Tagged: Hollywood

Jul 28

25 Best Film Schools

The Hollywood Reporter (THR) came out with their ranking of the top 25 film schools to attend, and I have to say I’m shocked that my alma mater, University of Miami, was not on the list.  I am even more shocked  that Florida State made the list instead of us.  When did FSU get a film program?

Side note: If you know anything about me personally then you know I hate Florida State.

As much as I loved college and the program I was in at University of Miami I have to say that I have learned more about the industry while actually working in it than I ever did while taking classes.  Film schools don’t offer a Production Assistant 101 or an Executive Assistant 101, and those positions are usually the first ones that aspiring filmmakers get right out of college.

That being said, don’t completely write off college if you want to work in Hollywood.  Despite their insane expenses and lack of classes focused on how to actually work in the industry,  college does help you learn and grow as a person.  And I think that is the most important part of it, no matter if your school is in the top 25 or not.

What schools do you think should be on the list?

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Posted in Being a Production Assistant, Career Path, Film Community

Jun 30

Courage to take that chance

 

TAPA has a blog post up yesterday that really made me sit back and think.  TAPA explained how he currently has a job as an office pa on a movie that will last him until the end of the year.  Recently he got an offer to work as a director’s assistant on a low budget horror film which he was ecstatic about.  When he went to the interview he found out that the job would only last him 8 weeks, and he sadly had to turn down this dream position because he couldn’t afford to have that job and he decided to stay in his current position as office pa.

I started to think what would I do if I were in this position?  It made me think of my predicament of being stuck on a hamster wheel and how I would love to be offered a different position.  Would I bite the bullet and take the job knowing it would help further my career or would I stay at the steady job so I could pay all of my bills?

This is such a tough decision that I feel that a lot of people in our industry have to make.  At what point do we need to start thinking about moving up in our careers and taking the gigs that don’t last that long over taking the steady ones in positions we have done countless times before?

I completely understand TAPA’s decision and I have to say I don’t blame him for staying in the longer gig, however, I think I may have taken the director’s assistant position and dealt with finding money to pay my bills afterwards.

Walt Disney said “All of our dreams can come true- if you have the courage to pursue them” and I agree with Mr. Disney 100%.  We have to have the courage to take the chance for our dream jobs to happen.  If we do not then we will remain in the dreaded hamster wheel and never truly get to where we want to be.

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Posted in Being a Production Assistant, Career Path

Jun 22

Ways to find your next gig

 

Lately I have been asked a lot about how I find my next gig.  From what I have seen over the years there really is no “right way” to get a job in this industry.   There are tons of stories out there of insert-big-celebrity-name-here’s brother-in-laws nephew getting a job because he is “close” to that big name celebrity.  But what about everyone else that doesn’t have the hook up from someone big?  How do they manage to break in?

Well honestly it takes a lot of work.  To break into the industry not knowing anyone is probably the toughest and most frustrating thing you will ever do.  Your best bet is to check out job lists and websites.

One of the biggest job lists is of course the UTA joblist which has all of the assistant jobs available in Hollywood.  I send it out through the film job google group so sign up to be a member to get the list. Keep in mind the the UTA joblist only has assistant jobs, not production jobs.  So if you want to work on set you will have to find jobs elsewhere.

Other job lists that are good to check out are Production Weekly and The Mercury Report.  Both of these can be found online, however, you do have to pay to receive them.  These two lists have everything that is going into production including contact information.  I have actually gotten a job by randomly emailing one of the companies, so it never hurts to just send an email.

You next best bet for job hunting if you don’t know anyone is to hit up the job websites such as realitystaff.com, media-match.com, mandy.com, craigslist.org and productionnotices.com.  These are all pretty great websites that post several job openings but keep in mind they, yes even craigslist..just really read when you apply to something.

Finally the most important place to find jobs is through networking and making friends.  Hollywood runs on who you know so networking is vitally important.  Make sure you always have your past coordinator’s emails or phone numbers because who knows what they could be working on next.   Websites like keypa.net (which is now apparently The Hollywood Ladder) hosts networking events a few times a year.  Also look into your local film commission or any other filmmaker group in your area.

How do you all find your next gigs?

