Share Your Ice Cream Sandwich
When you’re a PA, it can be easy to feel separate from the higher ups. They’re older, more experienced, higher paid. It’s understandable that you might think of them as different or somehow special. While respecting aged wisdom is a good idea, don’t forget that producers, directors, and star are still people. Case in point: […]
Your Resume Should Match the Job You’re Applying For
Replying to last week’s post about resumes, Talli writes: I’m actively looking for a job (trying to move from production company to a show) and my immediate supervisor knows I’m looking to move on (and is actually encouraging it–“don’t get stuck here.”) While I’m technically the office PA, I’ve been doing the job of production […]
What Is a Hollywood Assistant?
I frequently get emails from new readers who are confused about what an assistant in Hollywood actually is.There are a lot of jobs in Hollywood with the word “assistant” in the title, which can be very misleading to someone new to the Industry. These seem like entry-level positions, but many of them are not; in […]
Working as a PA in Austin, TX
Hey there TAPA readers! This post comes from a fellow PA to discuss navigating the film industry in the lovely city of Austin, Texas! It seems to jive a bit differently than other major film cities. Relatively speaking, Austin’s film scene is small. We used to have a vibrant film community because of the tax […]
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 Prevalent is Sexual Harassment in Hollywood?
Reader Jess wrote in response to this blog post on sexual harassment: Obviously each department is its own animal, but having worked the majority of my life on skeleton crew indies (with the exception of one major TV show when I was in school) I’m worried that getting any deeper into things is going to […]
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 […]
There’s Nothing Wrong With Ambition
Your script probably isn’t very good. Even if it is good, probably no one will read it. Even if they do read it, they probably won’t give you the money to make it. Even if they give you the money to make it, the movie probably won’t be very good. Even if it is good, […]
Who Do You Work For?
Judging by the comments on last week’s post, I’ve been a little too cute when discussing the question of who you work for. The truth is, there are several valid answers, depending on what you really want to know. Working on a film or television production is not really the same as working for the […]
Can a PA Ride a Motorcycle?
Felicia writes in: I have a vehicle question. I understand that the aspiring P.A. absolutely must have a set of wheels. My question is: on a scale of 1 – 10, with 1 being “god’s own chariot,” 10 being “the bus,” how much will it count against me if my only set of wheels sits […]
Negotiating Your Rate
Brie writes in: Would you consider trying to negotiate a higher pay rate for a full-time PA gig? The backstory: I’m interviewing with a prod. co here in NYC — they’re offering $150 a day (which is pretty good by any standard for a PA) but I’ve got 1 year+ of Assistant experience, 4 years […]
I Got It
People on set are busy. If they’re not trying to get a shot, they’re packing up and moving on, turning around, setting up for the next shot. Everyone’s in a big damn hurry. And that’s fine, because time is money and all that. But sometimes you have to take just a sec to be sure […]