0 The Page Interviews: Part Three

Emily outside Paramount's Bronson Gate

"Badges? We ain't got no badges! We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinking badges!" - The character "Gold Hat" from the film, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

Ok, so studio Pages do need badges in order to get on to the movie studio lot where they work, but once they are on the lot, they often have unlimited access to the studio. Pages wear many job hats that allow them to see the studio from many different perspectives. A Page might be giving tourists a tour of the lot one day, assisting with audience coordination for a television show the next and then even running an urgent errand for a studio executive the next. As a studio Page, you never know what type of assignment will come up next or who you might run into. 

Unlike most jobs at a movie studio, the Page gets to see almost every part of the factory in operation and because of this, they often have many interesting experiences to share.  That's why a while back I did two Q&A's with former Pages as the start of a series on this blog. To continue that series I've asked Emily Ronkar a few questions about her experience as a former Paramount Studios Page.

Emily, what year(s) did you work as a Page at Paramount Studios?

From 2005-2006, a full year from July through the following August

How did you find out about the Paramount Page program and what made you interested in applying for that position?

A friend at a part-time job I was already working had mentioned it to me.  He told me about his previous experience some years before as a Page.  Because of my love for film, appreciation for film history, and general desire to work on a studio lot, this seemed like the perfect opportunity for me.

What kinds of duties were you assigned as a Page?

Most of my days were as a tour guide or working the audience entrance/exit for the sitcoms.  While at Paramount I was also lucky enough to work two Stunt Man Awards Shows, assist at the American Music Awards, and temp for several different departments on the lot, which aided in a wider appreciation for what goes into creating a film.

What was your most unusual assignment at Paramount?

For the Paramount Christmas party, myself and a couple other Pages dressed up as elves and a Mrs. Claus and assisted with the family/kids Santa pictures.

Emily (seated in front) dressed as an Elf

What was your most interesting experience?

On my lunch break I liked to wander the lot and one lovely wandering day, I happened to stumble upon a live elephant in Chicago street.  A commercial was being filmed on New York street and the elephant was being kept and cared for a street away.  Quite the shock to round a corner to a full-grown elephant!

What was your least favorite experience?

When I look back, I don’t really remember anything being my “least favorite”.  There was only one temp position I did not enjoy so much, but the people I worked with were wonderful, and I learned a lot while I was there.  

Also, an unpleasant run in with a regular audience coordinator for one of the long running shows filmed on the lot, but despite the frustration caused by this individual, I learned a better way to deal with difficult people in that environment.

Any celebrity run-ins?

You were always running into familiar faces and names regardless of where you hung out on the lot.  Two of my favorite random sightings include Tim Burton entering the main Bronson gate entrance, and Jonathan Rhys-Meyers on a break outside a stage where MI:3 was filming.

Three of my favorite celebrity run-ins are:

• Tom Cruise, who was spotted by my VIP tour as we drove by the MI:3 filming stages.  He heard them notice him, and turned and waved with a smile, pausing long enough for my tour to get a great photo.

• Anthony Clark, from “Yes, Dear”, who unbeknownst to myself, had come up behind my tour while I was showing a mostly empty sound stage 20.  He offered to take our tour next door onto their filming stage and proceeded to introduce my tour to other cast members and explain a little about tv filming.

• During filming of Disturbia, another Page and I were running an errand in a golf cart and ended up in a game of chicken, nearly running into Shia LaBouf in costume on his way to set.

I've asked this question to two other Pages and I'll ask you, did you encounter any old Hollywood ghosts or hear any of the stories?

I had definitely heard the stories, mostly from security guards who worked the night shift in the New York/Chicago street areas, since those walls bordered the Hollywood Forever Cemetery.  Plus, there was always the odd haunted stage story that would rumor it’s way though each Page class.

The only odd experience I ever had on the lot was a night when a former Page from my class and I were hanging around the MI:3 set after working an audience show that night and were headed back across the lot to our cars, we happened to walk through the New York and Chicago streets, both our favorite places on the lot.  When we were on the far side of Chicago street, before it meets up with the stages, and turns the corner back into New York street, the air around us seemed to get eerily quiet, despite all the filming happening on the other side of the lot.  I remember the lights on the side of the false sets flickering and going off and on, pitching the street into random darkness.  Then suddenly, everything went back to normal, light came on, the air around us felt like it lifted.  We high-tailed it out of there, laughing, either from fear or nerves.

Would you recommend a Page program for others entering the work world, especially those pursuing careers in entertainment?

Absolutely!  The Page program was such an integral part of getting my feet wet in LA and the Entertainment industry here.  I met so many interesting people and had opportunities to work and learn in and about so many other facets of the industry I hadn’t even thought about!

What is happening in your post-page life? Where are you working or what projects are you involved with? Has your Page experience helped you in what you are doing now?

I am currently working for Click Communications, a fabulous online PR company.  Specifically I work as a Video Asset Specialist primarily with one of our major studio clients, but assisting in video clip pulling with several other clients as well.  

I would definitely agree that the Page experience has helped me in what I do now.  I have a much broader vision of the studio system and the inner workings of the business and production side of the industry, the first steps of which I learned while a Page.