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Posted in Being a Production Assistant, Job Hunting

May 16

Stuck in a Hamster Wheel

 

Last week while on set I got asked a question that really shocked me, and made me really think. While in the middle of crew meal, the D.I.T. leaned over to me and asked  “So why are you a PA still?”  I looked up with him with a completely dumbfounded face and honestly replied, “I really don’t know.”

Later on that day  I started thinking, why exactly am I still a PA?  I’ve been working in the industry for a few years now, and I know I could coordinate a production a whole heck of a lot better than some people I’ve worked with, so then why am I stuck in this continuous PA loop?  Finally the answer hit me.. I was still applying for PA positions hoping that someone would notice that I am over qualified and place me somewhere else. I was the one causing me to stay in the hamster wheel and not get anywhere.

So fellow PA’s that are in the same position as me, I say we take a stand and quit applying for the same position.  Take a chance and who knows..maybe I’ll end up getting something great.  Has anyone else started to do this?  Post your comments about it!

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Posted in Being a Production Assistant, Career Path

Apr 04

Comments about UTA Joblist

 

So after posting that I have the newest UTA joblist and I am willing to email it out to you I received an enormous response.  While looking through some of the comments I noticed this one posted by Tyler and I felt like I really should address this:

I would love the list as I am looking for a part time gig to go with my bartending job once a week. Thanks

Ok here is my huge problem with this comment.  The UTA job list does not offer part time gigs.  If you are looking for a part time gig to go along with bartending then I would highly suggest trying to find something else.

The UTA joblist is a list of assistant jobs that are full time and that are available in Hollywood.  The list is sent out to hundreds of people so you can imagine that these jobs are rare and highly sought after.  I can also assure you that if you do not live in Los Angeles you will never receive a call for one of these positions.  Hollywood tends to mostly hire from within but the rare times it does not it will offer interviews to those people that live in that city.

If you are serious about an assistant job in Hollywood I would suggest contacting companies directly rather than trying to land a job through this list.  Try websites like media-match and realitystaff.com as well because they usually have some pretty great positions on there as well.

 

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Posted in Being an Assistant, Job Hunting, UTA Job list

Feb 25

Confusion

 

After a plethora of emails regarding the UTA joblist I feel like I need to explain some things to you.

The UTA joblist is a list that has the most highly sought after assistant jobs in the industry.  This means that if you want to be an assistant to a producer, celebrity, director, or executive this is one of the places you could look.  If you are just starting out in the industry and you want to be someone’s assistant you WILL NOT get one of these jobs.  Even though they are entry level positions, if you have never been an assistant before they will not hire you.

The main way people get jobs in Hollywood is through people you know.  The higher ups like to hire through friends, or through people they know so that they somewhat trust the person they are hiring.  I can guarantee you that if you live in Carmel, IN and you apply for one of these positions on the list they will instantly  disregard your resume because you do not live in California.  The only way you will get one of these positions is if you live in Los Angeles.

If you are looking for any production assistant jobs then the UTA job list is not for you.  You can find these jobs sometimes through craigslist, media-match.com, and realitystaff.com.   Like everything else in Hollywood though you mainly get these jobs through people you know.  The rule about living in California also applies to production assistant positions unless you are trying to get a gig on a movie or tv show filming in your city in which case you could be hired as a local hire.

Good luck and happy job hunting!

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Posted in Job Hunting

Feb 25

CBS Stops Production on Two and a Half Men

 

CBS announced yesterday that they were discontinuing production for their hit series Two and a Half Men.

“Based on the totality of Charlie Sheen’s statements, conduct and condition, CBS and Warner Bros. Television have decided to discontinue production of “Two and a Half Men” for the remainder of the season.”

These statements of course were from Charlie Sheen speaking on the The Alex Jones radio show where he attacked Chuck Lorre, the series creator, as well as Alcoholics Anonymous.

After the annoucement was made Charlie Sheen decided that the best course of action was to write an open letter to TMZ:

What does this say about Haim Levine [Chuck Lorre] after he tried to use his words to judge and attempt to degrade me. I gracefully ignored this folly for 177 shows … I fire back once and this contaminated little maggot can’t handle my power and can’t handle the truth. I wish him nothing but pain in his silly travels especially if they wind up in my octagon.

Clearly I have defeated this earthworm with my words — imagine what I would have done with my fire breathing fists. I urge all my beautiful and loyal fans who embraced this show for almost a decade to walk with me side-by-side as we march up the steps of justice to right this unconscionable wrong.

