When You Have Private Info on Public People
How to deal with cast lists.
That Time I Almost Got Arrested for Being a PA
We do some weird, suspicious things in this business.
Wanna Watch a Movie?
I asked my readers, What’s your favorite movie released before you were born? Find out if yours made the list!
How to Run a Production Office
Watch the latest Call Sheet interview with UPM Jennifer A. Haire and UPM Gilana Lobel
Gun Safety And You
How to keep yourself safe on set.
Yes, You Loved That Movie
My old writing professor (yes, the one who wouldn’t shut up about his Oscar) told my class a story– I was at a dinner party. I knew some people, didn’t know others. You know how it is. No, we didn’t know how it is, because we were fucking 19 and had never been to a […]
The Future of Cinema
Wow, you guys! The Kickstarter campaign is DONE. People contributed $2512, which is 136% of what I asked for. And now, the real work begins.{{1}} As promised, I’ll be interviewing people from all over the crew list. For my younger readers, you’ll get an overview of what each department is like. For my more experienced […]
See You on the Next One…
The standard “goodbye” on a film set or production office is “See you on the next one.” It’s not as harsh as goodbye. It’s a little more definitive than a simple see you later. It acknowledges that this is the life we’ve chosen, moving from job to job like itinerant circus performers. But let’s get […]
Production Yak
I’ve talked before about Coordinators 411, which – as you know – is a Google group that includes all of the production coordinators, APOCs, secretaries, and eager PAs working in Hollywood today. It’s a great resource when you need to find an animal trainer before tomorrow morning’s 7am call time or need to unload all […]
Whistle While You Work
Imagine a quaint little production office. UPM knows everybody by name, asks them about their weekend and their career ambitions. The Coordinator is keen on being fair when he doles out overtime and permission to wrap it up each evening. The kitchen is stocked with delicious, healthy food. The PAs hurry to and fro, whistling […]
You’re Fired
Shawn writes: Great “Goldilocks” blog entry and a fine job as always. How often is it that people get fired over such contradictions, especially for infractions like ordering too much food. (I mean, who doesn’t like leftovers?) In my experience, very few people actually get fired. That includes people who deserve to be fired. I […]
The Last PA
At the beginning of the show that I’m currently on, I wrote about the special role of the First PA – the first PA hired, the first PA to endear himself to the hearts and minds of the higher-ups. Now, as this show wraps up, I thought it wise to talk a little about the […]