Pros
Personal pros: -I learned how to navigate a toxic work environment at Hyperion LA with the support of my husband and therapist. - I am learning how to legally protect myself and sign a fair contract from the onset. - I had two lovely co-workers who offered a buffer and made the time working for Hyperion LA bearable and beneficial. I learned a lot about producing from them. - I gained valuable insight in how production works from a company's perspective, this has given me a set of new skills to promote myself as a freelancer and pursue my next big opportunity.
Cons
Very low pay- my responsibilities were not commensurate to my pay. At 31k a year I was expected to be the office production assistant with social media responsibilities, studio and equipment rental overview for our sister company Hype Rentals and production assistant on set as needed. My role involved supporting the producers with creating call sheets, applying for permits, creating project decks for clients, researching locations, updating the website, organizing our file share system, sourcing crafty and catering, creating equipment invoices and wrap reports after shoots. I was essentially also the in-house production assistant as we got busier and fulfilled all of the preproduction pick ups, I was the production assistant on set, and the post production assistant the day after the shoot to fulfill returns. All on top of my regular office duties. Deplorable business ethics - I often heard the CEO/ Founder disclose how we should always pay people the lowest amount possible to maximize our profits. I was discouraged by how little he paid creatives, this to me exemplified the lack of respect and value the industry has for artists. We often falsely advertised services we did not offer and often had to quickly scramble to fill the position externally if we did not fulfill it ourself. I had to protect my retouching skillsets from the company for fear of exploitation. Hyperion LA's CEO/ Founders response to updating our website with images from plus size shoots we produced for a well recognizable brand was a hard no. It took him a minute of convincing to finally bring him down and to agree. He often cited his time working at Prada as setting the standard for how he viewed the industry. Inconsistent work responsibilities - As the production assistant I was the lowest rung at Hyperion LA. I was often thrown a variety of last minute responsibilities with no regard to my ever growing list of daily objectives (call sheets, decks, researching locations, studio and EQ rental reach outs / inquiries, office runs.) During my time at the company I also developed the foundation for an e-commerce service that we are now advertising to clients, I was responsible for advertising our studio for rentals, and shortly before I exited our goal shifted to renting out equipment. This is all on top of being the runner for pick ups of PPE supplies, crafty, photo equipment, working as a PA on set during shoots and doing returns the day after shoots. Let's not forget I was also in charge or running social media content. Lack of consistency in CEO/ Founders attitude - It became quickly draining to adjust to the inconsistent moods of the CEO/Founder. "Be kind to me today" became his motto when he was lacking in sleep, was under a new restrictive diet or he was giving up one of his current habits (vaping, redbulls, etc.) "Be kind to me today" was not afforded to the rest of the team, we often walked on eggshells when he was in this mindset.