2. CONSIDER MOVING TO L.A. OR NEW YORK
Newsflash: The TV business is located predominantly in Los Angeles and New York. If you ask folks in "the biz" (or the employed ones, at least), they'll ALL try to convince you that to be a player, you HAVE to move to L.A. first, and if that's not possible, then to New York. We tend to agree. But as we mentioned earlier, chances are your salary will barely cover your cost of living in these two wallet-draining cities. If money is not an object, though, start packing now. (And give us some of that trust fund coin while you're at it.)If you're too short on cash to make the trek right now, take heart: Most towns and smaller cities have at least one or two local networks. You can also often find small production companies, PBS stations, commercial/advertising production companies, and even industry support facilities (post-production or special effects houses) where you can get your start. In other words, just because you don't live in L.A. or N.Y.C. doesn't mean you won't be able to find P.A. work; it just means that you will have fewer opportunities.
The opportunities you do find, though, might not be as shabby as you'd think. Many people underestimate the power of a small-town gig. Large media companies often have strict hierarchies that are clearly divided by function, making it difficult for an office P.A. to learn anything about what is going on on-set. A P.A. at a smaller company, however, may be given the opportunity to work closely with a director, editor, or producer in the matter of one week. Granted, you might be working on a public access show about dog grooming - in Kansas - but at least the director will know your name.
