Amanda is an A2* in the Audio Department, and she lives here in Los Angeles. She is adopted and grew up in Northern California with her parents and seven siblings. At 18, she parted ways with her small town and moved to the San Fernando Valley to live with her grandma. Unlike most people in town, Amanda had never planned on getting into the film and television industry.
“I was applying to Sport Chalet and Payless Shoe Store, and my aunt hit me up and was like ‘I know this isn’t up your alley, but I have a data entry job over at Cast & Crew* (a payroll company). Do you want to interview for it?’ When I went to the interview, I was very upfront with the woman interviewing me. I knew I had no experience, but I just totally put myself out there. I mean I had put babysitting experience on my resume and literally never had a real job before; I was like ‘my attributes are great; just hire me’. She saw my resume but took a chance on me, and that’s kind of how I got started, oddly enough in the accounting department.”
Amanda worked at Cast & Crew for almost three years until a friend brought her onto Brother vs. Brother, now known as Property Brothers, as an assistant accountant*. After a few shows, Amanda started to question whether or not she should keep moving forward in accounting. “I was like ‘Holy fuck, this is not what I want to do’. I worked with some of the best accountants, but it is a really stressful environment. There’s so much paperwork to be done, and obviously people can get really anxious about their paychecks, and we’re the ones that had to deal with it all. I just realized at a certain point that I didn’t want to do that anymore, and when I was an accountant on Jim Henson’s Creature Shop Challenge, I started to really get interested in the Audio Department.” She then became an assistant production coordinator* (APOC) on Motor City Masters and met Krysten Kabzenell who let her help out with putting mics (microphones) on contestants.
It can be incredibly difficult to move up to another position from production assistant. While she acknowledges she has been lucky to have coworkers that have been willing to teach and mentor her, she knows it can be hard to find people that are willing to give you a chance. “Unfortunately sometimes in this industry people want you to choose one route and one route only. It can be a little difficult because people won’t take you seriously. I was a PA and wanted to do audio but was struggling with getting those jobs and at the same time needing to make more money so I would coordinate. I don’t want to say you get super stuck, but you do get a little stuck because your bills are paid and you’re comfortable.”
Life can throw curve balls at your plans, as it has with the pandemic, and it can definitely slow things down. A few years ago, Amanda’s dad was going through Chemotherapy so she decided to move home temporarily. “I ended up moving home for two years. I don’t regret it at all; I don’t feel like any time was lost, but I do feel like because I had to make those decisions, a few opportunities slipped through my fingers, and a lot of people didn’t take me seriously. And that’s okay.”
There’s also the issue of racism and a lack of representation on set on both the crew side and the producing side, and that can play a role in how quickly someone moves up or gets promoted. There’s a push by almost every network right now to diversify a show’s cast, but oftentimes the crew continues to lack diversity themselves, and representation matters. “It wasn’t until really last year that I worked with so many Black people on set, and just seeing diversity on set is really important. You know, there’s definitely racism on the job. As a Black person and a POC, especially as a woman, you don’t realize how we’ve just been conditioned to just laugh it off.” Though she’s grateful more productions are trying to be more inclusive, she hopes the industry continues to get to a place where people of all walks of life are hired because they’re good at their job and not to just check a box. She says having a more diverse crew starts with people not being afraid to hire someone that doesn’t look like them. “I think we’ll get there, but it definitely starts with who you decide to hire. It definitely starts with you.”
Though there have been a few road bumps, Amanda has been working consistently as an A2 for the last year. Her advice to those just starting out and anyone wanting to make the jump to another department is to just stay true to yourself. “I want to say that when I started out in this industry I was really young. Just speak up for yourself, never get discouraged and ask questions. Don’t be afraid to chase your dreams, and also, take all the time that you need. Stand up for yourself because you’re worth something. Don’t rush into it; Go and find your path. I always felt like I was rushing, rushing, rushing, and now at 29 I’m okay with taking things a little slower. I can even say today that I’m not 100%, but I’m always going to give 100%.”
She also has some words of wisdom for women in production and hopes that we can learn to change how we treat each other. “Uplift each other because I do notice women can be very standoffish with each other, including myself. Let’s help each other. In an already male-dominated industry, the least we could do is be fucking nice to each other.”
I feel like the lucky one to be able to know Amanda, both personally and professionally. I am very much looking forward to where life takes her next.
To follow Amanda and keep up with her life, check out her instagram.
The Lady AC
Industry Terms
A2 – An A2 is an Audio Department assistant and technician that assists in the technical aspects of handling audio equipment. The A2 handles microphones, microphone cables, lavalier mics, speakers and a host of other audio equipment backstage, making sure that all is working properly and effectively. Cast & Crew – a payroll company that is used by many productions and networks. As freelancers or gig workers, we are paid by these payroll companies and not directly by the TV show or film we work for. Assistant accountant – providing assistance with payroll processing, budgeting, record keeping and other duties, such as assisting with daily operations and filing documents. Assistant production coordinator (APOC) – An APOC is above production assistant, but below production coordinator. They assist the production coordinator in handling production duties, such as setting up the production office, dealing with transportation to each location, updating crew lists, etc.
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