Job Responsibilities
Job responsibilities included anserwing phones, maitaining
appointments on the calendar for my boss (a very busy
entertainment executive), handling all mail and interoffice
documents, providing adminstrative support to my boss and others
in the office.
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Job Requirements
Everyone in the office (from assistants to executives) had a
BA/BS. They didn't seem to concerned with what I majored in, and
most people had a variety of educational backgrounds. Of course,
a good gpa (3.0+) will help to get you in almost any door, but
employers are also looking to see if you can do the job. If you
don't have the degree and/or grades, prior work experience will
be key. A good "can-do" personality is a must, and being well
groomed is also important (sorry if it sounds superficial, but
hey, that's Hollywood for ya!).
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Uppers
Entertainment is a fun industry to work in. No stiff dress codes, not a lot of
uptight people (in the conservative sense), great holiday parties, and you get
free copies of all the movies when they come out. And you get to work in a posh
environment because executives have high standards. Thing: fresh flowers to
decorate the office, nice decor and office furniture, etc etc....
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Downers
In entertainment, if you are low on the totem pole, you really
don't get paid much. Assistants in other fields are likely to
make around $10K+ more than what they pay in the Industry. But I
suppose they pay low because studios know that most people take
admin. jobs with some kind of agenda: aspiring script-writers,
aspiring actors/actresses, aspiring film makers, aspiring
producers, etc... these kind of folks use the job to make
contacts, network, etc. So you bite the bullet and take the low
pay for a while, until you float onto the next big gig. Don't
take a job in this industry just to say you work at a studio. You
will be broke, and wasting your time, when you could be doing
something else that is more worthwile in the long run.
Also, make sure you have a thick skin, because assistants often
have to take the heat, even when they don't deserve it.
Entertainment has a lot of prissy people who like to be
condescending to the next person, and not a lot of people will
stop to reconize your potential because they are too busy looking
the mirror at themselves. Sure there are good people out there,
but just be warned...
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Lifestyle
It's good way to get your feet wet in the working world, once you
are done with college. I'd say it would be worth staying around
for a year, but not longer than two years. Get some experience
for 12 months, and then use it as a stepping stone for the next
gig. It does grab a potential employer's eye when they see that
you've worked at a studio. In subsequent interviews, people have
always been impressed and wanted to oooh and ahhh over what it
was like to work in a movie studio. I didn't do anything major,
but I'll ride the "ohh and ahh" wave to surf into the next
interview!
Have fun, and don't let Hollywood suck you dry (because it will,
I promise). If you don't want to stay in the industry long-term,
or you don't feel challenged anymore or you aren't making any
headway, don't be afraid to move on to the next thing.
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Compensation
As I said before, the pay ain't great. They did offer good
benefits, like PPO med+dental and a matching program for 401(k).
But as for the money, things weren't as fabulous.... annual
raises were in the 1-3% range. And when you are making under
$30K, that's a drop in the bucket. Studios may be more generous
when they are doing well, but these days entertainment seems to
be taking a lot of hits because consumers are not out in full
force going to see movies, buying dvds etc. So aside from
hopefully networking and making contacts for the future, don't
expect much dinero.
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Advice to Jobseekers
It's good way to get your feet wet in the working world, once you
are done with college. I'd say it would be worth staying around
for a year, but not longer than two years. Get some experience
for 12 months, and then use it as a stepping stone for the next
gig. It does grab a potential employer's eye when they see that
you've worked at a studio. In subsequent interviews, people have
always been impressed and wanted to oooh and ahhh over what it
was like to work in a movie studio. I didn't do anything major,
but I'll ride the "ohh and ahh" wave to surf into the next
interview!
Have fun, and don't let Hollywood suck you dry (because it will,
I promise). If you don't want to stay in the industry long-term,
or you don't feel challenged anymore or you aren't making any
headway, don't be afraid to move on to the next thing.
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