The Life of a “Power” PA
Sharon Aaron
March 3, 2024
Production Assistants also known as PA’s has been a career that cand lead to or become the stepping stone for upcoming individuals who aim to become a part of the entertainment industry. A Production Assistant’s responsibility may vary . According to Indeed.com the Production Assistant job description defines as an entry level position and can include preparing call sheets for Actor, monitor sets to ensure there aren’t any issues occurring and will work to quickly resolve any problems that take place during filming or rehearsal to getting the set, Cast and Crew Members ready for filming or rehearsing and so much more.
Stan Peek a seasoned Production Assistant previously worked on G-Unit Film & TV tv series “Power” where he recalled 16-hour days in the winter. Stan expresses that “Days go by fast if you make the most of your day by networking and getting to know others like Joseph Sikora who played the role of “Tommy” on the hit series on the Starz network.
Peek who spent 2 seasons with the cast was interested in learning more about the business and how a production was fully developed. A key educational opportunity while working on set was having the opportunity to observe Courtney Kemp, the creator of the hit series “Power”.
According to Peek; “Ms. Kemp travelled with her team and was on set and brought a breath of fresh air. I was really grateful to be in the room with her as she made changes to the episodes to make the production come to life.”
Locating and picking a reliable and suitable PA is not always simple. Caarleene Samuels, project coordinator and producer refereed to finding good PA’s as “A challenge, you have to take the time to find a good Production Assistant that can assist the Producers with preparing everything so they can do their best work.” Carleene who recently assisted on the new release of the 3 week number one box office hit “One Love”, advised that the production team “Has to be consistently reliable, the PA responsibilities start and end each day and prepare a production team when filming for the following day.”. Samuels who has previously worked within film, commercial advertising and music productions as a project manager has been responsible for managing and overseeing the responsibilities along with Assistant Producers to ensure the cast and staff are all aligned with the needs of the production team and the goals for the timeline of each day.
Understanding the who’s and what their needs are is an intricate part of the responsibility of a PA. The PA does not need to have a ongoing communication with cast members to understand their daily needs if there as filming that is taking place such as a series.
The PA’s job will not change much but differ from day to day. Understanding the cast and producers and what helps them produce the best work is the most important part of their day. Being able to support the cast and having them on time and prepared is a daily activity for a Production Assistant so it is helpful to often discuss what has previously worked for the on other sets and what their needs are to helpfully have them ready for the production at hand makes a PA successful.
Peek found the best way to understand his colleagues that were casted as actors on his set was to ask what did they like and dislike about their previous PA’s as a way to help fulfill their needs and exceed the expectations of a great Production Assistant.
Samuel’s noted, “A good Production Assistant will ask a lot of smart questions but be independent enough to figure out the easy stuff.”
A PA has long days but can be a rewarding career if you are looking to learn more about the set, staging, lighting, videography, directing and producing for film, tv, commercials, music videos and more.
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