Choosing Between Gigs
Ryan writes in about being forced to choose between jobs: A predicament that I had earlier this summer was that I was offered an Additional PA gig on a TV show for one day at the time, but with the opportunity for more days; but I was simultaneously offered a six-week Set PA gig on […]
Getting Hired as Local Crew
Deborah writes in about getting hired as local crew: I emailed the 1st AD of a tv show that will be filming in [my city] for a couple weeks. I let him know that I don’t have experience, but I am willing to work for free just to get the chance to help production out. […]
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 […]
How Fast Do You Type?
As an office PA, you’re going to do a lot of typing. Like, a lot. Emails, lunch reports, wrap reports, production reports, call sheets. (Those last two aren’t technically your responsibility, but trust me, you’re going to have to modify them, anyway.) Typing fast gives you an advantage, as long as it’s accurate. Double check […]
Get Your Resume Fixed Now!
For a while now, we here at TAPA have been offering a resume editing service to production assistants and others in Hollywood. You see, production resumes look very different from traditional resumes, and it’s just not common knowledge. Plus, we’ve learned a lot of tips and tricks over the years to make your resume more […]
How Long Should a Cover Letter Be
Last week, I was helping a reader with her cover letter, and she asked if multiple paragraphs would deter the recipient from reading the whole thing. Not at all! You absolutely should break your email up into small, digestible paragraphs. A big block of text looks like a novel; short, punchy paragraphs look like a […]
Resume Categories
Gina writes in: I’ve been looking up production resumes and I was wondering whether it’s best to organize my jobs by type (film, tv, commercial, etc) or position (pa, designer, director, etc)? Love your website, thanks for being so diligent in updating. To start, no resume should list both “production assistant” and “director.” If you […]
Does a Criminal Record Affect Your Job Prospects?
Ellie writes in: I love your blog! It’s a great source of information and so entertaining. I’m interested in becoming a PA (I’m sure you hear that alot). However, I made some bad choices in my past (6-8 years ago). I now have a criminal record. Not that there’s any excuse but I was going […]
How to Get Your First Job as a Hollywood Assistant
I recently discovered the website Any Possibility, mostly because they linked to TAPA on a recent post. It’s written by Sam Wilson, an experienced assistant at several literary{{1}} agencies. I know of lot of readers, like me, want to be represented by one of those agencies some day. She offers a very insiders view of […]
Open Crew Calls
Steph writes in: I was wondering if it was a bad idea to submit an Office PA resume/cover letter to an open crew call that says all positions welcome to apply. Or are they only wanting Set PA, Art PA inquiries? Keep up the amazing blog! Truth be told, when you see an open call […]
The Anonymous Production Assistant Book
The Anonymous Production Assistant has been around for eight years. Eight years. That means, if you’re graduating from film school now, this blog has been going since you were in junior high. In that time, there has been over a thousand blog posts, hundreds of answered questions, two score podcast episodes, a half-dozen TAPAs, and […]
That Special Connection
Aaron writes in: I work for a writer (I walk her dogs), and she knows that I want to be a writer, as well. She used to work at one of the major networks, and has sold several scripts. She has told me that she will look around for PA jobs, and specifically writer PA […]