Personal Assistant

[proudwolf]

Okay, I put myself out there. I made a contact at a HUGE production company that is shooting a BIG Feature Film here. I met a locations manager when I interviewed for the PA job. He called me and told me that he found me a job, a paying job as a personal assistant. He couldn't tell me who i would be the assistant of, but he said, "You owe me." I didn't know this guy. But I didn't care. I thanked him and moved on to my interview. I met with the Exec Producer. He is very well known. He was great. But then I had to meet with the actress. I met with her. But unfortunately, I come off as a stong woman, I am not the kind of person to fetch someone's Evian and have smoothies thrown at me. But I presented myself well, and was very nice. I thought this might be a good opportunity. But the actress and I didn't click. She and I both knew I wasn't going to be the person to cook and clean for her and buy her Manolos and such. So I thanked her for meeting with me and went on my way.

Turns out, the Locations Manager was interested in more than my best interest. He thought I would be "ready and willing" to do anything to move up the ladder. That IS NOT the case. I am NOT that girl. So, the whole situation was crazy.

I have thick skin. Being a military wife does that. I knew there would be good days and bad. But I didn't realize there were still women out there willing to do whatever it takes to get a position.

The good part of all of this: I met with the Executive Producer and he was impressed with my resume and said "I might have other positions I could use you for."

It's a dirty job. But regardless of sneaky assistants trying to get down someone's pants, I will find my way. MY WAY. Not by visiting the "casting couch"

Has anyone had a similar experience?

[Marine66]

This may be the best thread in months.

[odocoileus]

Working in production, if you're a man, as soon as you get in a position to hire anybody, women start propositioning you.

First time for me was on my first TV show. A girl with a very impressive resume - Princeton Drama dept, New York theatre, etc. offered to do me for a SAG voucher.

The smart thing to do is always turn them down, because they can come back at you. I saw women wheedle one of my bosses for more pay, for an extra hour they didn't actually work, etc. He couldn't turn them down. He'd had them, and now they had him.

Another one of my bosses had it down to a science. He'd say, "I'm not supposed to do this, and I could really get in trouble for it, but I really like you and... " She'd end up as his girl for the weekend, and never hear from him again (of course).

So you can get an idea of what it's like from the other side. :rolling:

[Marine66]

Working in production, if you're a man, as soon as you get in a position to hire anybody, women start propositioning you.

First time for me was on my first TV show. A girl with a very impressive resume - Princeton Drama dept, New York theatre, etc. offered to do me for a SAG voucher.

The smart thing to do is always turn them down, because they can come back at you. I saw women wheedle one of my bosses for more pay, for an extra hour they didn't actually work, etc. He couldn't turn them down. He'd had them, and now they had him.

Another one of my bosses had it down to a science. He'd say, "I'm not supposed to do this, and I could really get in trouble for it, but I really like you and... " She'd end up as his girl for the weekend, and never hear from him again (of course).

So you can get an idea of what it's like from the other side. :rolling:

You rebuffed a Princeton grad?

[odocoileus]

You rebuffed a Princeton grad?

It was the one school I didn't get into when I was applying for college. Pissed my Dad off. :rolling:

[Marine66]

It was the one school I didn't get into when I was applying for college. Pissed my Dad off. :rolling:

There's nothing wrong with Pierce College.

[proudwolf]

It was crazy. I mean, the actress was nice and the assistants were nice. I got along well with the Exec Producer, but this locations guy thought he was gonna score. Nah uh! Not with me. I don't want to be someone's assistant that bad. Please.

[proudwolf]

By the way, just to clarify, I wasn't saying PA jobs are beneath me or anything like that. I was ONLY talking about this one. There were details of the job I left out. I would gladly work as a PA for someone. But this one was not a typical PA job.

Just to clarify.

[scrub 9x]

To be honest, it sounds like you wouldn't do very well as a PA or as a personal assistant.

Almost all of those jobs require eating a s*** sandwich at one time or another, which you don't seem like you are prepared to do.





(the eating of the s*** sandwich was a figurative description, not literal...)

[odocoileus]

There's nothing wrong with Pierce College.


LA's very own cow college. :sheepskip:

The college began with 70 students and 18 faculty members on September 15, 1947. Originally known as the Clarence W. Pierce School of Agriculture, the institution’s initial focus was crop cultivation (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agriculture) and animal husbandry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animal_husbandry). Nine years later, in 1956, the school was renamed to Los Angeles Pierce College, retaining the name of its founder, Dr. Pierce, as well as his commitment to agricultural and veterinary study. (Pierce still maintains a 200-acre working farm for hands-on training.)

[Buzz2074]

Turns out, the Locations Manager was interested in more than my best interest. He thought I would be "ready and willing" to do anything to move up the ladder. That IS NOT the case. I am NOT that girl. So, the whole situation was crazy.

I have thick skin. Being a military wife does that. I knew there would be good days and bad. But I didn't realize there were still women out there willing to do whatever it takes to get a position.


Just because some scuzzbag asks for illicit favors doesn't mean that it's normal operating procedure. And if there are folks who gave in to such a request, I doubt that most of them ever won anything significant.

