Reading Material
I’ve been gearing up for the next TAPA Networking Event (Saturday, March 31st, mark your calendar!). We’ve got some guests lined up, including an Academy Award-nominated animation director. Names and location will be announced as soon as everything is finalized. In the meantime, I thought I’d share some stuff from around the internet that I’m […]
Please Don’t Vote for Donald Trump
This isn’t a political blog, so I usually eschew politics. But, the Oscars{{1}} are over and today is Super Tuesday, so that’s all anyone is talking about in the office. I’m not going to write about policies or issues, since I don’t know enough to intelligently debate such things. What I do know is celebrities. […]
In Defense of the Valley
I was exchanging emails with a reader about my resume service, and at one point, he wrote this: I just got hired for my first assistant position (for a writer/director) out in the valley. I hope it’s not porn. People make fun of the San Fernando Valley a lot, and that’s fine. It is kinda […]
Copyright Infringement
Yesterday, I got a bizarre email, with the above headline as the subject. I’ve never had anything like it before. I was using a random photo I found on the internet to illustrate a point about a certain product or service we PAs use all the time. Now, it’s not my photo, and the owner […]
How to Write a Blog
Matt wrote in: I just finished reading your post “It’s Not What You Know, It’s Who You Know..And Also What You Know.” I agree, what you know is super important, and people need to know what you know. I keep hearing how industry bloggers get career opportunities because their blog is like an easily accessible […]
It’s Labor Day!
What are you doing, reading my blog on a day off? Go to the beach or something.
Women in Horror Month
Welp, the Oscars are over (not that I had many opinions on that). More importantly, the film I was on is over, so I don’t have any good set stories to talk about. Having some time on my hands, I decided to read up on Women in Horror Month. If you’re not a fan of […]
How to Write
“A pretty stenographer that you’ve seen before comes into the room and you watch her—idly. She doesn’t see you although you’re very close to her. She takes off her gloves, opens her purse, and dumps it out on the table—” Stahr stood up, tossing his key-ring on his desk. “She has two dimes and a […]
How I Spent My Summer Hiatus
It’s hiatus, which means I have a lot of time on my hands. If you’re in the same situation, I thought I’d offer some suggestions of what you could do with your time. First of all, I’m trying to catch up on some reading. During production, I never have time to actually sit and read […]
Post-Graduate Degrees & Another Kickstarter Movie
Jaelin writes in: What is your opinion of the PhD in regards to Film, Cinema, Production, and the like? I know I do not need one for my personal career aspirations but I have always wanted one because one of my family members I look up to since childhood has one but I am frightened […]
Breaking and Entering (This Post Is Not What You Think)
No advice, today. Just a feel-good story about some folks who are just like you, trying to make it in the Industry. Here’s the trailer for Breaking and Entering, a web series about Hollywood assistants– For those of you not in the Industry (yet), these stories are 1,000% TRUE. This life can be frustrating at […]
So, I Have This Weird Idea…
I was thinking it might be fun to create a TAPA webcomic. Sometimes, words just aren’t enough to convey the craziness and stupidity on set. A weekly or bi-weekly comic would be another way to show future PAs what they’re in for. The thing is, I can’t draw.{{1}} Not even a stick figure, much less […]