Production Assistant Cover Letter Example

It takes a village to complete a production. So production managers seek assistants who are quick on their feet and passionate about filmmaking to support the process.

If this sounds like you, pair your production assistant resume with a strong cover letter to convince the hiring manager you were made for this job.

Use these three tips to write a production assistant cover letter to increase your chances of landing a spot on the crew:

Highlight production assistant skills

Production assistants spend their time running errands and providing support in the office or on set. However, your job responsibilities can vary depending on the needs of your production team and their budget.

A strong production assistant cover letter will highlight your PA experience, along with a combination of hard and soft skills that are required to assist both technical and administrative activities.

For example, attention to detail and organizational skills are key PA soft skills that complement your knowledge of filmmaking. Here’s how you can emphasize these skills in your cover letter: “During my time at XYZ Company, I’ve participated in production meetings and accurately reviewed scripts and conveyed detailed notes to directors and producers.”

Here’s a list of key production assistant skills to highlight in your cover letter:

• Adaptability
• Patience
• Creativity
• Time management skills
• Problem-solving skills
• People skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Communication skills
• Multitasking
• Prioritization
• Analytical thinking
• Physical strength and stamina
• Teamwork
• Ability to work under pressure
• Production tools
• Google Drive and Microsoft Office
• DaVinci Resolve 
• CyberLink PowerDirector
• Final Cut Pro X
• Adobe Creative Cloud 
• Adobe Premiere Pro
• Adobe Systems (Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop)

Open with a strong cover letter introduction

Working as a production assistant is a great stepping stone for breaking into the television or film industry, so you can expect to be vying against many others for the position. To give your job application a boost, you need to spark interest in the hiring manager by starting your cover letter in a compelling way.

Here’s how to write a strong production assistant cover letter introduction:

• Show your passion for film and television production. Because production assistants are constantly running around to provide assistance in various areas, you need to assure the hiring manager you not only have the right skillset, but also the perseverance to meet their demands.
• Lead with your most impressive PA achievement to highlight job-specific skills. For example, “I’ve coordinated a range of technical and administrative activities, including managing errands, allocating scripts, and supporting with lighting and sound for 25+ shoots per year.”
• Customize your cover letter so the hiring manager knows you’re serious about the job. For example, if you’re a huge fan of a television series the producer was involved in, you can mention this tactfully in your cover letter.

Make sure your cover letter isn’t too long (or too short)

The key to writing a successful production assistant cover letter is to achieve the ideal cover letter length. If you submit a cover letter that’s way too long, the hiring manager might lose interest before they finish reading it. If your cover letter is too short, it may seem as though you didn’t spend much time on it. Ultimately, the best cover letters are between 250 and 400 words in length.

Here’s how to achieve the ideal PA assistant cover letter length:

• Focus on how you can add value to their production team, rather than talking about how you can benefit from the opportunity
• Keep your cover letter concise. Include relevant information only to highlight key skills and experience that showcase job-specific skills
• Provide examples of your most impressive accomplishments as a PA assistant. Instead of describing your past responsibilities, use hard numbers to quantify your skills. For example, “I’ve supported a team of 30+ directors, producers, set designers, and stylists to locate props and talents for commercial shoots.”