My First Film Set Job: PA on “Assault of the Sasquatch”

Published: 8/5/2025

Duration: 01:52

My first film set job started with one question: “Do you want to be a PA?”
Here’s how I ended up on Assault of the Sasquatch—and why the title changed.

Between client projects, I’d jump onto movie sets through friends from a boutique ad agency—Andrew Gernhard and Colin Theys—who made monster movies at Synthetic Cinema. When I stopped by their office during a slow stretch of client work, Andrew asked if I wanted to be a PA, and I learned on the spot what that job actually meant. That production—Assault of the Sasquatch—ended up being one of my all-time favorite sets to work on.

- How a boutique ad agency led to meeting filmmakers Andrew Gernhard and Colin Theys
- Why they alternated between monster movies and commercial work while finishing VFX, editing, and sound
- Stopping by Synthetic Cinema during a slow period of client work (including a teeth whitening commercial)
- Getting asked to be a PA—and realizing I didn’t know what a PA was
- What a PA does on set: helping out and making sure everyone has what they need
- The original title Sasquatch Assault vs. the final Assault of the Sasquatch
- The VOD-era strategy of adding an “A” to the start of a title for visibility

Watch next:
- Lost Generation | Are we the new Hemingway era of Creatives?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyjquEFDVpc
- Ambition without Aim: Why Creators Crash and Burn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGctsD16_7w
- Vegeta's delusions are the secret to his insane work ethic: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbbEo_KTw5Q
- Delusions of Grandeur vs. Impostor Syndrome: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ISSBzQIkXyk

Playlists:
- Driven to Create Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyjquEFDVpc&list=PLm_X9BbBBS12vhz7L4yrRPDfQ_2eF2MQt

Connect with us:
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- Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/01wAW1GbLms8bu1atrds9K
- Website: https://www.paulmelluzzo.com/podcast
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/driventocreate_podcast/
- Inquiries: https://driventocreatepodcast@gmail.com

#Filmmaking #ProductionAssistant #FilmSet