Interview with Production Manager

1. I am currently working as an Assistant Production Coordinator (APOC), which I have been doing since early 2008. I was an office PA and production secretary before that, but I'll talk more about that in answer #2. My experience as an APOC has generally involved the following (and I will try to be brief): sitting at a desk in the production office for 10-12 hours a day, answering the phones, sending emails, ordering equipment for various departments such as tape and markers for camera, microphones and transmitters for the sound department, gels and light bulbs for electric, lumber and clips for the grip dept, wigs for hair, make up for make up, etc, making sure the cast and crew have all the information they need - scripts, schedules, contact lists, travel information, shipping, etc. Depending on the show, there is sometimes quite a bit of paperwork to do in order to be compliant with the studio (such as NBC for Friday Night Lights or New Line for Friday the 13th). Then there is the random stuff that comes up that ends up taking up quite a bit of my time as well - finding a coffee truck to come to set at 8pm to serve the cast and crew coffee all night, convincing a bar or restaurant to stay open late for the crew, finding a restaurant in a far off city to deliver a smorgasbord of food to a crew member' who had a death in the family, finding 100 ponchos and rain boots ASAP because it started raining and we are shooting outside and the location just turned into a mud pit. I could go on - but hopefully you get the idea!

2. Short answer: I walked my resume around to production offices in Austin for a few weeks until someone hired me. Long answer: I got started after college. I grew up in Texas, went to college in Colorado and wanted to move back to Texas after graduating with a degree in English (I had no plans to get into film). At the time, my brother was working in the art and construction departments on various Robert Rodriguez films in Austin - Spy Kids, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, Shark Boy & Lava. I thought film work would be a good way for me to find a temporary paying job in Austin while I figured out what I really wanted to do. He introduced me to a few people in the industry, told me where some other film productions offices were located and sent me off to talk someone into hiring me. I walked my resume into 4 or 5 different offices (Austin was hopping with films at that time) until the kind coordinator on a reality show called "Rollergirls" hired me as an office production assistant (PA), mainly because I had a big reliable car at the time. The show failed miserably, but I got a paying job, worked my butt off as a PA on that show for 6 months, made friends and contacts who then recommended me for the next job, and the next job, and the next job etc. 5 years later, I am still in film - 2 years as an office PA, a year as a production secretary and the past 2 years as an APOC.

3. That's never happened, I always accomplish everything. :) Not true, many times I am given crazy, ridiculous tasks that cannot be completed (such as being asked to call that one restaurant and talk them into staying open late for us, even though I know for a fact that the owners will not stay open late for anyone, anytime, for any reason.) I explore all the options, try as many solutions as I can before I go to my boss and say "I can't do this." Usually my boss (or bosses) will ask if I tried A, B. and C before they will accept "I can't" or "I didn't." I try to make sure I have done everything I can think of before I walk into their office so that I can say "hey, I know you wanted me to do this, but I tried A, B, C, D and E I still can't do it. Do you have any other suggestions?" Most times, they do have a suggestion that works as they have many more years of experience. But sometimes there are things that just can't be done when we need them to and usually they know this and will accept it. And sometimes it means sucking it up and taking the blame for not doing something, when it is not my fault that it didn't get done.

4. My advice applies more directly to film, but I think it is applicable to almost any field of work: work hard and get to know people in your industry. As great as it is to have a killer resume, your chances are much higher of getting a job if you know someone in that field of work. In my opinion, you are better off with a decent resume and great recommendations - word of mouth recommendations are a good 70% of the reason I hire people. The other 30% is attitude and availability. If you can't find a paying job, try to get an unpaid internship, work your butt off, meet people and get an inside look at what it is really like in your desired field. Work hard, be flexible, be available and have a good attitude, it will pay off!