Film crew hire/New York/Production assistant
Hire a production assistant in New York. The PA who keeps the paperwork, the people and the producer on time.
Production PAs for shoots across the five boroughs. They build and send the call sheet, get every crew name to building security, meet your contributors in the lobby and get the releases signed, working to your producer. From $250 a day, paid to the PA in full.
- 54 five-star Google reviews
- 2 hrs for our team to read your brief, in working hours
- 10 hrs a New York crew day, plus a meal break
- 500+ productions, filmed in sixteen countries
Photos: Here Now Films, Adil Mukhi, Tri Vo and Nathan Dumlao
The role
What a production assistant does on your shoot
In New York “PA” covers most of the junior jobs on a crew. This page is the production PA, sometimes called the office PA, who works to the producer on the people and the paperwork. They build and send the call sheet, keep the contact list current, send the crew list and the COI to the building, meet contributors in the lobby and get every release signed.
The set PA, who does the runs, holds the sidewalk and keeps the unit base going, has its own page: runners and set PAs. On a small shoot one PA does both. On a busy interview day the production PA is what lets the producer stay in the room, instead of standing at the lobby desk spelling the sound recordist’s name for security.
- The call sheet, right. Times, the address, the freight entrance, the nearest subway and every phone number, out the night before.
- Contributors looked after. Met in the lobby, signed in, given a drink and ready when the producer calls.
- Releases signed. Every person on camera, before they leave the building.
- The building sorted. Crew names and the COI with security and the managing agent before the day.
What’s included
What the day rate covers
In the day rate
- A 10-hour day, plus a meal break
- The call sheet and contact list, built and kept current
- Crew lists and COIs sent to the building
- Contributors met, signed in and looked after
- Release forms signed and filed
- Help loading in and out
On top, each on its own line
- Our 10% booking fee, on the whole quote
- Payroll and insurance for the job, at cost
- A prep day for call sheets and building lists, if the shoot needs one
- A car, parking and tolls, at cost, if the PA drives
- Travel outside the five boroughs, and any cars or vans, at cost
How our rates work, and the two ways to book: crew rates in New York.
Two ways to book
Crew hire or full production: who’s the producer of record?
One question sets the price: who’s the producer of record? Book a PA for your own shoot, or have us take the production on.
Crew hire
You run the shoot.
10% booking fee, on everything we book for you: crew, kit and travel. Payroll and insurance at cost, on their own line.
We do
- Find, book and brief the New York crew
- Every crew member employed for the job: payroll, workers’ compensation and COIs
- Book kit, vans and travel too, if you want them
- Send the full price, in dollars, before anything is booked
- One person to call all day
You do
- Run the shoot, or your producer does
- The plan, the schedule and the call sheet
- The location, its COI and any Mayor’s Office permit
- Responsibility for the production: you’re the producer of record
Payroll and insurance are their own line on the quote, at cost: payroll for each crew member, the insurance they need for the job, New York workers’ compensation included, and the certificates of insurance your location asks for.
Full production
We’re the producer of record.
From $20,000 for a New York production; most land between that and $75,000. One quote, in dollars, every line shown.
We do
- Our producer plans it with you and runs the job
- Locations, permits, kit, studio and travel, booked in the production’s name
- The production’s insurance, the COIs and the Mayor’s Office permit
- One quote and one contract with us, wherever you’re based
You do
- The creative calls
- Signing off the plan and the budget
The production’s insurance, the crew’s payroll and any permits are lines in the quote, so you see each one before you sign.
Not sure which you need? If your own producer or director will run the day, it’s crew hire. If you want us to take the production on, it’s a full production quote.
On the day
A day with a production assistant, call to wrap
An interview day with eight contributors at a company’s offices in the Financial District. Times are an example; the call sheet sets the real ones.
- 07:30 Arrive Signed in at the lobby desk against the crew list sent the day before, badges collected, the freight elevator slot confirmed.
- 08:00 Load in Kit up from the loading dock, and the holding room set with water, a phone charger and the list of who’s coming when.
