Focus
Jared commented on yesterday’s post: I generally pick favorites and cater to them. There’s just no way i’m going to make everyone happy, so why try? When lunch is in my hands I cater to my bosses (POC, APOC,) and the ADs wants and needs. Those are the people who hire PAs in the future […]
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, […]
PA vs. Intern
Haley commented recently: Thanks for your Blog of awesomeness! So, I just got an interview to be an Art Dept. intern on a new Showtime series (yay!), and I had two questions for you. 1) What is the difference between a PA and an Intern on set? Legally, it means you can’t work. No, really. […]
It’s Not All About You
Not long ago, I was working casting on a reality show. It’s very different from (read: “less professional than“) a scripted show. In scripted, the actors have scheduled appointments; they have scenes that they’re supposed to have prepared; they’re polite, but focused on the task at hand. For reality shows, it’s basically a cattle call. These […]
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, […]
Emailing Strangers
Danielle asks: I recently graduated college, during which I had internships on the corporate side of three different television stations (all headquartered in NYC). Since graduating, I’m looking to move into the production side but don’t have the contact base required, since the stations outsourced to external production houses. Through some serious stalking, I uncovered […]
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 […]
Missed Opportunity
Should you call in sick to your day job for a gig on set?
Not Scheduled
Elyse writes: I was told by the UPM to go ahead with getting a job as a PA on the tv show set I’ve been standing-in on, and she told me to speak with one of the ADs. I spoke with one and he was going to set me up with the person to hire […]
Money Can’t Buy Happiness
…but it can buy not-unhappiness. (I’m paraphrasing Adam Carolla, here.) (Yes, really.) (No, I’m not some kind of misogynist. I just think he’s funny, okay?) (Shut up.) Anyway. There are rich people who are sad. There are poor people who are happy. To a large degree, our ability to put up with things (or not) […]
Quit Whining
After reading the previous post, my wife slapped me across the email, and wrote, “Try doing my job for just one day, then you can tell me how difficult your job is.” I suppose it is better than pushing crates on a dock for a living.
Maybe I Should Quit
Here’s how I tell if someone is smarter than me– when they tell me something, I think to myself, “That makes perfect sense, and I never would have thought of it.” Case in point: I suspect a lot of people aren’t sure what’s the top idea in their mind at any given time. I’m often […]