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TV Calling

How to Be a Great Production Assistant (PT09)

Alex and Nick talk about everything you need to know on how to get a television production assistant job, and what to do (and what not to do) so you excel at it.
What are the different kinds of TV PAs (on-set PA, office PA, post PA, writers’ PA)? What does each job entail? How do you actually get a sweet PA gig? And, more importantly, what should you be doing to make a great impression and make the best of that professional opportunity?
The Paper Team brews a fresh pot of coffee while answering these questions and more…

SHOWNOTES

Content

1 – The different TV Production Assistant jobs (00:30)
2 – Getting a PA job (15:56)
3 – What to do and what no to do on the job (21:18)
4 – How to go above and beyond (28:15)
5 – Opportunities to seize while being a PA (32:21)
6 – Keeping the ball rolling after the show wraps (37:27)
Takeaways and Resources (40:00)

Links

Below the Line listings
Production Weekly
eFax
“Attitude!” – The Birth of Poochie in The Simpsons (Video)

Resources

Needle Girl Haystack World
The Anonymous Production Assistant’s Blog

If you enjoyed this episode (and others), please consider leaving us an iTunes review at paperteam.co/itunes! :)

You can find Paper Team on Twitter:
Alex@TVCalling
Nick@_njwatson

If you have any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]

Feedback and Notes: Building Your Reading Onion (PT08)

Alex and Nick discuss how you can build a “reading onion” to get constant feedback over the course of your TV writing, and how to deal with the notes you’ll be getting.
Who should you get comments from? What do the layers of the “onion” stand for? Which notes should you be ignoring and which ones should you address?
The Paper Team has a few macro thoughts on the issue…

SHOWNOTES

Content

1 – Who: Different people for different notes (00:37)
2 – When: The “reading onion” and its first layer (11:47)
3 – Outline: The second layer of the “onion” (15:15)
4 – Rough Draft: The third layer of the “onion” (18:29)
5 – Real Draft: the fourth layer of the “onion” (21:25)
6 – Macro v. Micro notes (23:09)
7 – What: Specific notes you should be getting and asking for (30:08)
8 – How: Reacting to notes and addressing them (39:51)
Takeaways and Resources (45:06)

Links

Writing Jane the Virgin

Resources

A Martian Wouldn’t Say That! – Compiled by Leonard Stern & Diane Robison
TV Network Notes (Twitter)

If you enjoyed this episode (and others), please consider leaving us an iTunes review at paperteam.co/itunes! :)

You can find Paper Team on Twitter:
Alex@TVCalling
Nick@_njwatson
If you have any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]

How to Follow Up (Without Seeming Desperate) (PT07)

Alex and Nick discuss the reasons why you would want to follow up with someone, how long you should wait before you do, and what you should be saying in that follow-up message.

SHOWNOTES

Content

1 – The Objective: Why you are following up (00:34)
2 – The Timing: When you should follow up (05:56)
3 – The Approach: How you should follow up (18:08)
4 – The Ask: What you will be saying (20:35)
Takeaways and Resources (27:26)

Original timing reference sheet (by Hubspot)
when-to-follow-up

Resources

Google Docs
Boomerang for GMail

If you enjoyed this episode (and others), please consider leaving us an iTunes review at paperteam.co/itunes! :)

You can find Paper Team on Twitter:
Alex@TVCalling
Nick@_njwatson
If you have any questions, comments or feedback, you can e-mail us: [email protected]