- 09:30 First contributor Met in the lobby, walked up, mic’d by the sound recordist, briefed by the producer, release signed.
- 11:00 The call sheet Tomorrow’s location has moved floors: the call sheet reissued to the crew and the client, and the new floor sent to the building.
- 13:00 Meal break Ordered at eleven so it lands on time, and cleared away after.
- 14:00 The afternoon Four more contributors, one late, one early: the PA keeps the order straight and the producer told.
- 18:00 Wrap Releases checked against the list and scanned to the producer, the room put back, badges handed in.
Which kind
Production PA, set PA or something else?
The junior production jobs in New York overlap. Here’s how they differ.
Production PA Call sheets, releases, contributors From $250 a day
Works to the producer on the people, the paperwork and the building, before the shoot and on the day.
Best on interview days, events and anything with contributors.
Set PA Runs, the base and the sidewalk From $250 a day
Works to the ADs or the producer on set: runs, kit, coffee, the van and holding the public. See runners and set PAs in New York.
Best as an extra pair of hands on a bigger crew.
Assistant producer A slice of the producer’s job Quoted on the brief
Takes part of the producing off the producer: the contributors, the locations or the schedule. We booked one alongside the producer for an agency’s one-day shoot in New York in October 2025.
Best on busy days where the producer needs a second senior pair of hands.
Production coordinator The office and the bookings Quoted on the brief
Works to the production manager or supervisor on bookings, travel, certificates and call sheets. See production managers in New York.
Best on long shoots and commercials.
Producer Runs the day From $750 a day
If the day needs someone to make decisions, book a producer in New York.
Best when there’s a client or contributors to manage.
What it’s for
What people book a production assistant for in New York
Interview days
Contributors met, signed in and released one after another, in offices from Midtown to the Financial District.
Fireside chats and panels
Senior guests with full diaries, walked to their chairs on time, each with a signed release.
Conferences and events
Vox pops between sessions, every face on a release before it walks away.
Productions from abroad
An extra pair of hands for a visiting producer who’s never had to send a crew list to a Midtown lobby desk.
Multi-location days
People, call sheets and certificates kept straight across the boroughs.
Recent work
PAs on our New York jobs, and the paperwork behind them
Our work · Chelsea, New York · April 2026
Three senior guests, one loft
The AlTi × Nevis fireside chat put three senior people in armchairs in a daylight loft on West 24th Street: Nancy Curtin of AlTi hosting Phil Dundas, AlTi’s CTO, and Mark Swan, CEO of Nevis. A multi-camera set-up, props sourced in New York, and an extra camera operator added on the day. On a day like that the PA’s job is the guests: met at the door, mic’d, released, and walked to their chairs when the cameras are ready, not before.
How we crew it · New York
The building list, and the COI behind it
Most Midtown and Financial District offices won’t let a crew past the lobby until security has every name and the managing agent has a COI naming the building, often as additional insured with high limits. The production PA sends both early, chases the confirmation, then books the freight elevator slot for the load-in. When a contributor or a crew member changes the day before, the list changes too. It’s dull work, and when it’s missed the crew spends the first hour of the day in the lobby.
Before you book
Things to know
The day
- 10 hours, plus a meal break.
- Any overtime is agreed with you before it happens.
Getting around New York
- Most PAs travel by subway, with what they can carry.
- Bigger kit goes by cargo van; parking privileges only come with a Mayor’s Office permit, for the vehicles listed on it.
- Tell us if the PA needs to drive: the car, parking and tolls go on the quote at cost.
Paying and changes
- Nothing to pay until you confirm the PA.
- 50% when you book, 50% on receipt of the final rushes.
- Every line on the quote: day rate, booking fee, payroll and insurance, kit, travel.
- Cancellation terms are on every quote.
Employment and insurance
- Every PA we book is employed for the job, on payroll, with New York workers’ compensation.
- Certificates of insurance (COIs) for your location or permit, naming whoever needs naming, on request.
- On a crew hire the location, its COI, the permit and your own general liability stay with you. When we’re the producer of record, the production carries them.
- In New York, Here Now Films books its crews through established New York production companies, so every crew member is employed, on payroll and fully insured for the job.