Now, because this blog focuses on old Hollywood, here are a few quick questions about the classics:

Favorite classic movie?

Double Indemnity, an amazing film noir movie that has stuck with me since my first viewing in a college film course.  Intelligent, subtle, distinctly dark and a bit snarky.  All of my favorite things!

Favorite classic movie actor?

Charlie Chaplin; ever since I saw City Lights I’ve been amazed at what one man was able to accomplish and the brilliance behind each of his films.

Favorite classic movie actress?

Marlene Dietrich was always a favorite.  She was just so sassy!

Detail: The Page Interviews: Part Three

0 The Page Interviews: Part Two

Gene with Paramount Producer, A.C. Lyles

This the second part in a new series I plan to continue featuring interviews with former and current studio pages. As I've mentioned before, I think pages have one of the most fun jobs at a studio and often have some interesting stories. Here is what former Paramount page, Gene, had to say about his page experience:

What years did you work as a Page at Paramount Studios?

2006- 2007

For those who are not familiar, what does a Page do? What did your job duties consist of?
Paramount pages were primarily used to give 2 hour tours to the general public, help with audience coordination of shows like Dr. Phil or sitcoms such as Girlfriends, also the pages were occasionally used to work temp jobs around the lot.

What was your most interesting experience?
I had a group of kids from the Make A Wish foundation on a tour. Kelly Carlson, who was filming Nip/Tuck on the lot at the time took time out to talk to the kids, sign autographs, and gave them a tour of the set. The Make a Wish kids had a great time and she was a class act.

What was your least favorite experience?
Anytime I'd get a group of people for a tour who spoke little to no English and had absolutely no interest in studio history.

Any celebrity run-ins?
One time Tom Hanks stopped my cart and tried to talk to the guests. The tourists were so shell shocked at seeing Tom Hanks they momentarily forgot how to talk. All 8 tourists in that cart just sat there in awe staring at Tom Hanks.

How did you come to work as a Page at Paramount? What was the process like to get the position?
I applied to the Paramount job site. They called me in for what was a group interview. The interview was conducted in the Gower Theatre which was allegedly the very same screening room where Howard Hughes locked himself in at the end of the film "The Aviator". There were like 30 people there for the interview. We all took turns standing in front of the room talking about ourselves. It was a bit nerve racking. They ended up hiring 7 of us from that group.

Gene Dressed as Paramount character Nacho Libre

Studios always have ghost stories. Did you encounter any old Hollywood ghosts or hear any of the stories?
One of the most fascinating stories I heard was Redd Foxx passing away during a live taping of the sitcom. One day while filming "The Royal Family" Redd had gone to take a nap in a recliner on the set during one of the breaks. Unfortunately, when it was time to resume filming, Mr. Foxx never did wake up. The coroner drove right up the sound stage and took away his body before a live audience.

Do you watch the television show 30 Rock? What do you think of the character Kenneth who portrays an NBC Page?
A friend I used to be a page with sent me a clip of the "Page off" with Kenneth squaring off against Paul Scheer playing the head page. I gotta say that is EXACTLY what being a page is like.

What was your most unusual assignment at Paramount?
One time we had to work a press junket for a family themed cable channel to introduce their fall shows. Our job was to hold the microphone for the press as they asked questions to a panel of puppeteers and their puppets. It was kind of bizarre watching a grown woman sit there with a puppet on her lap answer the questions in the high pitched voice of her puppet.

Would you reccommend a Page program for others entering the work world - especially those pursuing careers in entertainment?
Sure why not. I met some great friends, many of who I still keep in touch with. It really did help me get my foot in the door, as I've been fortunate enough to stick around the lot working long after my pagedom.

What is happening in your post-page life? Where are you working or what projects are you involved with?
I currently work as administrative assistant in marketing and I try to make funny videos in my spare time.

Now, a few quick questions:
Favorite classic movie? Once Upon a Time in The West

Favorite classic movie actor? Yul Brynner

Favorite classic movie actress? Lucille Ball

Detail: The Page Interviews: Part Two

0 The Page Interviews: Part One

Kenneth, the NBC Page - (c) NBC Universal

Before the television show 30 Rock, not too many people probably knew what a studio page was or what they did, unless they worked in entertainment. Now, because of Jack McBrayer who portrays an NBC studio page named Kenneth, the world of the studio page has been brought into the spotlight. Having worked as a page myself, I can say that some of the tasks that Kenneth is assigned on the show are pretty spot on:  giving tours of the studio, answering phones, running errands for various studio executives, helping out with audience coordination on TV shows. However, I would like to think that not all of us pages were as naive as the character Kenneth.

Because pages have so much access to the studios they work at, they usually have many interesting stories. When you have that page jacket on that Kenneth so much adores, no one really questions you when you walk around the studio. Nobody knows what big exec you may be running an errand for. To shine a light on some of the stories pages have, I decided I would start a new series of interviews with former and current pages.

In my first interview in this new series is former page Brian Lauda:

Brian Lauda gives a tour at Paramount Studios

For which studios did you work as a Page and what years were you there?

