You’re Not On the List… Sorry
I see, through your blog, that it is typically the AD or 2nd AD who hires set PA’s. My question is how do I get the contact info for the AD or 2nd AD (for a particular production), and what is the appropriate amount of time, prior to production, to first contact them? I live […]
The Decision
Stick with a safe job, or make the jump to something more challenging?
When I grow up I wanna be…
When you first start working in the film industry you realize that it is, well, big. I mean crazy small REALLY big. It employs a lot of people (although never enough it seems…). The term “filmmaker” is kind of a misnomer; everyone who works here actually does something else that they happen to translate to the […]
Life’s Not Fair
Running the same train if thought as political hires, I recall a specific event that happened on a previous gig that hammered home how unfair it all is. I was working as a PA in the post department on a major studio film (can’t say which but when I mean big I mean summer blockbuster […]
Key is the key
Oscar writes: Hi there, I read most of your site and enjoyed it a lot… But what I’ve failed to find info on online is what exactly it is that a Key set PA does. I’ve been hired into this position in a film and I want to educate myself on the position. I mean, I’m […]
UTA Joblist on TAPA
I’ve blogged about the joblist before, but for those of you who don’t know, it’s a basically just a list of job openings, compiled by assistants at the United Talent Agency. There are a number of places online to find the UTA Joblist, but lately, they all seem to be updating way too slowly. These […]
Making Friends
Jurebro commented on last week’s post: You mention that it’s hard to have a girlfriend while a PA because of the hours. Is it generally difficult to maintain relationships of any sort outside of work? I am interested in moving to Los Angeles to try to get my foot in the door, but I have […]
Demo Reel
Jordan recently commented on an old post about cover letters: Is it presumptuous to include a demo reel link in a resume if it is relevant? “If it is relevant,” I don’t imagine it would be presumptuous, but I can’t imagine a circumstance when it would be, at least for a production assistant. (Maybe you […]
Single Parents
Ki recently commented on an older post: I know that PA have long work hours. Do you think that it a single parent could handle this job? I’m not sure how to address this question with my usual sardonic wit. Being a single parent is difficult in ways I probably can’t imagine, and there’s nothing really […]
The Factory Floor
Rachel writes: First off I love your blog! It’s comforting to hear that another PA is dealing with the same stuff I deal with. 🙂 I have been working as a PA for the past year on different reality shows. My resume is obviously OK (or at least decent) otherwise I wouldn’t be getting any work, […]
The Bus Story
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. There’s this PA, right? He just fell off the turnip truck, doesn’t know anything about the Industry, but he seems to be a nice enough guy and a hard worker, so the coordinator hires him. On his first day, his boss sends him out on a run, […]
Let It Never Be Said That I Can’t Change My Mind
A couple of sound points came out of yesterday’s comments section. From Galen: Don’t forget that actors often have to go through hair and make up after the blocking during the lighting set-up. This takes a fair bit of time and it saves production money to have a [glossary]stand in[/glossary]. I’m all for efficiency on […]