Rock City is DOOM!

February 4, 2007 6:26 PM

NYCFilter: Detroit totally sucks compared to NYC...

Someone I know from Detroit recently graduated from college with a degree in Film and Video Production. Recently (Thursday) she visited NYC and now (Sunday) she has decided she'd like to stay and look for a job related to photography or her degree. Does the hive mind have any resources I could point her towards and facilitate this transition?

posted by bastionofsanity to work & money (4 comments total)

She should look into joining Cinewomen or at least going to their events -- great source of resources.

Especially if she has any of her own equipment, she should join the LIFILM list & watch Craigslist to get pick-up jobs.

I don't know about jobs in the field, but if she can do an internship, I've heard Film/Video Arts (fva.com) is a great choice. Outstanding classes, plus production time/resources, in exchange for work in her area(s) of interest.
posted by allterrainbrain at 11:59 PM on February 4, 2007

just for future ref, it's hard to get many answers on mefi unless you put what you're looking for in the title or main question (before the "more inside")
posted by allterrainbrain at 12:03 AM on February 5, 2007

Lots of break-in-level film jobs are listed at Mandy.com. Most people who aren't sure where to start become an office or set PA (production assistant), a job which requires no prior experience but is a good vantage point to assess many positions in film. The Mayor's List of tech jobs is another good place to find these positions. People who know for a fact that they want to work in post-production become interns/tape loaders/receptionists at an editing/sound/FX facility and work their way up from there. Many positions in film have a union associated with them, and the union office will maintain lists of jobs and resources.

I don't know of one main resource for photography, but I see flyers up (help wanted, help offered) at every pro-level processing, printing and equipment rental place in the city. Craigslist would be a place to look for short-term assisting gigs that don't pay much but provide contacts. Most art schools also have job boards for their students, so she could either take a class to get access to the buildings, or tour the school as a prospective student and check the boards while there. ICP (International Center of Photography) is a good photo school in Midtown staffed by working photographers. There's a small job board there that lists internships and studio jobs, and many teachers hire former students to assist them on shoots.

If your friend figures out exactly where she'd like to start (e.g. her dream job), she could post a specific AskMe about it to get a more targeted list of approaches.
posted by xo at 9:44 AM on February 5, 2007

I work at a post-production facility in the city and often hear of PA jobs, freelance loading jobs, etc. If you give me your email (or your friends), I can give you a way to get me her resume. I'd be happy to keep it on file in case something comes up.
posted by samsarah at 5:55 PM on February 5, 2007