How do you know who to contact for a PA job?

Cracker Funk

Cracker Funk

I'll cut to the chase. I'm not interested in being a PA, in general, for any production. I'm too old to move to LA and do the PA thing. However, Spielberg is bringing his Abe Lincoln biopic to my stomping grounds, and I would chop off my left nut to PA that gig.

My best googling abilities lead me to believe that it is typically the 2nd AD who would hire local set PA's. Cool. So, how the heck do I find out who the 2nd AD is, for an upcoming production, and how the heck do I find his contact info?

Thanks!
 
I think IMDbPro has that kind of information on it, but it's a subscription-only thing and I haven't used it (though they do have a free 14 day trial offer at the moment).

One thing I would be aware of is that it may be hard to land a gig like that without any relevant references - we all have an inkling of what you've managed to pull off with Antihero, but they probably won't be that interested.

Perhaps you'll get lucky and an IndieTalker will have some roundabout association with one of the crew…
 
chilipie said:
I think IMDbPro has that kind of information on it, but it's a subscription-only thing and I haven't used it (though they do have a free 14 day trial offer at the moment).

One thing I would be aware of is that it may be hard to land a gig like that without any relevant references - we all have an inkling of what you've managed to pull off with Antihero, but they probably won't be that interested.

Perhaps you'll get lucky and an IndieTalker will have some roundabout association with one of the crew…
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I think you're probably right about needing relevant references. I have somewhat sort-of inside knowledge that they've already hired a local production company, in some aspect, and so I would think they might use the people they've already hired as references.

On the flip-side, Richmond is not a production-rich city. There aren't any professional PA's in this city. Not one. So, while I don't have any personal contacts, maybe my hutzpah can get me in there?

I'll check out IMDB Pro. Thanks!
 
The local hires will be handled by the local prodCo they have
contracted with. There will a local UPM who will be doing all the
hiring.

Use your inside knowledge and contact that prodCo immediately.
 
directorik said:
The local hires will be handled by the local prodCo they have
contracted with. There will a local UPM who will be doing all the
hiring.

Use your inside knowledge and contact that prodCo immediately.
Click to expand...

Sweet. I had a feeling you would have some good advice on this. Thanks a bunch!
 
PA means Slave right? Ha.... I watched Supernatural episode where Dean is a PA they talk about what PA means there.

Dean:"Whats a PA?"
Sam: "i think there kinda like slaves..."

Supernatural Season 2 Episode 18 Hollywood Babylon

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZhewzGrY6Qk
 
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I saw a PA's resume where he got paid $400 a day to show people where to park in a parking lot. Sign me up for that type of slavery!

That's a better deal where 20 years ago transit union working were being paid $16,000 a year for screwing in light bulbs.
 
There are tons of professional PAs out there that make a very decent living working big budget projects.

Never underestimate the value of an experienced PA, especially a Key. A good Key PA can be the difference between making your day and complete and utter disaster.
 
David.rhsc said:
There are tons of professional PAs out there that make a very decent living working big budget projects.
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Do you really think so? There aren't that many big budget projects out here. We've got a lot of historical landmarks and whatnot, so the History Channell and others will do historical stuff out here. But that's just every now and then, not constant.

This is what I meant when I said (based on assumption) there aren't any professional PAs in Richmond. In Hollywood, someone can do it as a sole source of income, no? They get hired for one production, and when that production is over, they no longer have a job. But, there are so many productions, that if they have a good reputation, they can quickly get hired on for another production. They keep doing that and doing that going from one job to another, hoping to land bigger jobs, no? I have a hard time believing that there are enough productions in and around Richmond to keep this kind of professional PA afloat.

What I'm sure does exist is the professional PA who works for advertising agencies and production companies. Say, for example, the Martin Agency -- really big ad agency headquartered in Richmond. When they produce a commercial, they aren't hiring temp PAs, like the kind that exist in Hollywood, are they? I kind of assumed that the PAs that work on commercials are actually full-time employees of the agency, so when the production is over, they still have a job. Is that not the case?
 
A PA is like any entry level job. People do it for a few months or
a few years and then move on. Of course one can only make a
living at it where there is a lot of production. I know several people
who go from gig to gig all year long, getting 6 to 8 weeks, taking
a week or 2 off then working 4 weeks, a couple of weeks off and then
getting a 10 - 15 week gig. They might work 30 or 40 week each year.

Cracker Funk said:
What I'm sure does exist is the professional PA who works for advertising agencies and production companies. Say, for example, the Martin Agency -- really big ad agency headquartered in Richmond. When they produce a commercial, they aren't hiring temp PAs, like the kind that exist in Hollywood, are they? I kind of assumed that the PAs that work on commercials are actually full-time employees of the agency, so when the production is over, they still have a job. Is that not the case?
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I suspect they do. No need to keep 5 or 6 PA's on the payroll when
they are between jobs. If they have 2 full timers and a project
comes up that needs 3 more for only 2 weeks, they will hire for 3
people for 2 weeks. And there is little doubt in my mind that every
once in a while they get a production that needs to be finished "yesterday"
so they hire 5 or 6 PA's for just a few days.
 
In Richmond VA, obviously not. :P Although there has to be some amount of people there able to crew. Tax incentives are usually hinge on hiring a certain percentage of below the line crew locally from the state offering up the dough.

That wasn't about you CF - it was about the folks calling PAs slaves. I hate hearing people rip on PAs - people that do that usually were either never a PA, or were a pretty shitty one. A skilled, experienced PA makes a world of difference on any shoot and they are not just chumps and slaves to be abused by the rest of the crew. Often, the hardest working person on set is that one PA that ends up signing your paychecks on a job a year down the road. Be nice to them. If they are terrible and refuse to improve, fine. But dogging a PA simply for being a PA is weak sauce.

In NYC and LA, I have met at least 2 people in each place that are full time Key PAs with no real desire to move terribly far up the ranks in an expeditious fashion. They enjoy what they do - they make enough of a living to keep them happy, and the thought of going through the laborious union (DGA) red tape of getting promoted to a "real" position (like the AD chain if you are a PA) is just not worth the effort to them.

What Richmond, VA is likely to have is a UPM or a Line Producer either local, or search local for some level of crew. Look around and see if your area has a resource like this one:

http://www.reeldirectory.com/

More likely you'll have to call your local 'film office' and see if they keep contact info or a directory of some sort.
 
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