Employment Spot

Jobs in Hollywood

It’s the night of the Academy Awards and you’re glued to the TV, dreaming of one day walking up the aisle and accepting your Oscar. Who hasn’t dreamed of running off to Hollywood and rubbing elbows with the rich and famous? And it isn’t only aspiring actors, writers and directors who dream. After all, the stars need someone to cook for them, fix their computers, manage their finances, etc. If you’re envisioning an office with a view of the Hollywood sign, polish up your resume and start searching the wealth of jobs listed online. You could be on a plane to LAX in no time. One of the best places to look is where the movies and television shows are produced. The major studios maintain sites where they post their current job listings and some allow you to apply online. You’ll find jobs sites at Sony Pictures, Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox, Universal Studios, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, New Line Cinema, Disney and Warner Bros.

Sites specializing in entertainment industry jobs offer additional guidance. EntertainmentCareers.net and reeldirt.com give you great advice on how to get your foot in the door. They feature career profiles, helpful articles, educational resources and networking events.

The Hollywood Creative Directory has an extensive job board that you can browse free of charge, though you’ll need to buy a subscription to access contact information on just about everybody working in the "biz." You can post your resume at ShowBizJobs, and mandy.com will e-mail new job listings to you weekly.

If you’re willing to invest a little money in your search, you might consider purchasing a subscription to a job site. For $19.95 a month, Welcome to Crew Net gives you access to above- and below-the-line crew positions, both union and non-union. At Crew Call Jobs, you can subscribe as an actor or as one of three crew categories to receive specialized listings (the fees in each category vary).

Entertainment Employment Journal is an online magazine focusing on careers in the creative, professional, technical and production areas of the entertainment industry. In addition to job listings, you’ll receive lists of current film and television projects in pre-production; interviews with industry professionals; articles discussing how to break in, crossover or move up in your career; and a calendar of networking opportunities and industry events. A three-month subscription (2 issues per month) is $35.00.

Of course, everyone in Hollywood subscribes to one or both of the "rags." Only subscribers can access the entire paper, but both Variety and The Hollywood Reporter feature free, searchable online job classifieds.

If you haven’t had your big Hollywood break yet, don’t worry. There are plenty of other jobs in Los Angeles to pursue in the meantime. Visit EmploymentSpot’s Los Angeles Jobs and CareerBuilder’s Los Angeles Jobs pages to search for openings in many fields.

   — Julia Walker

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