received an email with the subject line, “I deserve to know the details right?” I’ll be upfront with you: the word “deserve” is a giant red flag, at least when you’re referring to yourself. It makes me think, “Ugh, this person is going to be a pain.” Even if you’re technically correct, and you […]

How Many Languages Do YOU Speak?

I had a coordinator once who was Vietnamese. She’s been in America for a couple of decades, so she didn’t have much of an accent, but she still occasionally got colloquialisms wrong. For instance, she would say, “Do you grab my drift?”{{1}} I understood what she was saying, obviously, but it still bumps you for […]

10 Responses to Lies I Get Told on Set

A New Orleans-based coordinator responded to Thursday’s post, and I felt it was worth calling everyone’s attention to: 10. I mostly rent PAs cars. When I ask for a personal vehicle to be used, you either get mileage or gas paid for. If a flat happens on the job, I work with accounting to get […]

Asking Too Many Questions

Tara writes in: I just graduated from college and got my first job as a Production Assistant for a talk show. I’ve done some freelance PAing and the biggest problem I seem to have is that I can’t find the balance between making sure I get everything right and asking too many questions. I understand […]

Let Me Get Back To You

close up of man talking on radio transmitter

There’s certain key phrases every PA should know: “Yes.” (Except when the answer is No.) “It won’t happen again.” “It’s Thursday. Yes, payroll checks are coming today.”

Here’s another one to add to your quiver: “I’ll look into that.”

Is It Too Late to Start?

John writes in with a few questions: Should I find out who the production coordinator is before I start sending out cover letters? I graduated film school but have no paying job experience or internships. I’m twenty-four, am I too old to start taking Craigslist listings and no-pay jobs to just get contacts? Where to […]