Don't Narrow Your Focus

It's Okay to Have a Lot of Dreams

A lot of people write me to ask how they can get a job at this or that company, or land a position on a particular show, or even work for a specific celebrity.

The answer is, you can't.

Usually…

These places hire when they need somebody. They don't just have open calls for jobs that don't exist.

You, on the other hand, need a job right now. You can't afford to wait around, hoping your favorite TV series needs a new PA, or that a director you admire wants to replace her assistant.

Don't Work For Your Heroes

You almost certainly don't want to work on series you enjoy watching, anyway. Your favorite show rapidly becomes your least favorite once it's your job. I know this from personal experience, as well as the experience of others. While you're trying to watch it, all you can think about is filling out production reports, how rushed and stressed everything was that day, what a jerk that extra was.

Brooms! How do they work?

Something similar happens when you work for a filmmaker or actor you admire. They may create films you love, but all they need you to create is a cup of coffee. Eventually, you might find it difficult to separate the art from the artist. When they call you at 3am on a weekend because they can't remember their own wi-fi password, you’ll start seeing their movies differently.

Once, I made the double-mistake of leaving one show before the season was done, to join up with another show written by someone I admire. Turns out, due to some behind-the-scenes drama that hadn’t leaked to the public yet, that writer was no longer with the show. Even worse, the guy who replaced her was a complete ass who made life hell for everyone on the crew—from last-minute re-writes to demanding re-shoots of scenes whose sets had already been struck, on top fo just being a world-class screamer.

So, I basically burned a bridge with the previous show to move on to a “better” show whose quality began to decline the day I got there.

Live and learn.

Admittedly, it's not always like that. Some great artists are also good bosses. But because there's no guarantee, you're better off not seeking that out, at least at the level of an assistant.

The best advice is to take the job you can get. Don't confuse your viewing habits with your career.

Broaden Your Horizons

Once you accept that you’re unlikely to land your dream job right now (or that if you do, it could turn into a nightmare), it frees you up to become much more open minded about your next gig.

Things worth considering—pay, working conditions, learning new skills, making friends, building relationships. The shows you watch will all get cancelled, as will most celebrities. But you build your career out of working consistently on shows. The quality of the show doesn’t matter; the quality of your work does.

You can have a good time, learn a lot, and even earn a decent living on a terrible show. You could land a job answering phones for the biggest hack in Hollywood, and still make connections that will help you climb the studio ladder.

“I was just thinking what an interesting concept it is to eliminate the writer from the artistic process. If we could just get rid of these actors and directors, maybe we've got something here.”

There are a lot of paths through the entertainment business. Try working in all the departments at least ocne, if you can. Take a temp gig at a company that produces the kind of TV you would never watch. Don’t get your heart set on just one job.

Question for my more experienced readers: Have you ever landed your dream job on a show you loved or working for a celebrity you admire? How did it go?