Call (Sheet) Me, Maybe
As an office PA, one of your jobs is to email the call sheet to the cast and crew. This is not a difficult or complicated task, but it is an important one. In fact, you cannot make a mistake on any part of it, or it could screw up the entire production. So, it […]
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 […]
One Subject Per Email
The One Subject Email You probably noticed people are busy. Like, all the time. Even when they have a moment to relax, they’ll probably spend that moment whipping out their cell phone and checking Reddit. I’m not criticizing or praising this trend. It’s simply the way life is now. You need to deal with this […]
The Match Game
This is another one of those things I keep seeing when I help people with their resume and cover letter: the name on your resume needs to match the name on your email address. This is especially true of Gmail accounts, since it’s probably the most common email out there, both for individuals and for […]
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 […]
Email Miscellany
I’ve noticed a trend in emails, lately– footers that are dozens of lines long. This is a bad trend. Don’t do it. The end of your email should look like this: Best, [name]{{1}} (###) ###-####{{2}} That’s it. Done. Press send. Maybe put your email address, if you want to be doubly sure the recipient has […]
Resume Paper
Eric writes in: When I go to an interview, should I print out my resume on nice resume paper or is regular copy paper okay? In the past, I used nice resume paper because I had a lot, but now I am out. I’m wondering if I should spend the money when they usually print […]
Don’t Call People “Cunt”
You’d think that would go unsaid, but apparently not. Xaviar wrote me on Facebook: Enjoying your site I,m a comedy writer, stand up artist, & have a business which I label as a “Comedy Resource Specialist providing all comedy services. I still have a lot of goals to achieve but I’m at this crossroad where […]
On the Subject of Subect Lines
Yesterday’s post was on the topic of when to move on. Here’s the subject line from the original email: To Grow My Hair, Or Chop It Off And Start Fresh? Now, that’s a lovely metaphor and everything, but seriously, this does not tell me what the email is about. I actually thought she was asking […]
How Reply All Works (And BCC, Too)
It’s been called to my attention that I left out an important aspect of email yesterday— reply all. Once again, ugh. I can’t believe I have to write this post. There is one, and only one, circumstance in which you should hit the reply all button: if everyone on the CC chain needs to see […]
Send Button Anxiety
“Hey, TAPA, can you send out tomorrow’s call sheet? The email is already saved in the ‘Drafts’ folder.” That’s how it starts. Pretty soon, you’re drafting the email yourself. After that, the 2nd AD is emailing them to you directly instead of to the secretary (or APOC, in some cases). After you’ve drafted the email […]
Emailing Strangers
Danielle asks: I recently graduated college, during which I had internships on the corporate side of three different television stations (all headquartered in NYC). Since graduating, I’m looking to move into the production side but don’t have the contact base required, since the stations outsourced to external production houses. Through some serious stalking, I uncovered […]