How to get a job as a production assistant

To become a production assistant, a person first needs to live in an area where movies are being made. If you're serious about rising from a production assistant to an industry professional, Los Angeles, New York City, and Atlanta are where you want to be for the best opportunities.

As a production assistant, you are expected to do any number of odd jobs and office work to make sure everything is arriving and leaving on time. Therefore, developing strong organizational skills, how to read a call sheet, how to examine a budget, and how to effectively communicate via email are very important.

For those who are centrally located, projects should be easy to find, especially with the advent of job boards like Backstage and Mandy and social media groups like Film Production Jobs and Paid Film/TV Production Jobs: Los Angeles Area. Bookmark sites that post the kinds of jobs you're looking for and check them regularly.

Landing a production assistant position, however, largely depends on who you know. Your focus on getting a job should be on expanding your network of contacts. Production teams rely heavily on recommendations and networking when it comes to hiring production assistants.

But depending on your location, projects should be easy to find, especially with the advent of job boards like Backstage and Mandy and social media groups like Film Production Jobs and Paid Film/TV Production Jobs: Los Angeles Area.

Another route to landing production assistant jobs is via internships and trainee programs. Instead of being thrown into the deep end of a film set, a film production training program enables aspiring production assistants to get their bearings--and facilitate potential professional connections with fellow interns and program directors.

Where to look for such internships? Most major Hollywood studios and entertainment unions include production assistant training in their overall internships, and general job sites like Internships.com and Barefoot Student can be reliable resources.

Tips for getting a production assistant job:

• Figure out what position you'd like to work in as a production assistant and network with people who work in that department.

• Talk with working PAs. They are often the first ones to know when a job opportunity pops up.

• Join PA Facebook groups to learn about career opportunities.

• Work on friends' independent films to gain experience and build a resume.