$250 a day
No published union scale for a production PA in New York.
| Day rate, 10 hours | $250 |
| Booking fee, 10% | $25 |
| One day, before payroll, kit and travel | $275 |
Every PA we book in New York is employed and insured for the job. Payroll and insurance are their own line on the quote. What that covers
You won’t pay anything until you confirm the PA.
- Every crew member employed and insured for the job
- 50% at booking, 50% on the final rushes
- Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours
Or call us on +44 7412 543822.
Reviews
What clients say about our crews
Straight from our Google Business Profile.
Book a production assistant in New York.
Tell us the date, the place and who the PA should look after. Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. Or call us on +44 7412 543822.
Check availability
The whole crew
Every role in New York, booked the same way
One brief, one quote in dollars, every role on its own line. Our day rates in New York, paid to the crew member in full:
Production 06
- Director From $1,500
- Producer From $750
- Production manager $650
- 2nd AD $600
- Production assistant This page $250
- Runner $250
Camera 07
- DP From $1,200
- Camera operator $750
- 1st AC $700
- 2nd AC $550
- Steadicam operator From $1,500
- Gimbal operator $750
- Drone operator From $1,000
Data and playback 02
- DIT $750
- Video playback $650
Sound 01
- Sound mixer $850
Hair, make-up and costume 02
- Hair and make-up $650
- Costume $700
Art department 02
- Art director $750
- Set builders $550
Post-production 01
- Editor From $600
How our rates work: crew rates in New York. Or start from a set-up: interview crews and units in New York.
Questions
Hiring a production assistant in New York: questions
How much does a production assistant cost in New York?
Our New York production PAs start at $250 for a 10-hour day, and the PA is paid all of it. There’s no published union scale for a PA in New York. On top goes our 10% booking fee, so one day comes to $275, before payroll and insurance (at cost, on the quote) and travel. If the PA drives, the car, parking and tolls go on the quote at cost too.
Who employs the crew, and are they insured?
Every crew member we book in New York is employed for the job and fully insured: payroll, New York workers’ compensation, and certificates of insurance for your location or permit. Payroll and insurance show as their own line on the quote, at cost. On a crew hire, the location, its COI and the permit stay with you, because you’re the producer of record. If you’d rather we were, it’s quoted as a full production.
What’s the difference between a production PA and a set PA?
A production PA works to the producer on paperwork and people: call sheets, crew lists for the building, contributors and releases. A set PA works on the floor and at base: runs, kit, coffee, the van and holding the sidewalk for the ADs. In New York both are called PAs, and on a small shoot one person does both. On a busy interview day it’s worth having one of each.
Do I need a PA or a producer?
If someone has to make decisions on the day, book a producer. A PA works to the producer and takes the small jobs off them: the lobby, the releases, the call sheet, the runs. Busy days with lots of contributors usually have both, and the producer spends the day watching the interviews instead of the door.
Can a PA handle releases and vox pops in New York?
Yes. Send us your release, or use ours, and the PA gets one signed by everyone on camera before they leave. On a City sidewalk or in a City park, a hand-held crew with no exclusive use and no parked production vehicles doesn’t need a permit, so vox pops can happen on the day. Parks run by a conservancy, such as Central Park, Bryant Park or the High Line, have their own processes, so check before you go (checked October 2026).
Where do New York PAs come from?
Mostly from the city’s crews: PA is where most New York crew start, and the good ones move up fast. One source is Made in NY’s PA training, run by the Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment with Brooklyn Workforce Innovations since 2006, which has trained about 1,100 New Yorkers (checked October 2026). We book PAs with set experience, employ them for the job like the rest of the crew, and match them to the brief: a production PA for a contributor day, a set PA for a street.
How far ahead should I book a PA in New York?
Our latest New York shoot, Nevis × Focus, was filmed twelve days after the first email. Our team reads every brief within 2 working hours. If the PA is sending crew lists and COIs to a building, send us the contributor and crew names early: Midtown and Financial District offices often want every name before the day, and a location’s COI request can take longer than the booking.