Unit Production Manager-members gathered at DGA headquarters in Los Angeles on August 27 for the AD/UPM Council West’s annual UPM Breakfast. Sponsored by the Council’s UPM Committee, this year’s event was titled Find the Job. Get the Job. Keep the Job., and explored aspects of those three states as they apply to UPMs. The breakfast also served as a forum for members of this category to discuss their thoughts and concerns about these subjects and others.
The day launched with an informal breakfast where the attendees could catch up and network with their peers before AD/UPM Council West Chair Victor Hsu welcomed everyone to the event and introduced UPM Committee Co-Chair Richard Prince who spoke about how the day would proceed.
The stage was set with a PowerPoint presentation on employment statistics from DGA Assistant Executive Director, Research and Strategic Analysis Joyce Baron and a brief Q&A. Then the attendees were treated to a panel discussion on strategies for success with UPMs Robert Del Valle (Lady Dynamite), Derek Johansen (Goliath), Kenneth Silverstein (Citizen), Scott Thaler (Star Trek Beyond), and Sara E. White (Agent Carter). In a conversation moderated by Prince, the panelists shared their personal experiences in looking and interviewing for work, and discussed some pitfalls to avoid once the job is secured.
After the panel discussion the attending UPMs broke into discussion groups to explore subjects such as: how they got their first and most recent UPM jobs; tips and advice for interviewing, such as how to handle a bad interview; job-hunting sources like online postings, social media and availability lists; ways to keep up with new elements of the UPM job; and how to get asked back. At the end of the day, the groups reconvened to share their information with the larger audience, and other questions were addressed in a Q&A session.
About the Committee:
The UPM Committee is a body authorized by the elected AD/UPM Council West. Its members are appointees made up of experienced, working UPMs. The Committee exists to provide a forum for an extended exchange of ideas which are specific to the present and future concerns of the UPM. The Committee's Co-Chairs are Michael Buegg and Richard Prince. The Committee members are: Larry Albucher, Jim Behnke, Marc Bienstock, Burt Bluestein, Marie Cantin, Allegra Clegg, Elaine Dysinger, D. Scott Easton, Buddy Enright, Brian Frankish, Franklyn Gottbetter, Duncan Henderson, Mark Indig, Tom Joyner, Janet Knutsen, Jules Kovisars, Cleve Landsberg, Adam Merims, Traceigh Scottel, Randy Turrow, Melanie Wagor, Dara Weintraub, Dwight Williams, and Sally Young