It’s 3am on Saturday. My friends are either having dinner at twenty-four or after a long night of barhopping. My clock is my alarm clock. I turn blindly to my clock, my phone, and everything else in that general vicinity, trying to find and severely punish the source of the noise. Then my sleep-deprived brain realizes that it’s not just a terrible breakup – it’s time to get up.
I sit up feeling rather sick as if waking up from a coma. My eyes will burn. None known today, that’s for sure. Although I’ve been packing for five-plus months this early morning, that wake-up call doesn’t make it any easier.
I’m fresh out of college and holding my first real job in the industry since I came to school. In college, I had spent some time as a professional intern, and the hard work seemed to be finally paying off. I am a Production Assistant for the morning news at a local station. It is quite a large station. It’s in the course, in the end. And I love my job – most of the time.
For those who don’t know, a Production Assistant (commonly known as a PA) is like a glorified servant of the business. If you want to work in TV or film, there’s a very good chance you’ll start as a PA. You get paid half a degree from the intern, but you also get samples and sometimes coffee or Diet Cokes. .
The good news: it’s a great way to learn the ins and outs of business. You will meet lots, see lots of things, and learn lots. The bad news: you have as much power as a moped. But there is an easy way to get rich quick. And that, friends, is called sarcasm.
So I get up and get dressed, and at this point I have at least one eye mostly open. I drive to work, praying that I don’t fall asleep at the wheel, or wipe out the sides. some half-drunk college kid drove home on his way home at night. More good news, though: no traffic at 4am!
And there are days and night by turns, likewise. But it was strange, like a morning shift. I had a friend compare to me the shock of getting up that early to get a shot every morning, and it’s a surprisingly accurate analogy. But when I go, it’s not so bad. I, however, are mediums. So what if the morning bird usually gets special dinners with the elderly? Maybe I like to go to bed before dark. You don’t know otherwise.
At my station, the PA writer is responsible for “tearing” the scripts – a term coined from the old days, when printers used long paddles attached to holes in the sides of the paper, and individual pages were torn out. Now we’re just directing scripts for the director and each anchor, which sounds pretty smart. It is the most important eros itself. This is not sarcasm – anchors need their writing in order.
There is also a PA teleprompter running. It’s from the internet, the internet. Well, no. It’s important, but it’s not. And you sit in the studio and watch the action, which is pretty cool. Just use it as a way to learn more about television production. You are behind the scenes!
When I’m not writing or working in the studio, I answer the phones at the assignment desk. If you want to see stress, stop by the appointment desk in the early morning or early afternoon. I have only observed the editors of the assignment – I would like to have panic attacks every day. Care should be taken to look at all the news in stories with the police, hospitals or families involved. They also make sure that each photographer and reporter know their destinations for the day. And when a reporter has a question (or gets lost on the way to a live shot), who do you think he’ll call?
And station workers aren’t the only ones calling the assignment desk. There are also public relations that call to see if we go to this or that event, other TV stations ask, and viewers call the end line with reports of history. and then there are insanities. Some people love to call and just chat. We have a few regulars and a lot of anonymous callers who either want to shout and rage, complain about their problems, or just listen to someone. I’ll just put it this way: I’m sure there are several mental hospitals in the area with our phone number.
We want to send and receive and protect hundreds of press station receipts. We are also responsible for a segment of the show ‘s Birthday.” P*s take care of any miscellaneous thing that needs to be done, so we are ready for everything. Our job description? Someone says “jump” and we don’t expect how high to go. We will just jump to the stars.
Being a PA is a great way to get your foot in the door if you want to work in this business. It’s definitely not the job you want for the rest of your life, but everyone starts somewhere. And there’s no business like a business show! Or so I said.
Is my advice to you? If you know that you like the media and accept this gig offer, take it. If the hours are terrible, you don’t want to, because they won’t last forever. If the pay is low, remember that you can only go up from there. When you’re in the office, smile and be willing to take on the task, no matter how hard it is. Even if they ask you to search for envelopes, whoever is supposed to do it will appreciate your help – and they will remember your time. Learn all you can. Talk to everyone you deserve.
Always also in bear in mind the big guys climb your way to the top too. Now to go to bed. You have to get up early.
