The PA Skills That Transfer to Every Department

Villa Maria College grad Romone Reeves says PA stands for "practically anything." Food orders, talent fittings, standing in on marks. Sounds like a complaint. It isn't. An on-set PA helps every department move production forward, which means you can get a look at camera, art, AD, locations and the production office all in the same week. Not many entry-level jobs do that. Use it.

Where each skill points

Radio discipline and lockups are AD department skills. Paperwork and call sheets are production office skills (and AD Staff-adjacent too), and that's the track toward coordinator or supervisor work. Production Supervisors are generally non-union. Production Office Coordinators (POCs) and Assistant Production Office Coordinators (APOCs) may be covered by IATSE on union productions, depending on the market and the agreement. Union roles come with labor protections, benefits and a scale wage system.

If you're leaning technical, say camera, then name your target out loud: 1st AC, the focus puller who keeps the image sharp as the actor or camera moves. Union pathways, roster requirements and required workdays vary by craft and by market, so research the local for the city you actually want to work in. Some West Coast classifications also mean setting up an account with Contract Services and documenting qualifying work experience.

What PAs actually get paid

PA work has traditionally been a non-union hire, and rates move around depending on the market, production budget, department and how long the job runs. From what I've seen, PA wages run from minimum wage up to about $23 an hour. Every production is different.

Most PAs are hired hourly through payroll. Overtime may start after eight hours in a day or after 40 hours in a week, depending on the state, the production and the agreement. Some places and agreements also require double time past a certain point. Before you say yes, ask what the rate is, how many hours it covers and when overtime kicks in.

You'll also see low-budget projects offering a flat day rate. A flat rate doesn't make you an independent contractor and doesn't wipe out a production's overtime obligations. Your classification comes down to the actual working relationship, not whether you're paid by the hour or the day.

On jobs run properly through payroll, expect to be paid as a W-2 employee with state and federal taxes withheld. If a production plans to pay you as a 1099 independent contractor, get that clear before you accept.

Do this this week

Start a workday ledger today. Date, production, department, hours worked, rate and your supervisor's name. Some union pathways require documented work experience, and you won't remember the details of your 2027 gigs in 2029.

Keep being good at the PA job. Stay present, work hard. You're in your "paying your dues" era, which isn't always fun, but I'll tell you honestly, it's one of my favorite stretches to look back on.

Not every job leads straight to the next level. But people remember who they could hand more to, and that's how the next thing happens.

Today's New Jobs

Fifteen fresh roles went up on the US board overnight, bringing us to 265 live — and the new ones are always thinnest on applicants first thing.

Recommended Job of the Day

Office Receptionist is our pick. It's with a growing animation studio in Los Angeles, sitting in the facilities team: front desk and phones, greeting visitors, sorting security passes, booking and setting up meeting rooms, post, kitchens, plus drafting the emails and notices that go out to the whole company. If you want to learn how an animation studio actually functions day to day, you'll see all of it from that desk. Lean on the writing side in your application — being the person who can word a company-wide announcement properly is what separates you here. Get it in today; shortlists at this level get built from whatever's already landed.

Others of note...

Executive Assistant supports the chief product and technology officer at a streaming business serving British TV to North American audiences, based in New York. Full-time, permanent, small team, so you're near senior leadership rather than three floors below it. Anyone who's calm with diaries and discreet with information should be writing to them this morning, before the pile grows.

• Paid junior office / production / development roles: 11 live
• Paid internships / fixed term: 52 live
• Paid entry-level crew (runner, trainee, production assistant): 26 live
• Volunteer / expenses-only / unpaid: 105 live
• Permanent jobs: 2 live
• Apprenticeship / structured scheme: 1 live

Browse the whole US job board

Don’t F*ck Up The Coffee: Getting the Gig, Keeping the Gig

Andi Armaganian Workshop leader

TV director Andi Armaganian (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, Supergirl, Stargirl), who cut 100+ episodes before directing 30+ episodes, explains how entry-level crew actually get hired and, harder still, asked back. She covers the differences between PA roles, how referrals really happen, the on-set habits that quietly end careers, working around a director without overstepping, and turning one job into the next. For anyone chasing their first PA job — no experience needed — you'll leave knowing what "reliable" means to the people doing the hiring. Free for all Members.

My First Job In Film

myfirstjobinfilm.com

Launching the careers of new filmmakers around the world

Click here to unsubscribe from this list

Copyright © 2026 My First Job In Film - All rights reserved