[NikeeGoddess]

so the exec producer liked you - go with it. call him and get a better job. have you seen the list of credits at the end of a movie? there are so many, and many for first timers too. decide what area you want to work with and tell the producer. find a list of production ad crew jobs (sound, grips, lighting, bestboys, script* etc...) with descriptions so you know who does what.

just for the record - PA usually means production assistant and a personal assistant is a subcategory of prod assistant. almost all leading actors have one even in crappy productions. you can still be a PA but for the producer, director, location mgr --- oh, no don't take that one ;), etc...

*as a writer you might want to look in this area. you may have to print out each scene(s) each day for the actors - and they can change at the last moment depending on how well the line producer can keep the schedule on schedule - and/or cue the actors during each take. this can get tiring as you have to pay attention at all times.

good luck!

and if the location manager wants pay back for giving you the hook up, tell him to put what you owe him in writing. ;)

p.s. - and don't work for free like someone suggested. they have it for you in the budget. just ask for something even if its just a token. and then work your butt off. you'll get referrals for future jobs that way.

[dpaterso]

I admire the integrity shown in this thread. I would have dropped my linen and bent over for the guy if I thought this would, somehow, someday, get a script into the right hands. Diff'rent strokes... :o

-Derek

[Jcorona]

You're right, cmmora.

Deleted.

Corona

[cmmora]

This has been an interesting discussion so far. Lets try not to enter the crude zone.

[NikeeGoddess]

dp - this was just a job. it had nothing to do with her scripts or screenwriting.

<<<the NikeeGoddess just shakes her head>>>

you've just got to get a firmer grasp of the english language!;) :rolling:

[EnterUserNameHere]

so the exec producer liked you - go with it. call him and get a better job. have you seen the list of credits at the end of a movie? there are so many, and many for first timers too. decide what area you want to work with and tell the producer. find a list of production ad crew jobs (sound, grips, lighting, bestboys, script* etc...) with descriptions so you know who does what.

Those are all jobs that require certain skills and go to people who have been trained to do them. If proudwolf has these skills than I doubt she would be interviewing to be a PA. It doesn't matter how much the executive producer likes you; if you don't know the difference between a kino flo and a 2k blondie (which is not a prostitute), you ain't gonna work in lighting.

Honestly, her best bet is working as a locations PA, but I don't think that is a job for her. If she is opposed to fetching water, how will she feel about emptying garbage bins and cleaning up lunch cover after everybody has finished spilling coffee all over the tables?

Proudwolf, don't let one bad apple put you off. If you think you can be a locations PA, try again when the next production comes. If you want a different job that is less demeaning, figure out what you want to do and get some training in that field. I just hope you're not trying to be a PA to sell a script as the second you start to pitch on-set you will be fired. It's considered unprofessional and EVERYBODY on-set has a script they want to sell.

It really all comes down to what you are trying to achieve. Being a PA is a great position for young, inexperienced directors who want to learn how things are done, but you have to be willing to be somebody's bitch for a couple months. Looking at your previous posts, I would say this ISN'T the job for you.

Just my $0.02...

[NikeeGoddess]

ok - not location PA in this particular case but maybe a PA for the director, AD, on of thes producers, or script supervisor. but knowing what all those crew members do is not a bad thing to know either.

[fraggle]

i hate to be a nitpicker, but i'm completely confused about some of the more important details of this anecdote. this is in the writing for tv forum, so it must have something to do with tv, but the locations manager works for a feature prodco? was the job on a feature? as the assistant to the exec prod or the actress? are you a tv writer or a feature writer? how is working for an actress on a feature supposed to help you get a job in tv writing? i know the point of your story is that some guy wanted sexual favors in exchange for advancement and the details don't really matter, but it might help, in general, to be a little clearer in your writing. paint a picture with words, and make sure the picture is in focus.

someone suggested that you look for jobs as the assistant to directors or location managers, but if you're a writer, that's a bad idea. if you're a tv writer, you want to be in the writers' room. period. not on the set with the director. not with the actors.

you start as a production assistant, get promoted to personal assistant to the executive producer or writers' production assistant, then writers' assistant. if they offer you a job as set production assistant, you say no, i want to be in the writers' room, not on the set. when you're the writer's assistant, in the room, you listen and learn and wait for them to invite you to pitch. the writers will probably hit on you too. it happens. just keep it polite and professional and be very clear that you're not interested.

[odocoileus]

but if you're a writer, that's a bad idea. if you're a tv writer, you want to be in the writers' room. period. not on the set with the director. not with the actors.

Yes and no. If there's a spot available in the writers room, by all means, take it. Usually a show will have a writers assistant and a script coordinator. Two spots and a lot of competition for those spots.

I worked on a show where the previous season's key set PA became next season's writers asssistant. She worked hard, did a bang up job, and the AD's and UPM were happy to recommend her when she wanted to move into that job. Everyone expects PA's to want to move up, and being known as hard working, reliable, with good people skills counts for more than any specific job category.

I worked on another show where the family friend of one the supporting cast got her first job as an office PA, and then became the showrunners assistant. I don't know if they've offered her a script yet, but I expect they will.

A locations PA gig is actually a good way to meet people and get your foot in the door.

[proudwolf]

To clarify, I posted this on the TV Writers forum because I am a tv writer. I started my posts on this forum and by taking the advice from other posts in this forum, I went out to find a PA job and stumbled upon a personal assistant gig. So, that's why I posted it here.

[qualitycontrol]

I am not the kind of person to fetch someone's Evian

Do you know what PA and personal assistant does? 'Cause I don't think you do.