Remember these are my people … not yours…we will continue on together…

Charlie Sheen

I have to say I honestly feel so bad for the rest of the cast and the crew.  They have all now lost their jobs because of this stupid idiot.  Good luck Charlie finding any work in Hollywood.

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Posted in Entertainment News, Film Community, Movie News

Feb 21

Questions About Making The Move

 

I received this question in my inbox this morning:

Good Afternoon,

I was reading your website and you have a lot of resourceful things/advice. Thank you for helping those, like me, who are clueless out here. I’m aiming to move out to LA by May and trying to apply to places. Anywhere I can get a foot in. I’m interested in film/sports, Don’t have a specific specialty though. My interests are broad including production, talent management, PR, broadcasting, and performing. I’ve looked into applying to Entertainment/Sports firms because I have a Sport/Business Administration degree and was an athlete and it seems like it’ll be my best bet. I’ve been told Agent Trainee Programs are your best bet to network. But other places I’ve read tat if you don’t want to be an actual agent, don’t waste your time. I’m moving out there relatively soon so I’m trying to commit and have an attack plan. Any advice?

Also, I’d like to receive the UTA Joblist. I’ve read that there are tons of assistant jobs, which I don’t mind at all. But are these jobs enough to live off of or do you usually need outside financial help? Another job?

Any help or advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated!

Well first things first you really should decide what it is that you want to end up doing.  There are so many different jobs in our industry and hundreds of different paths to get there.  Say for instance that your goal is to eventually become a director.  Well then I would suggest working on as many production sets as you can.  Start out as a production assistant and learn all the ins of outs on set.  From there you can start to move up into different things but I think the most important thing to learn is how the production set functions and how it runs.  If you want to be a producer try working as an assistant to one.  If you want to edit start working at a post production house as a runner or a production assistant.  My point is figure out what it truly is that you want to end up doing and then find the best path that will eventually lead you to that goal.

If you are interested in sports that is a completely different field than production and entertainment in general.  I honestly know nothing about that field, so you may want to look into that on your own and decide what is the best path for that field.

With the Agent Trainee programs, they are a lot of pros and cons.  They are great if you want to be an agent, because you learn first hand what it takes to be one.  I have to warn you though that I have heard some bad things about the program including EXTREMLY long hours and a unhealthy connection to your blackberry.

If you are just looking for networking oportunities there a millions of different ways to accomplish that.  The best way to look at networking is to really see it as making friends, rather than making contacts.  Your friends will be more than happy to put their neck out there for you to get a job, while a random phone number will not.

On to the UTA job list.  This joblist is a highly sought after list in Hollywood that has all of the new assistant jobs.  This list is great, however, you have to realize that thousands of people get this list, and even more apply to these positions.  Also Hollywood tends to hire from within so most of those jobs are already filled by their friends cousins sister-in-law.

You can make a living off an assistant job just know that it will not be a lavish one.  Same goes for any entry level job in this industry.  My biggest suggestion is to save as much as you can before you come out to LA, that way you will have something to fall back on when you only make $500 per week.

I hope this helps!  Please keep the questions coming.


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Posted in Job Hunting, Los Angeles, Production, UTA Job list

Jan 13

You Are Such A Hypocrite James Cameron

 

As some of you may know Peter Berg is currently working on a new film based on Hasbro’s iconic game of Battleship.  Since James Cameron likes to comment about everything Hollywood here is his take on this upcoming film:

“We have a story crisis. Now they want to make the Battleship game into a film. This is pure desperation. Everyone in Hollywood knows how important it is that a film is a brand before it hit theaters. If a brand has been around, Harry Potter for example, or Spider-Man, you are light years ahead. And there lies the problem. Because unfortunately these franchises are become more ridiculous. Battleship. This degrades the cinema.”

Hmm that’s funny Mr. Cameron.  I seem to remember a little movie you created called Avatar that was a COMPLETE rip off from stories like Dances With Wolves and Pocahontas.  Before you start criticizing Peter Birg for creating a unique story from a game maybe you should look at your own work and see how much of it is actually an original idea.

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Posted in Movie News

Jan 12

2010 Films

I found this great youtube video showcasing  pretty much all the films made in 2010.  Check it out!

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Posted in Movie News

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