The Anonymous Production Assistant

I Haven’t Been Paid Yet

Rachel writes in: I worked on a project over 6 months ago and I still haven’t been paid. I’ve emailed several times, to no avail. The coordinator who hired me is no longer involved with the project. Do you have any advice? Most productions will pay you a week or two after the end of […]

Brave New World

A friend of mine is working on a game show, and he related to me the following story: We have a lot of contestants on our show.  Like, a LOT.  Casting has more PA’s than production just to keep track of them all. When the contestants check in, we give them all name tags.  Along […]

Reality, TV

I had a strange experience yesterday. I saw someone I know on TV. Now, when you work in television, of course you see people you know, particularly if you watch the show you work on.  But this wasn’t a show I’ve ever worked for. What was strange is that I knew this guy before I […]

What’s in a Title?

Lyric writes: I am a new PA with big goals and I was called by a production company to be an Assistant Coordinator for a video game commercial. I am not too sure what the job entails but they know and I know that I can handle the workload. I wanted to know if you […]

Late Night Tours

PAs are often in the office (or on the set) before anyone else, and they’re the last ones to leave. It’s fun, because the inmates are in charge of the asylum, at least for a little while. One of my favorite things to do at those times is to walk around the set. It’s a […]

Not In The Budget?

The agency I once worked for was across the street from a high school. My boss said he liked the location because it reminded him of the old saying, “Hollywood is just high school with money.” (His other favorite saying was, “Farmers farm, plumbers plumb, and agents lie.” I learned more from him than he […]