Well, Sony technically doesn’t have a Page program. I was a tour guide there from July 2005-January 2006. At the time, Sony’s lot was filled with mostly movies and one hour dramas, which don’t require pages. They used an outside Page company for the few sitcoms and game shows they actually had.

I also worked at Paramount Pictures as a Page from January 2006-September 2006.

For those who are not familiar, what does a Page do? What did your job duties consist of (Sony vs. Paramount)?

At Sony, my primary job was giving tours of the studio. I also helped answer the phones and schedule tours along with some other minor clerical work.

Paramount’s Page program was a lot more diverse. They actually have a structured page program. The three main duties I had as a page were 1) giving tours of the studio 2) assisting with the studio audiences for the sitcoms and other shows, and 3) performing temporary job assignments around the lot as needed.

What was your most interesting experience at Sony?

It was a slow tour day and I only had one person on my tour, which can either be extremely fun or extremely challenging depending on that person’s personality. This particular tour was a little tougher than others. My guest and I were standing in front of Nancy Meyer’s production company in one of the parking spaces. As I was talking about the building, this little car came whipping around the corner and nearly hit us. The driver put her hands over her face, and you could tell she was very embarrassed for almost hitting us. As the driver got out of the car, she waved to us and said “I’m really sorry,” before scurrying into the building. My guest then looked at me and said, “Did we just almost get run over by Cameron Diaz?” I said, “Yes, we sure did.” The rest of the tour was smooth sailing.

What was your most interesting experience as a Page at Paramount Studios?

I’m not sure if this is the most interesting, but this is definitely the most fun. If you ever visit a movie studio, you will come to find out that golf carts are the preferred mode of travel. Myself and a certain page who will remain nameless (because I believe he still works at the studio) had some time to kill between our last tour and a movie screening. It was probably around 6 or 7 in the evening and the lot was practically deserted. We thought it would be a great idea to race the golf carts around the studio. Now for those who don’t know, Paramount has an outdoor water tank. Before CGI and all the other special effects, a water tank was the place to film any type of water scene. The water tank at Paramount is particularly famous, because this is where Cecile B. Demille parted the Red Sea in The Ten Commandments. Because the water tank is no longer used very often, it is now a parking lot, which sits in the middle of the studio. This was one of the rare times the parking lot was completely empty. Naturally, we had to race our golf carts in this tank and take them up the sides of the curved walls. Only one problem…the front of a golf cart is square. Needless to say, we bottomed out and got our golf carts stuck. I nearly had a heart attack when three “suits” (studio big wigs) came walking by the parking lot. We quickly rescued our golf carts and fled the scene of the crime. Success!

What were your least favorite experiences?

Working the mail room during rainy season. Los Angeles has two weeks of rain a year, and I managed to work the mail room both of those weeks. My boxers and socks were soaked by the end of every day.

Any celebrity run-ins?

A ton. But the one that sticks out in my mind was when I was working one of the sitcoms at the Paramount lot. A couple of other pages and I were on break and standing outside the soundstage. Out of nowhere, Henry Winkler aka The Fonz, came over and started talking to us. I don’t even remember what we talked about, but he hung out with us for about 5 minutes. As a page, you are told not to approach any of the celebrities, so this was sort of a big deal. A movie studio is kind of like the zoo, and the celebrities are the animals…you can look, but don’t touch. I kept thinking I was going to get in trouble for talking to Henry Winkler, even though he approached me. Anyhow, he is one of the nicest and funniest guys in show biz. Truly, a class act.

How did you come to work as a Page at Sony and then later at Paramount? What was the process like to get those positions?

Well, in both cases, I had connections to people who worked at the studios. Hollywood is all about having connections. I believe the term is called “networking.” I basically got the job at Sony on a phone call. I don’t even think I interviewed. Paramount was a little more formal, and I had to go through more of an interview process.

Studios always have ghosts stories. Did you encounter any old Hollywood ghosts or hear any of the stories?

I never encountered any ghosts on either of the studios, but there are a TON of stories about ghosts on any movie studio you will ever visit. I will say this though…a movie studio at night is a little creepy, especially if you are walking the backlot by yourself.

Do you watch the television show 30 Rock? What do you think of the character Kenneth who portrays an NBC Page?

I don’t actually watch it, but I have heard that it is a very funny show.

What was your most unusual assignment at Sony and at Paramount?

My most unusual assignment was probably at Paramount. I was working for the Facilities Department and we had to clear out and go through all these old files. We found original studio blueprints from the early 1900s and really old pictures of the lot. It was really great to see these old items. They probably hadn’t been looked at in years, and it really gave you a sense of how much history has taken place at the studio.

Would you reccommend a Page program for others entering the work world - especially those pursuing careers in entertainment?

Absolutely. I said earlier that being successful in Hollywood is all about networking. What better place to network than at a movie studio? I would say the majority of people that came out of the Page program got some kind of job at the studio. And if they didn’t end up working at the studio, they ended up working for some other production company because they made a contact while working at the studio.

One last question. Favorite classic movie?

The Godfather

Detail: The Page Interviews: Part One